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Google Earth Used To Find Unlicensed Pools

XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq

Master of Distraction
Staff member
SUPER Site Supporter
I knew this was going to happen. It won't be long before companies offer a "differentiation" service to governments to alert them automatically of significant changes to people's land. Build an unlicensed shop and within a few months the government will be knocking wanting their tax revenue.

These services are a blessing and a curse - I suspect they will become more of a curse over time.

http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/loc...th-Used-To-Find-Unlicensed-Pools-20100801-apx

Google Earth Used To Find Unlicensed Pools

Updated: Monday, 02 Aug 2010, 10:14 AM EDT

RIVERHEAD, N.Y. - A town on New York's Long Island is using Google Earth to find backyard pools that don't have the proper permits.
The town of Riverhead has used the satellite image service to find about 250 pools whose owners never filled out the required paperwork.
Violators were told to get the permits or face hefty fines. So far about $75,000 in fees has been collected.
Riverhead's chief building inspector Leroy Barnes Jr. said the unpermitted pools were a safety concern. He said that without the required inspections there was no way to know whether the pools' plumbing, electrical work and fencing met state and local regulations.
"Pool safety has always been my concern," Barnes said.
But some privacy advocates say the use of Google Earth to find scofflaw swimming pools reeks of Big Brother.
Lillie Coney, associate director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington, D.C., said Google Earth was promoted as an aid to curious travelers but has become a tool for cash-hungry local governments.
"The technology is going so far ahead of what people think is possible, and there is too little discussion about community norms," she said.
A representative for Google said she did not know of any other community using Google Earth as it has been used in Riverhead. She did not respond to a question about whether Google has any concerns about how the town is using the service.
 

Doc

Bottoms Up
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
So profiling people with pools is okay, but profiling people who might be here illegally is not okay? Arrrrrggggggggg :mad:
 

JEV

Mr. Congeniality
GOLD Site Supporter
I can see both sides of this issue, but I would have to say that something like an occupied structure or a swimming pool that has a pump near it, are both potentially dangerous to the occupants if not properly constructed and inspected. I repair and rebuild things for a living, and I'm often horrified at what I find inside of walls. I have seen duct taped drain lines that should have been replaced, lamp cord inside the wall to connect under cabinet lighting, spliced wires with no insulation, tape or wire nuts, and not in an accessible box, and on and on. Homeowners are pennywise and pound foolish when they choose to do some of these installations without permits, and they are also putting their lives and the lives of their loved ones at risk of fire, electrocution or asphyxiation from leaking sewer gases.

Technology can be used to help us, as well as punish us for defying laws that are in place to protect us from dangers. A permit is cheap insurance to assure us that or kids and grandkids are safe in pools and structures. How would you feel if you electrocuted your grandchild because you were too cheap to buy a $25 pool permit and have it inspected for safety? In this case I agree with its usage to find scofflaws.
 

Rusty Shackleford

Automotive M.D.
SUPER Site Supporter
well thats bullshit. and apparently they are trying to implement cameras ont he roads to take pics of license plates for the sole purpose of checking to see if they have insurence.
 

Doc

Bottoms Up
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
I have to say I think it's more about money. Revenue for the county. If there were no tax monies involved they would not be going to all this trouble to find these pools, as they don't really care about the saftey, they care about the money.

If they paid for catching illegals they would find a way to do that also.
 

JEV

Mr. Congeniality
GOLD Site Supporter
well thats bullshit. and apparently they are trying to implement cameras ont he roads to take pics of license plates for the sole purpose of checking to see if they have insurence.
How is that relevant to Google Earth? Put that rant in another thread.
 

JEV

Mr. Congeniality
GOLD Site Supporter
I have to say I think it's more about money. Revenue for the county. If there were no tax monies involved they would not be going to all this trouble to find these pools, as they don't really care about the saftey, they care about the money.

