Islamabad and Atlanta from Above

Asif brought Keyhole to my attention which lets you look at images of a lots of places in the world looking down from different elevations. The image resolutions vary, with the best resolution for Cambridge, MA (3 inches). A lot of countries do not have any real images at all. But it is still fascinating for the photos of countries other than the US and western European countries.

I tried looking at every place I have lived. Here is an image of Islamabad, Pakistan showing where I lived from 1994-97 as viewed from 18,000 feet.

Islamabad from above

The big empty space in the lower left is the Capital Park (now know as Fatima Jinnah Park, I believe). We lived just east of that. I think you can see Faisal mosque at the top middle.

And now where I live nowadays in Atlanta, GA.

Atlanta from Above via Keyhole

This view is from the same 18,000 feet viewpoint even though in this case Keyhole can do much better.

By Zack

Dad, gadget guy, bookworm, political animal, global nomad, cyclist, hiker, tennis player, photographer

13 comments

  1. Hello there,

    Nice picture of Islamabad! Which sector did you live in? I’m currently in F-11, one of the newer sectors that is still under development, more or less. Nice blog, just found out it and will be sure to return! 🙂

  2. Kianoush: The license of the tryout version I downloaded says:

    You may post or publish on your personal or company informational website, the screen representations of the geographic information derived directly out of the Software, or animations or movies generated using the Software provided you include all copyright information in legible format contained in the geographic information, animations or movies. Furthermore, you may not sell access to or receive any form of compensation to display, publish or post such screen representations of the geographic information or animations or movies on your personal or company informational website.

    So I guess it is okay, at least while I am trying it out.

    Rehan: Thanks. I used to live in F-8.

  3. Let me clarify sitting in our house in F-8/1 which is at 2 minutes walk from Fatima Jinnah Park (old names F-9 Park, Capital Park). The square having red dot nearly in the middle is F-7 while F-8 is between F-7 and F-9 (Fatima Jinnah Park). Faisal Masjid is correctly indicated by you, at top middle.

  4. renee: Saw them. Busy for a couple of days. Will answer them around the weekend.

    Dad: Yes, that red dot is in F-7.

  5. Some interesting facts: It may be only a coincidence. The place where is a red dot and written Islamabad along it, depicts a so-called Kutchi Abadi illegally occupied and inhabited by Christians. The inhabitants had built a brick wall along the road as boundary wall to their colony. Some years back that wall collapsed and a Christian child sitting by the wall got killed. This shook the walls of White House and government of Pakistan received an angry message. Capital Development Authority (CDA) then built a boundary wall of reinforced concrete all along the Katchi Abadi. Another interesting fact about the poor inhabitants of this place is that many of then have dish antenna and latest models of music deck. I asked somebody concerned how could any of them afford this types of luxury? The answer was: Every member of their family including children of 7-8 years is employed either with government or self-employed. The adults who are employed on sweeping / cleaning jobs with CDA, half the day they do CDA job and rest of the time they do their own business. All the flower shops in Islamabad are owned by them where they sell flowers and Bouquets at ten times the cost price. They started this business on roadside at different places. CDA wanted to vacate the illegal occupation of roadside. A rejoinder came from American Embassy and CDA constructed shops at proper places which where allotted to them.

  6. Dad: I think the red dot was placed based on the lat/long data for Islamabad, probably rounded off to some decimal places. So it would definitely be a coincidence.

    Also, how can you tell from a photo of this resolution that that area is a kutch abadi?

    Your story about the Americans seems too conspiracy-theory-like. I am going to discount it.

    If the people in that kutchi abadi are so rich like you sya, why do they live in a kutchi abadi instead of E-7?

  7. It may not be the appropriate post to say what I am going to though, to some extent it is because it relates to Islamabad and my dear son Zakaria who lives in Atlanta. After over two months, today al-hamdoo-lillah I am able to sit for a longer period and have gone through your blog in detail as I used to. Congratulations for adding Urdu translation to the side column. It has given additional beauty to the blog and indicates our love for our national language. This preceded the first international conference on Urdu which is being held in Islamabad (March 09 -13, 2005).

  8. My Dear Son!
    Nobody can recognize a Kutchi Abadi in an areal view. I have studied the Islamabad plan uncountable time right since the construction started in 1960s and have large and small size plans of Islmabad with me. Also, roads and localities of Islamabad are a beaten track for me now. So from major indicators (roads, sector/sub-sector dividers), I can accurately make out the locations. Then, I have been passing by this Kutchi Abadi whenever I fetched gasoline for my car or I went from Jinnah Super to Blue Area or vice versa. (You may recall that I used to get gasoline from Capri Service Station, behind Jinnah Supper).

    It is not story of Americans but facts. The statements from Washigton and of their ambassador were published in news papers a number of times and were not contradicted.

    Definitely, the residents of this Kutchi Abadi cannot buy a place in E-7 where a bungalow costs Rs 100 million, but the information about their economic position had been obtained by me personally. The family I interviewed had 8 members. Parents employed by CDA as sweepers getting Rs 3,000 to 4,000 each, and income from tips from residents of houses where from they picked garbage and other business Rs 3,000 to 4,000 each. Six children under 18 selling Bouquet fetched about Rs 10,000 per month. So that made Rs 22,000 to 26,000 per month. In those days an M. Sc. Engg used to get about Rs 16,000 per month. Then these people have no expenses other than eating and clothes which are far less in cost what an engineer or equivalent would pay.

  9. im shafina and i like eggs and chips send some to my family back in pakistan and send some for me in england im hungry

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