Google Earth

[Ryan Ruck]

Hey guys, I know some of you heard me promise that I was going to put up a post with some points of interest that I had found on Google Earth related to the TAA.

I didn't think it would take all that long and I was just going to post coordinates for people to enter on their own. But, I've found a lot more interesting stuff than I had realized and so it got more and more complex!

So, I am attaching a KMZ Placemark file that can be downloaded to see ALL the points of interest I have compiled.

Some of these I have found myself and others have been found by numerous intrepid Google Earth users.

Locations of the placemarks include the US, Russia, China, NK, a number of Eastern Bloc countries, and a couple Middle East countries.

Some of the ICBM sites in the US and Russia are retired or, at least claim to be retired in the case of Russia (I'll elaborate below).

Some things of interest I noticed in these places:

- Russia's claims that ICBM sites are retired should be taken for a grain of salt. At least one of the ICBM sites I looked at appeared different from what was claimed. It was an SS-24 SCALPEL rail mobile ICBM site in Perm that I looked at which was said to be decommissioned. But, when I looked at the site, it was still very clean looking and there were also a number of train cars in the missile garrison area. There also appeared to be two BMP type vehicles in the NW area of the site near one of the buildings. Since I have been compiling so many placemarks of interest, I haven't had much time to investigate other sites but, I wouldn't be surprised in the least to see more of the same. By the way, here is a picture of a rail mobile SS-24 and a link to info on it:



RT-23 / SS-24 SCALPEL

- I've also noticed that a number of Russian air strips seem to have some sort of highly reflective coating on them. You can see this because a number have areas where the concrete is clearly visible in the same picture as parts where the concrete is very washed out due to sun glare. If this assessment is accurate, I would bet that this is to blind satellites from seeing what aircraft are on the tarmac and if they can discern what type of aircraft it would certainly wash out any smaller details of those aircraft (i.e. what type of weapons are loaded). I've put a place mark or two where this is visible but, it seems that a number of Russian military air fields exhibit this trait. Of course, I could be wrong but, it does seem suspicious that only certain parts of the air fields tarmacs would suffer from this (namely where airplanes sit) while other parts are fine.

I could go on and on about all the stuff I've seen looking around but, it would take up quite a bit of space! So, I'll leave it up to you guys to check out all the places I've put in the file. I managed to organize the points by country and there is some further organization beyond that (cities, sea ports, air fields, type of location, etc.) but, I didn't want to take a lot of time fussing over small details like trying to come up with a system of organizing each placemark. So, feel free to organize them any way you like!

With out any further delay, here is the file for your downloading pleasure: http://www.transasianaxis.com/conten...rest_on_GE.kmz

You can either right click and "Save As" or you can just click on it and tell your computer to use Google Earth to open it.

After you have the file in Google Earth you can move it and each individual folder and placemark into your "My Places" folder to permanently keep it on your computer. Also, should you want to try and find more military points of interest, you can check out Google Earth's message board – Google Earth Community – Military. There are other message board categories should you be interested.

I let you know when I update my file with new placemarks.

So, have at it and feel free to post your own placemarks with places I haven't listed!

[Joey Bagadonuts]

Hiya Ryan,

I'll bet you hit the nail on the head here:

I've also noticed that a number of Russian air strips seem to have some sort of highly reflective coating on them. You can see this because a number have areas where the concrete is clearly visible in the same picture as parts where the concrete is very washed out due to sun glare. If this assessment is accurate, I would bet that this is to blind satellites from seeing what aircraft are on the tarmac and if they can discern what type of aircraft it would certainly wash out any smaller details of those aircraft (i.e. what type of weapons are loaded).

Many drivers have been using a similar spray-on coating on their license plates for several years now to blind cameras used by police for speed enforcement and to enforce red lights. The reflection causes an overexposure. I'll bet the Russians are using the same technology.

http://www.phantomplate.com/index.html

http://www.photoblocker.com/www/index.html



***

[Ryan Ruck]

You know, that was one of the first things that popped into my mind when I saw it.