If they paid for catching illegals they would find a way to do that also.
I respectfully disagree with you Doc. If you believe your city is just concerned with revenue, then I suggest you start a petition to have planning, zoning and building departments in your city to be dissolve. According to your statement, they serve no useful purpose other than to feather their own nest.

We charge our public officials to enforce the laws on the books, and that includes finding those who ignore the laws. If you disagree, then have them dissolved.
 

Doc

Bottoms Up
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
You missed it JEV. As you pointed out to Rusty, we are talking about one particular subject. Using google earth to look in on residents to find out if they have pools or not.

This is done to collect more revenues, if there were no revenues they would say it's up to the pool owner to call in for a safety inspection rather than hunt down the pools without a permit on file.
 

muleman

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
It smacks of big brother a little too much for me. The technology to do overlays and highlight differences is not that new. Using it for google earth is just a new twist. They have been using it around here to spot pot growers for over 5 years. I would not be surprised if they don't already have the overlays for the past 8 years since they implemented enhanced 911. They can do this but can't watch for border jumpers! That just shows how much of a farce our government is putting over on us. Trust me they can easily see folks moving around all along the border. They just choose to not do anything serious to stop it.
 

thcri

Gone But Not Forgotten
Department of Natural Resources has been using it for many years watching for farmers and draining of slews.
 

Cowboy

Wait for it.
GOLD Site Supporter
You missed it JEV. As you pointed out to Rusty, we are talking about one particular subject. Using google earth to look in on residents to find out if they have pools or not.

This is done to collect more revenues, if there were no revenues they would say it's up to the pool owner to call in for a safety inspection rather than hunt down the pools without a permit on file.


I gota agree Doc . I think Jev is looking at it from more of a buisness point of view & from what he,s seen himself as far as safety violations more than just the common sense side of it the rest of us do .

I do see his point looking at it that way . but disagree its about safety concerns . Point is it starts with backyard pools & gets far wose . This quote below from the article perty much says it to me . Of coarse this is just my opinion :biggrin:


( Violators were told to get the permits or face hefty fines. So far about $75,000 in fees has been collected )
 

XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq

Master of Distraction
Staff member
SUPER Site Supporter
The way I see it is that we already have protections in place to punish people that do stupid things. If someone builds an unlicensed pool that kills someone then they will be charged accordingly in a court of law.

Do we really need the government spying on us and checking in on us all the time?

I would much rather not have the government prying into what I am doing and spending more time making their services cheaper and more efficiently run.

Why doesn't the city above just make pool permits free and instead of seeking fines just have their inspectors spend their time educating the homeowners on why they need to build to code. The mindset of seeking to fine and punish otherwise law-abiding people is something that our society is too willing to follow.
 

thcri

Gone But Not Forgotten
Why doesn't the city above just make pool permits free and instead of seeking fines just have their inspectors spend their time educating the homeowners on why they need to build to code. The mindset of seeking to fine and punish otherwise law-abiding people is something that our society is too willing to follow.

It is not just the price of the permit. Part is the expense to get to code.(some are good and some are just plain stupid) Some people fear their taxes are going to go up on their properties.
 

JEV

Mr. Congeniality
GOLD Site Supporter
You missed it JEV. As you pointed out to Rusty, we are talking about one particular subject. Using google earth to look in on residents to find out if they have pools or not.

This is done to collect more revenues, if there were no revenues they would say it's up to the pool owner to call in for a safety inspection rather than hunt down the pools without a permit on file.
I'm also talking about using Google Earth to enforce code violations, which are safety violations. It's a new tool at the disposal of government and teh private sector. We tell our elected officials to enforce the building codes in our cities, and the fees from permits defray part of the cost of operations of that government department. When people ignore the law, then the city uses this available tool to enforce the code. It seems that they are giving people the opportunity to get the necessary permits, but if not, there will be penalties on top of the permit fees. Would it be better to pay for a photo survey, then to scour the photos to compare them to the last photo survey for code violators? Google earth is free, accomplishes the same thing. It's no more Big Brother-ish than driving through neighbor hoods and noting addresses with pools, then comparing the list to permits applied for.

