Starting in June, Google has been integrating high-resolution color images taken by the GeoEye-1 -- the so-called "Google satellite" -- into its Google Earth application, expanding its global repertoire beyond its focus on the U.S. The photo above is of Beijing South Rail Station.
The company is only starting to promote the new additions with the trivia game on its LatLong blog called "Where in the World is..." The quiz placed international images taken by the GeoEye next to trivia questions like "Tangerines were named for this city, the first one to ship the fruit to Europe" and "The nickname 'City of Lights' just gives this one away." The blog post listing the answers to the quiz also lists the geographic areas that were updated with the latest data push.
The GeoEye-1, owned and operated by independent company GeoEye, has been used by Google for satellite pictures since September of last year. It orbits at 423 miles above the earth's surface, but is still capable of a resolution of 41 centimeters. Before the deal, Google cobbled together images from DigitalGlobe, GeoEye's main competitor.
Here are some more examples of what the GeoEye-1 is capable of:
Zhangye, China (above)
Tangier, Morocco (above)
Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of Congo