30 June 2005

Google Earth

Google launched another amazing hit: Google Earth.

It's basically Keyhole 3 (a company that they bought a while ago) except they dropped the subscription rate so now it's totally free (there is a pro version that you can buy if you really feel like it).

The concept is very similar to NASA's World Wind but the user interface and speed are MUCH better.

And the download is only 10MB (vs. a couple hundred for NASA's program).


This totally cool program lets you zoom around a 3D representation of Earth that is constructed out of satellite photos.

It lets you fly around the globe and zoom in to just about any spot in the world. Many areas have high resolution images so that you can even see cars on the streets.



In addition to viewing 3D images of your favorites spots in the world you can also overlay different information on the map like roads, international boundaries, terrain, 3D buildings, crime statistics, schools, stadiums, restaurants, gas stations, atm machines....



It will also let you pick two spots and it'll show you the driving directions between them.



Totally amazing!
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