Google Earth imagery of North Korea now goes back year-by-year to 1984, casting light on the pace of progress at major sites around the city, a Timelapse update released on the platform in November shows.

The imagery update could help Google Earth users focused on North Korea better understand changes in infrastructure, agriculture, and the economy, an expert said.

“This imagery update is very helpful for tracking long-term changes. We now can more easily track projects that started under Kim Il-Sung, like the West Sea Barrage, highway construction, and agricultural field reforms,” Scott LaFoy, a researcher focusing on satellite imagery, told