The technology processes remote-sensing data, including data from the LANDSAT and RADAR satellites, in combination with ground truth data provided by a ground penetrating radar and other information drawn from geological, hydrogeological, geographical, hydrological and climate data and, when dealing with deep aquifers, seismological data.

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Since 2008, the firm's Ground Truth project has mashed together licensed data with information gathered by its own fleet of Street View cars and bicycles.

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The Mountain View, California has also driven more than 5 million unique miles as part of its five-year quest (called project Ground Truth) to build more accurate maps from its own raw data rather than licensing map content from others, said Brian McClendon, head of Google maps.

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