Google maps - map from certain date and time

Question

Please before you vote this down consider the question as I have not been able to conceptualize a better way or place to ask it:

I have experimented adequately with google maps to understand the overall structure. Making requests, creating custom flags, etc. It is all quite easy and very similar the jCharts library.

Now, google obviously has something that is not available: a map from a certain date in the past. I do not need a full day by day iteration, but even every 6 months or so would be huge.

Is this possible? Has anyone else experimented with this?

Is the only option to save results locally and reinvent the google maps wheel?

Thank you very much

Answer 1

Google Earth has this functionality: http://www.google.com/earth/explore/showcase/historical.html

Travel back in time with Historical Imagery in Google Earth. View your neighborhood, home town, and other familiar places to see how they have changed over time.

As for Google maps:

• A discussion suggesting the use of older URLs to obtain the old satellite images.

• This example supposedly pulls older images if they're available. Doesn't work that well for me.

• This search on the Google groups might help but I see numerous posts about it not being officially available.

  There is no official service. These posts hint at ways to go back a short while, under some circumstances.
  http://groups.google.com/group/google-maps-api/search?group=google-maps-api&q=old+satellite Note the comments about seeing if it is within the terms - probably not - and the risk of getting (temporarily) blocked.