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the da is just a smarter version of the CancER
How "live" is Google Earth data?
Google earth might not be completely up to date, but they can get an idea of who has and start with those areas and as it gets updated move on to those
No court will allow historic billing records or Google maps photos as evidence of solar panels. This is why the DA/COCT set up their own specialized aerial surveillance and solar foot police teams.
They don't have to use google earth etc as proof, they can check it. Foot soldiers can go confirm and then contact the homeowner.
City of Cape town has much more detailed and up-to-date aerial imagery (with historical maps too going back decades).
They need their own aerial surveillance to make it efficient. Large scale panel detection without specialized aerial surveillance is too slow and inefficient in the context of mass solar panel uptake. Only COCT required registration, and the COCT has the aerial surveillance to enforce it. Now Eskom and other municipalities are copying COCT and getting aerial surveillance, and therefor are enabled to demand and enforce registration. Google maps photos are too old and unclear. They actually need to judge the output of the panels, because their bylaw state that all fixed panels outputting over a certain wattage needs to be registered. And foot soldiers can only confirm those panels that are publicly visible.