I went ahead and saved a picture off of Google Earth to demonstrate exactly what I'm referring to. The following is a picture of the tarmac at Murmashi Air Base near where the Northern Fleet is based:



Notice how only certain areas are affected by this glare?

[American Patriot]

Ryan...

I have to say something about the image of that train.

Hanging on the wall in my lab, in the back room is a painting. It is one of those anniversary dedication prints to the Defense Intelligence, 35 Years. I don't remember what year it came out...

On the picture is the exact same train as is pictured above... with the missile silo up, but set up inside a multistory building with windows... a kind of control building.

Monday morning I was talking to my partner about the print and said, "I'm betting this image was commissioned from declassified photos".

Then you post that image above. I showed it to my partner today and told him you posted that message yesterday, and we both though "WEIRD!!!"

Anyway. Just a side note.

[American Patriot]

Google Earth Goes to War
Strategypage ^ | 1/2/07



January 2, 2007: In the last 18 months, Google Earth (earth.google.com) has revolutionized military intelligence, but the military doesn't like to admit it. By putting so much satellite photography at the disposal of so many people, in such an easy- to- use fashion, much more information has been made available to a lot more people. That includes people in the military, and those they fight.


If you have a PC with a high-speed Internet connection, you can use Google Earth, and find satellite photos of all sorts of interesting stuff. For example (just enter the coordinates given below into the "Fly To" box in the Google Earth program);


An American air base in Afghanistan Longitude: 34°56'50", 69°15'34"


The Pentagon: 38.87, -77.506


North Korean nuclear test site; 41.279, 129.087


North Korean air base; 39.905 125.49


Russian subs in Petropavlovsk naval base; 52 55' N 158 29' 25" E
Kiska, Alaska, World War II shipwreck; 51°56'4.44"N, 177°27'22.10"E
Kiska, Alaska battlefield, showing bomb craters preserved in the frozen landscape; 51°57'4.64"N, 177°32'53.07"E


Google Earth's major problem was not it's ease-of-use, but the manner in which it showcased the shortcomings of the American NGA (National Geospatial Intelligence Agency). The NGA is responsible for taking the satellite photos, spiffing them up as needed, and getting them to the troops. Trouble is, the stuff still isn't getting to the troops that need it, when they need it. This was made very obvious when Google Earth showed up, and demonstrated how you can get satellite images to anyone, when they need it, with minimal hassle.


For over two decades, the generals, and other officers with access to "satellite imagery", have been complaining about the difficulty they have in getting their hands on this stuff. Hundreds of billions of dollars has been spent on photo satellites since the 1960s, and the troops always seem to get leftovers, if anything. Yet the satellite people regularly con Congress out of more money so they can build more satellites, and neat systems that will get the satellite imagery "to the troops." The goods never arrive, or never arrive in time. Generals gave angry testimony before Congress about this non-performance after the 1991 war. The satellite people seemed contrite, and said they would make it right. If given the money to do it. They got the money and the troops got nothing.


Now the troops got access to Google Earth, and have seen what they have been missing. To make matters worse, the software Google Earth uses to get the job done, was first developed for the NGA. But the way the NGA operates, you have to worry about security considerations, and all manner of bureaucratic details. The troops are fighting a war, you say? Well, we still have to deal with security and keeping the paperwork straight. But now the troops are beating NGA over the head with Google Earth, and some in Congress are beginning to listen. But will they listen enough to get NGA to do right by the troops? That seems unlikely. NGA bureaucrats are close at hand, and the angry troops are far away. But at least the troops have Google Earth, unfortunately, so does the enemy.

[Sean Osborne]

The problem with Google Earth from a purely military intelligence perspective is, quite frankly, it's yesterdays, last weeks, months, year or years ago news.

There's no real-time intelligence value in that at all. No tactical commander would find actionable intelligence in old data.

