Censorship of maps
Encyclopedia
Censorship of maps describes the way of handling the appearance of potential strategically important objects like military bases, power plants or transmitters towards their censorship
on maps
.The appearance of such objects on maps available to the public may be undesirable, so it is often attempted to conceal these locations on the map.
many German soldiers were killed in Belgium
after their camps were flooded, even though the maps used by German military indicated the camp sites were not prone to flooding.
Censorship of maps was also used in former East Germany, especially for the areas near the border to West Germany
in order to make attempts of defection
more difficult.
Censorship of maps is today still often applied, although it is less effective in the age of satellite picture
services. A "dead map" is a term often applied to sensitive government maps that show the location of top secret facilities and other highly sensitive installations within a country. Russia the United States and Great Britain all have such maps.
Google Earth
censors places that may be of special security concern. The following is a selection of such concerns:
Censorship of maps is also applied by Google maps
, where certain areas are greyed out or areas are purposely left out-dated with old imagery.
In Lebanon
, all maps concerning the country are property of the Lebanese army and are issued by the Directory of Geographic affairs of the Lebanese military. it is considered a felony to reproduce whole or portions of maps without the permission of the military, although Maps can be issued to certain universities and urban design schools for use by students and can be issued to civilian upon presenting certain documents. A notice is written on the Maps prohibiting reproduction, copying or sale of the map and should be returned to the ministry of national defense upon its request. this policy is meant to prohibit terrorists, outlaws, and entities that are at war with Lebanon from obtaining those maps.
s may not be published by many countries as many of them are strategically important (chimneys of power stations, radio masts, etc.)
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
on maps
MAPS
Maps is the plural of map, a visual representation of an area.As an acronym, MAPS may refer to:* Mail Abuse Prevention System, an organisation that provides anti-spam support...
.The appearance of such objects on maps available to the public may be undesirable, so it is often attempted to conceal these locations on the map.
History
A variant of censorship of maps is putting in wrong high values. This can be important for predicting flooding. In World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
many German soldiers were killed in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
after their camps were flooded, even though the maps used by German military indicated the camp sites were not prone to flooding.
Censorship of maps was also used in former East Germany, especially for the areas near the border to West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
in order to make attempts of defection
Defection
In politics, a defector is a person who gives up allegiance to one state or political entity in exchange for allegiance to another. More broadly, it involves abandoning a person, cause or doctrine to whom or to which one is bound by some tie, as of allegiance or duty.This term is also applied,...
more difficult.
Censorship of maps is today still often applied, although it is less effective in the age of satellite picture
Satellite imagery
Satellite imagery consists of photographs of Earth or other planets made by means of artificial satellites.- History :The first images from space were taken on sub-orbital flights. The U.S-launched V-2 flight on October 24, 1946 took one image every 1.5 seconds...
services. A "dead map" is a term often applied to sensitive government maps that show the location of top secret facilities and other highly sensitive installations within a country. Russia the United States and Great Britain all have such maps.
Google Earth
Google Earth
Google Earth is a virtual globe, map and geographical information program that was originally called EarthViewer 3D, and was created by Keyhole, Inc, a Central Intelligence Agency funded company acquired by Google in 2004 . It maps the Earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite...
censors places that may be of special security concern. The following is a selection of such concerns:
- Former IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n president Abdul KalamAbdul KalamAvul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam usually referred to as A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, is a renowned aerospace engineer, professor , and first Chancellor of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology Thiruvananthapuram , who served as the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007...
had expressed concern over the availability of high-resolution pictures of sensitive locations in India. - Indian Space Research Organization says that Google Earth poses a security threat to India and seeks dialogue with GoogleGoogleGoogle Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
officials. - The South KoreaSouth KoreaThe Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n government has expressed concern that the software offers images of the presidential palace and various military installations that could possibly be used by North KoreaNorth KoreaThe Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
. - Operators of the Lucas Heights nuclear reactor in SydneySydneySydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
asked Google to censor high resolution pictures of the facility. However, they later withdrew the request. - The government of IsraelIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
also expressed concern over the availability of high-resolution pictures of sensitive locations in its territory, and applied pressure to have Israeli territory (and the Occupied TerritoriesIsraeli-occupied territoriesThe Israeli-occupied territories are the territories which have been designated as occupied territory by the United Nations and other international organizations, governments and others to refer to the territory seized by Israel during the Six-Day War of 1967 from Egypt, Jordan, and Syria...
held by Israeli forces) appear in less clear detail. - The Vice President of the United States' residence (Naval Observatory) in Washington, DC has been pixelatedPixelationIn computer graphics, pixelation is an effect caused by displaying a bitmap or a section of a bitmap at such a large size that individual pixels, small single-colored square display elements that comprise the bitmap, are visible to the eye...
, as has the Federal Gold Depository at Fort KnoxFort KnoxFort Knox is a United States Army post in Kentucky south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. The base covers parts of Bullitt, Hardin, and Meade counties. It currently holds the Army Human Resources Center of Excellence to include the Army Human Resources Command, United States Army Cadet...
. - From June 2007 until January 2009, downtown Washington, DC was shown using USGS aerial photographyAerial photographyAerial photography is the taking of photographs of the ground from an elevated position. The term usually refers to images in which the camera is not supported by a ground-based structure. Cameras may be hand held or mounted, and photographs may be taken by a photographer, triggered remotely or...
from the spring 2002, while the rest of the District of Columbia was shown using imagery from 2005.
Censorship of maps is also applied by Google maps
Google Maps
Google Maps is a web mapping service application and technology provided by Google, free , that powers many map-based services, including the Google Maps website, Google Ride Finder, Google Transit, and maps embedded on third-party websites via the Google Maps API...
, where certain areas are greyed out or areas are purposely left out-dated with old imagery.
In Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, all maps concerning the country are property of the Lebanese army and are issued by the Directory of Geographic affairs of the Lebanese military. it is considered a felony to reproduce whole or portions of maps without the permission of the military, although Maps can be issued to certain universities and urban design schools for use by students and can be issued to civilian upon presenting certain documents. A notice is written on the Maps prohibiting reproduction, copying or sale of the map and should be returned to the ministry of national defense upon its request. this policy is meant to prohibit terrorists, outlaws, and entities that are at war with Lebanon from obtaining those maps.
Similar cases
Lists of air traffic obstacleAir traffic obstacle
An Air traffic obstacle is a tall structure which can endanger air traffic. Air traffic obstacles have to be marked in most cases with red and white colored markings and with aircraft warning lights at night. On larger structures blinking lights are required...
s may not be published by many countries as many of them are strategically important (chimneys of power stations, radio masts, etc.)
Example
- Hiding a VLF-transmitter of Russian Navy on a map. Compare http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/8830/httpmapsvlasenkonetmap1fm8.jpg with satellite image http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=44.76514&lon=39.547691&z=13&l=5&m=h&v=2
