Imperfect Images
About
Sources
Sources
Google. (2025). Satellite image. Google Earth.
Nilsen, T. (2025, September 7). Satellite images reveal massive upgrade at Nenoksa naval missile testing site. The Barents Observer. https://www.thebarentsobserver.com/security/satellite-images-reveal-massive-upgrade-at-nenoksa-naval-missile-testing-site/429811
Commander, Navy Region Southeast. (n.d.). Naval Station Guantanamo Bay. CNIC. https://cnrse.cnic.navy.mil/Installations/NS-Guantanamo-Bay/
BBC News. (2025, June 24). Campaign calls on new MP to shed light on spy base. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c299dlwzkndo
[8] Ball, D., & Tanter, R. (2015, August 6). Japan's signals intelligence (SIGINT) ground stations: A visual guide (NAPSNet Special Report). Nautilus Institute. https://nautilus.org/napsnet/napsnet-special-reports/japans-signals-intelligence-sigint-ground-stations-a-visual-guide/
Turse, N. (2015, October 21). The stealth expansion of a secret U.S. drone base in Africa. The Intercept. https://theintercept.com/2015/10/21/stealth-expansion-of-secret-us-drone-base-in-africa/
Crop Trust. (n.d.). Svalbard Global Seed Vault. https://www.croptrust.org/what-we-do/programs/svalbard-global-seed-vault/
Lea, R., & Dobrijevic, D. (2025, April 9). Area 51: What is it and what goes on there? Space.com. https://www.space.com/area-51-what-is-it
LaFrance, A. (2013, February 5). The Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center. Cold War Communications & C4I. https://www.coldwar-c4i.net/mt_weather/index.html
Cuddy, A. (2024, September 29). What is Pine Gap, and why is it controversial? BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckdg7jjlx2go
Hernandez, J. (2025, March 26). What to know about Pituffik, the only U.S. military base in Greenland. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2025/03/26/nx-s1-5341505/greenland-pituffik-space-military-base
U.S. Air Force. (n.d.). Ramstein Air Base. https://www.ramstein.af.mil/About/
Лена-M. (2025, May 17). In Википедия. Retrieved June 1, 2025 from https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%90-%D0%9C
About
In the post-digital context, the omnipresence of image capture devices, combined with the integration of artificial intelligence, is shaping the way we interact with and interpret the territory. Digital cartography presupposes an automated representation of space, mediated by algorithms.
Imperfect Images investigates the invisible processes of digital cartography, focusing on the fragmentation and stratification of operative images used in the spatial representation of locations on the Google Earth platform. Through the analysis of coordinates associated with invisible infrastructures, the project explores the symbiosis between the experiential and the hidden. Based on the collection and manipulation of digital images of places with invisible power infrastructures, a website was developed to build an explorable space. A printed publication complements this object with a selection of texts related to the project's theme, delving into the theoretical concepts and technical aspects that underpin the research.
Through these components, Imperfect Images proposes a critique of the apparent neutrality of digital cartographic images. By revealing their processed and invisible nature, it invites us to rethink the map as an instrument for representing geographical reality and as a device of power.
References
[1] Paglen, T. (2016). Invisible images (Your pictures are looking at you). The New Inquiry. https://thenewinquiry.com/invisible-images-your-pictures-are-looking-at-you/
[2] Paglen, T. (2014). “Operational Images,” E-Flux, no. 59. http://www.eflux.com/journal/operational-images/
[3] Peraica, A. (2019). The age of total images: Disappearance of a subjective viewpoint in post-digital photography (Theory on Demand No. 34). Institute of Network Cultures.
Academic project developed by Inês Velasco, for the Project II unit, in the scope of the Master's Degree in Communication Design at FBAUL.
64°38'34.4"N 39°11'13.3"E
Nenoksa, Rusia
Russia has over the last two years built a unique new facility for launching missiles at the infamous Nenoksa test site on the coast of the White Sea. Several containers aimed to hold missiles are stored outside. Both launchers are directed towards the White Sea, the latest Google Earth images show. There is no public information available revealing what kind of missile tests are taking place.
"Satellite images reveal massive upgrade at Nenoksa naval missile testing site", The Barents Observer, Thomas Nilsen, 2025
19°54'20.2"N 75°12'36.0"W
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
Naval Station Guantanamo Bay serves as a key operational and logistics hub, supporting a variety of missions including maritime security, humanitarian assistance, and joint operations. Its unique geographic location provides strategic advantages, enhancing U.S. defense capabilities in the region and serving as a critical forward operating base for various military invisible activities.
"Naval Station Guantanamo Bay", Navy Region Southeast
19°54'20.2"N 75°12'36.0"W
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
Naval Station Guantanamo Bay serves as a key operational and logistics hub, supporting a variety of missions including maritime security, humanitarian assistance, and joint operations. Its unique geographic location provides strategic advantages, enhancing U.S. defense capabilities in the region and serving as a critical forward operating base for various military invisible activities.