What Google Earth does provide - if the image resolution allows for it - is a detailed peak at what was, and where it was at an unknown time in the recent past. That kind of data at best provides an intelligence estimate. Still, that estimate does not have a quantifiable value because the viewer has no idea of when the imagery was collected.

[Ryan Ruck]

Secret Chinese Sub Spotted on Google

The U.S., constantly wary of Chinese military might, knew China was developing a new submarine that could carry nuclear missiles. It was called JIN-class, or Type 094.

Now an image of it, according to Hans M. Kristensen of the Federation of American Scientists, has turned up on Google Earth.

I called Kristensen, and he gave me the coordinates: 38 degrees, 49 minutes, 4 seconds North, 121 degrees, 29 minutes, 39 seconds East. If you have Google Earth downloaded in your computer you can see for yourself--a secret submarine, hiding in plain sight near the Chinese city of Dalian.

"China and the United States are in a nuclear arms race," wrote Kristensen and colleagues in a report last November. "Not an arms race of the intensity and proportions of the U.S.-Soviet arms race during the Cold War, but an arms race nonetheless. The U.S.-Chinese adversarial nuclear relationship goes back to the Korean War, but the scope and sophistication of the race appears to be increasing."

The Defense Department has been keeping an eye on this too, reporting how the sub's missiles are part of a plan to "give China a more survivable and flexible nuclear force." In the DOD's annual report to Congress on Chinese military might; the JIN-class subs are mentioned, among other places, on p. 19.

The idea of Chinese military aspirations is no surprise. But finding proof right there on your own computer?

[Ryan Ruck]

Pentagon Bans Google Earth From Military Bases

Citing security risks, the Pentagon banned Google teams from making detailed street-level video maps of U.S. military bases after images of a Texas base ended up on the popular Internet site.

A message sent to all Defense Department bases and installations around the country late last week told officials not to allow the mapping Web site to take panoramic views inside the facilities.

Google said taking such pictures is against its policy and that the incident was a mistake.

Air Force Gen. Gene Renuart, chief of the U.S. Northern Command, said Thursday that that the decision to issue a formal ban was made after at least one Google crew requested and then was permitted access to a base, identified in the message as Fort Sam Houston.

He said he was concerned that allowing the 360-degree, street-level view could provide sensitive information to potential adversaries and endanger base personnel.

It's a worry, Renuart said, because such views can show "where all the guards are, it shows how the barriers go up and down, it shows how to get in and out of buildings, and I think that poses a real security risk to our military installations."

Google spokesman Larry Yu said a Google crew mistakenly asked for access to a base.

"It is against our policy to request access to military bases for the purpose of capturing imagery in Street View," he said, adding that when Google was contacted, the imagery was taken off the site within about 24 hours.

Street View is a feature on Google Map pages that allows viewers to click on a location and see a panoramic view of that spot.

The issue emerged just a few days after published reports suggested that protesters used Google Earth to help plot their access to the roof of the Parliament building in London.

Renuart stressed that this was not an attack against the Internet giant, and that it was more a concern about secondary effects of an otherwise good technology.

Military officials talked to representatives at Google, Renuart said. "Google was very appreciative of us letting them know that we had a concern," he said. "They understand the security implications, and they have given us no indication that they would not be helpful to us if we asked."

According to the message sent by U.S. Northern Command to military installations around the country, Google representatives requested access to Fort Sam Houston and were granted permission.

"Once given access they took panoramic images of the area with roof-mounted recording equipment," the message said. "These images were placed on the Internet for public access."

The imagery included views of entry gates, barriers, the headquarters and other facilities.

The message ordered that military bases prohibit such photography, report any vehicles that may have surveillance capabilities and report any incidents where such access was granted.

[Ryan Ruck]

Something pretty neat that I found that works with Google Earth.

It is called Map The Fallen. It's a nice tribute to those US and Coalition military personnel who have lost their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq.

This plug-in for Google Earth maps where each person was born, a bio, and where and how they died.