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Google Earth Gives You the World
by Rotary eClub One Member Alan Salmon

The latest epic from Google is their new Google Earth, a Windows satellite photo program. It has to be one of the best free downloads in the history of free downloads.

It’s not totally new however; it’s an update to Keyhole, a mapping program which Google acquired last year. Google has taken Keyhole and added useful new features, including integration with other Google location-related services. There are also two premium versions, Google Earth Plus and Google Earth Pro, which will offer additional tools (such as GPS integration) for $20 and $400, respectively.

To download Google Earth you go to http://earth.google.com/. It’s not a big file and the installation takes less than five minutes. By the way CNN has been using Google Earth satellite pictures to show the destruction caused by hurricane Katrina. Many of those images are now available at http://earth.google.com/. 

Launch Google Earth, and you start with an image of the entire planet. By typing in a location or simply using your mouse you can move around the globe and pick your landing spot. Or type in a zip or postal code or a street address and Google Earth will zoom into that location.

One of the many nice features about Google Earth is that you don’t need a powerhouse personal computer to view the world. The program is extremely responsive even on older computers. Here’s shot of the City of New Orleans after the hurricane.

Once you have loaded an image you move around the image area with a click of your mouse. Navigational tools let you move around the area, moving in and out, panning around, and circling. Even though Google Earth presents the world as a flat image, it gives you a perspective that results in a surprisingly three-dimensional look.

On the minus side the image resolution varies. Some geographical images are in a high-resolution mode that lets you zoom in with great clarity; others are in a lower-resolution format that makes it very difficult to see anything clearly when you zoom in.

Many of the major US cities have 3D building models. You have to turn this feature on and the images look like matchboxes, since they show you the shape of the building and not the detail. Another down side is that these 3D images load very slowly.

Some of the satellite shots of the natural wonders of the world are amazing. These are recreated in a 3D model and appear as color renderings that are very realistic. Here's just one of the Grand Canyon images available from Google Earth.

In the US and Canada you can use Google Earth to get driving directions, and to look up local information such as where to get a pizza or the location of stadiums and amusement parks, thanks to tools that link the data in Google Maps with Google Earth. For driving directions, you can watch an animated flyover in which you see your route from above.

For the rest of the world there are fewer available detailed images. Also it’s a lot harder to find a location because you don’t know a street address or zip code. If you’re patient you can start at the country level and zoom in to find a location. It’s a lot of work but it’s also a lot of fun.

For all its amazing features Google Earth has some downsides. The error messages aren’t very helpful. Also, sometimes the search feature works and sometimes it doesn’t. Ask Google Earth to find you restaurants in London and it gives you a wide selection. Do the same thing with Paris and you get nothing. There’s no index or table of contents to tell you what’s available outside of North America. Another quirk is that most of the time it uses miles but when you ask for driving directions you get kilometers.

However, this is nit picking. Google Earth is an amazing tool and I use it a lot. Not only that but its fun to play with. Try it and enjoy it.

Alan Salmon

Rotary eClub One

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