Martin McDowell's Blog

Google Maps has recently updated the satellite photos covering Wales, Pembrokeshire in particular. I am not sure how other areas were covered before but there is a definite resolution increase in the photos in south west Wales. The enhanced photos were first available on Google Earth and soon after that on the web edition – Google Maps.

The image detail is very good and you should have no problem seeing cars and their colour as well as people. Here is a close-up of Little Haven in Pembrokeshire:

I have already tried to establish when the photos were taken but I have only been in Wales for just over a year and they were definitely taken before that. At the moment I have information that they are about 2 years old. If anyone has more precise information please contact me or drop a comment on this article.

There are some interesting mistakes that can be seen, this particular one on the second Severn bridge. The cars seem to be driving on the shade of the bridge itself. I presume an image server at Google misinterpreted the grainy image with lower resolution (seen here on the left) and then mistakenly connected wrong parts of the bridge confusing the bridge itself with its shadow.
I presume the two photos were taken at different parts of the year (the better resolution taken probably during winter, note the longer shadow.