French Government Launches Satellite Imagery of Its Country
France unveils national rival to Google Earth (via Reuters)
France unveiled a Web site on Friday that allows people to access detailed satellite images of the country and said it offered more detail of its territory than Google Earth…But President Jacques Chirac stressed the need for France to have such a site, which will allow Internet users to view aerial photos and maps, saying the state had to be at the cutting edge of modern technology. “It is also a case of economics,” Chirac was quoted by his office as saying during a presentation of the new portal, which is a joint project by the National Geographic Institute and the Office of Geological and Mineral Research.
Direct to Geoportail.Fr
We were unable to reach the site when we tried a few minutes ago.
Note: Of course, other online mapping tools offer “interactive” aerial and satellite imagery of France. Here are three examples.
+ Mappy.com
Postscript: Don’t Forget that PagesJaunes offers gorgeous street-level imagery of several major cities in France and Spain. Awesome.
+ Ask Maps (and Other Parts of Western Europe)
Here’s the Eiffel Tower and Charles De Gaulle Airport