If I have to pull a permit to install a deck or patio or pool or spa, I expect my neighbors to do the same. Google Earth is just a new enforcement tool. If you're not doing anything in violation of the law, you have nothing to be concerned about...right?
 

Cowboy

Wait for it.
GOLD Site Supporter
Yep Jev it will be a very valuable tool for small town ( compliance officers /dogcatchers to even be more of a pain in the ass to raise more revenue for the towns & citys .

You know the ones that measure your bushes to make sure their not over city property & the ones that take a measuring stick to make sure your grass is within the legal height of what code is . Pure Bullshit is what it is & if you think any different you should be running for some damn office , Because your starting to talk like a polotician :biggrin: JMOH
 

JEV

Mr. Congeniality
GOLD Site Supporter
Yep Jev it will be a very valuable tool for small town ( compliance officers /dogcatchers to even be more of a pain in the ass to raise more revenue for the towns & citys .

You know the ones that measure your bushes to make sure their not over city property & the ones that take a measuring stick to make sure your grass is within the legal height of what code is . Pure Bullshit is what it is & if you think any different you should be running for some damn office , Because your starting to talk like a polotician :biggrin: JMOH
I live in a neighborhood where we're happy if you have grass AT ALL, much less worry about how high it is. Most municipalities only get picky like that when a nosey fucking neighbor with nothing better to do, forces them to come out and check that shit. I think that reasonable people do not go after that kind of bullshit, and I know that's the case where I live. Our city does a good job of keeping the city safe, clean and free from people who do not take care of their property through laziness. If people have problems, the neighbors usually pitch in to help out, and sometimes teh city will cut grass for the elderly and plow driveways for housebound seniors and invalids in the winter. I can't bitch about our services.
 

thcri

Gone But Not Forgotten
Does anyone know how often Google updates their maps? I have a much larger pool I mean garden than what is shown on Google. :whistle: This is going on three years know. I think a guy could build a new garden I mean pool, sell and be out the door before they would catch a lot of people.
 

Cowboy

Wait for it.
GOLD Site Supporter
Does anyone know how often Google updates their maps? I have a much larger pool I mean garden than what is shown on Google. :whistle: This is going on three years know. I think a guy could build a new garden I mean pool, sell and be out the door before they would catch a lot of people.


Depends on the area I guess , Ours hasn,t been updated since about 2002 I believe just by seeing how much we,ve got done since then . My brother lives in skagway Alaska & they were just there about 4 months ago . I know some area closer to me have updated so not sure what the deal is there . :biggrin:
 

Cowboy

Wait for it.
GOLD Site Supporter
I,m also a little concerned because we have a rather large mudhole thats grown & grown since the last time :brows:
 

muleman

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
The most current one for my place is late 2006 when we were still building. That is what is available for public access. There are a lot more than just google for image sites. Most use military and government imagery. I will have to see if I can get a screen shot of the different sites.
 

Cowboy

Wait for it.
GOLD Site Supporter
The most current one for my place is late 2006 when we were still building. That is what is available for public access. There are a lot more than just google for image sites. Most use military and government imagery. I will have to see if I can get a screen shot of the different sites.


Heres a real neat one for some people that live in historic areas . You can go back many years & see what your place looked like . When I first found it I was able to get aerial views of our place dating back to the 1940 & 1956 , but I no longer can for some reason . Worth a look though . :wink:

http://www.pennpilot.psu.edu/
 

mak2

Active member
Better not be taking picture of my pool, the only place you can see it is from above. So Google might see more of me and the wife than they can tax. Just sayin.
 

muleman

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
I think I found PG out sunning in her back yard! Maybe there is a good use for google earth!:whistling::clap:
 

muleman

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
Here is what my place looked like 4 years ago when we were just moved in and no yard or pool. Did not even have the pasture fence up yet and the critters were still at the old place.This site uses several different imagery links. Microsoft with labels gives road names and is pretty accurate.
 

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