"Naval Station Guantanamo Bay", Navy Region Southeast
54°00'45.1"N 1°41'37.8"W
Menwith Hill, United Kingdom
The site was built in the 1950s and leased to the US during the height of the Cold War. The site's 37 giant radomes, are a distinctive feature of the 2.4 sq km site. It has continued to be used to support American military operations abroad, including during the "War on Terror" following the 11 September 2001 attacks in the USA. Leaked documents identified RAF Menwith Hill as providing the intelligence for a significant number of operations to “eliminate” targets in the Middle East.
"Campaign calls on new MP to shed light on spy base", BBC, Nathan Turvey, 2024
45°29'09.1"N 141°55'47.8"E
Maruyama, Jappan
Given its proximity to the Russian military presence in the Sea of Okhotsk and on Sakhalin, the Maruyama SIGINT station plays a vital role in early-warning detection, monitoring airspace incursions, and providing situational awareness across northern East Asia.
"Japan's Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) Ground Stations: A Visual Guide", Desmond Ball and Richard Tanter, 2015
64°38'34.4"N 39°11'13.3"E
Nenoksa, Rusia
Russia has over the last two years built a unique new facility for launching missiles at the infamous Nenoksa test site on the coast of the White Sea. Several containers aimed to hold missiles are stored outside. Both launchers are directed towards the White Sea, the latest Google Earth images show. There is no public information available revealing what kind of missile tests are taking place.
"Satellite images reveal massive upgrade at Nenoksa naval missile testing site", The Barents Observer, Thomas Nilsen, 2025
11°31'00.1"N 43°04'00.1"E
Chabelley Airfield, Djibouti
Chabelley Airfield allows U.S. drones to cover Yemen, southwest Saudi Arabia, a large swath of Somalia, and parts of Ethiopia and southern Egypt. This base is now very important because it's a major hub for most drone operations in northwest Africa.
"The Stealth Expansion of a Secret U.S. Drone Base in Africa", The Intercept, Nick Turse, 2025
78°14'06.0"N 15°29'29.0"E
Svalbard Seed Vault, Norway
The Seed Vault is the ultimate insurance policy for the world's food supply, securing millions of seeds representing every important crop variety available in the world today and offering options for future generations to overcome the challenges of climate change and population growth.
"Program Svalbard Global Seed Vaul", Crop Trust
37°14'52.9"N 115°48'00.6"W
Area 51, Nevada, USA
Area 51 is a top-secret military installation in southern Nevada that has long been the subject of speculation, secrecy and stories of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and alien technology.
"Area 51: What is it and what goes on there?", Space, Robert Lea, 2025
39°03'46.8"N 77°53'20.4"W
Mount Weather, Virginia, EUA
Information released by FEMA focuses on Mount Weather's role in disaster preparedness and mitigation. That mission includes telephone registration of disaster victims seeking assistance, and on-site training of state and local emergency-management officials. Students in these courses are housed on the west side of the property in buildings which appear from the outside like military barracks, but which contain individual rooms furnished like those in a modest motel. An unusual feature is a notice posted in each room, explaining the site's extensive security regulations.
"The Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center Bluemont, VA", Cold War, Albert LaFrance, 2013
7°18'47.9"S 72°24'39.6"E
Diego Garcia, Indian Ocean
Diego Garcia, features on lists of the world's most remote islands. There are no commercial flights and getting there by sea is no easier, permits for boats are only granted for the archipelago's outer islands and to allow safe passage through the Indian Ocean. To enter the island you need a permit, only granted to people with connections to the military facility or the British authority that runs the territory. Journalists have historically been barred.
"What I found on the secretive tropical island they don't want you to see", BBC, Alice Cuddy, 2024
76°31'52.0"N 68°42'11.9"
Thule Air Base, Greenland
The Thule Air Base is critical to U.S. military capabilities in large part because it rests directly between the northern U.S. and northern Russia, Bouffard and other national security experts say. Here, the U.S. military conducts missile warning, missile defense and space surveillance missions from the base.
"What to know about Pituffik, the only U.S. military base in Greenland", NPR, Joe Hernandez, 2025
49°26'10.0"N 7°36'03.2"E
Ramstein Air Base, Germany
Ramstein Air Base is located in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate and is part of the Kaiserslautern Military Community, the largest American community outside of the United States. The 86th Airlift Wing is the host wing at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. Ramstein is assigned to the U.S. Air Forces in Europe.
"About Ramstein Air Base", KMC
76°31'52.0"N 68°42'11.9"
Thule Air Base, Greenland
The Thule Air Base is critical to U.S. military capabilities in large part because it rests directly between the northern U.S. and northern Russia, Bouffard and other national security experts say. Here, the U.S. military conducts missile warning, missile defense and space surveillance missions from the base.
"What to know about Pituffik, the only U.S. military base in Greenland", NPR, Joe Hernandez, 2025
69°42'00.0"N 32°36'00.0"E
P-70 Lena-M radar, Rybachy Peninsula, Russia
The P-70 Lena-M is a Soviet ground-based radar station developed in the period 1960-1968 at the Gorky Design Bureau of the Lenin State Technical University (now JSC NNIIRT). Lena-M was intended for operation on the extended strategic borders of the USSR. It is the highest-potential locator of the air defense radio-technical troops in the entire history of their existence with a complex probing signal. Meter-range radars still form the basis of the country's duty field.
"Лена-M", Wikipedia, 2025