Google+Earth

www.google.com/earth =Description=

The product, re-released as Google Earth in 2005, is currently available for use on personal computers running Windows 2000 and above, Mac OS X 10.3.9 and above, Linux Kernel: 2.4 or later (released on June 12, 2006), and FreeBSD. Google Earth is also available as a browser plugin which was released on May 28, 2008. It was also made available for mobile viewers on the iphoneOS on October 27, 2008, as a free download from the App Store, and is available to Android users as a free app on the Android Market. In addition to releasing an updated Keyhole based client, Google also added the imagery from the Earth database to their web-based mapping software, Google Maps. The release of Google Earth in June 2005 to the public caused a more than tenfold increase in media coverage on virtual globes between 2005 and 2006, driving public interest in geospatial technologies and applications.
 * Google Earth** is a virtual globe, map and geographic information program that was originally called EarthViewer 3D, and was created by Keyhole,Inc, a company acquired by Google in 2004. It maps the Earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite imagery, aerial photography and GIS 3D globe. It was available under three different licenses, 2 currently: Google Earth, a free version with limited functionality; Google Earth Plus (discontinued), which included additional features; and Google Earth Pro ($399 per year), which is intended for commercial use.

=**Features**=

Google Earth lets you fly anywhere to view satellite imagery, maps, terrain, 3D buildings, galaxies in outer space, and the depths of the ocean.
 * Explore rich geographical content
 * Zoom from outer space to street level
 * Search for business locations
 * Visualize your GPS tracks and share with others
 * See 3D buildings and add your own models
 * Go back in time with historical imagery
 * Dive beneath the surface of the ocean



=**Applications**=

(This site shows how to get a Mars view on Google Earth)
 * []**

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is a federal agency focused on the condition of the oceans and the atmosphere. This agency is heavily involved in the development and use of Google Earth to record statistical data and view many parts of the earth from a central location. Below are just a few of many applications of Google Earth by the NOAA.

NOAA Applications & Demos of Google Earth & Google Ocean > [] and > [] > //Hint - Turn ON "terrain" layer (last layer on the bottom left), and turn on "Water Surface" under "View"// > [] > [] > [] > [|http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ridge2/] > []
 * [|Chile tsunami event on Feb 27, 2010] (NOAA Center for Tsunami Research, located at PMEL)
 * Using Google Earth in the Classroom (NOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory)
 * Google Ocean! Dive down into the ocean and cruise along the sea floor from Blanco Trench to Cobb Sea Mount - OAR
 * November 2009 Nor'easter (nov09_ne) Aerial Photography
 * OAR - 20th Century Reanalysis Monthly/Seasonal Composites available for Google Earth display
 * NWS Doppler - National Mosaic
 * The Estuarine Bathymetry site has bathymetry for 70 estuaries served up, including a GE visualization file- NOS

Google Earth Hacks is one of the most famous sites that hosts many files and ways to enhance your Google Earth experience. If you already have Google Earth, this site will give you files that are compatible with Google Earth to access entities or objects that are not in the stock version. Some of the files will simply point out fun places to vist, while others can do things like put real-time weather radars on your map, add in more 3D buildings, and much more.

=**Graphics**=


 * [[image:google-earth-4.3.jpg width="450" height="476"]] || [[image:googleatlas.jpg width="543" height="417"]] ||
 * [[image:googleapp.jpg width="508" height="369"]] || [[image:googleoil.jpg width="500" height="350"]] ||

=Reviews=

The latest version of Google Earth continues to set the mapping paradigm. Accessible enough for casual users, Google has added features that make it a necessity for those whose topographic desires are more serious. Although Google Ocean was the big news maker in version 5, you can also check out the surface of our nearest neighbor, Mars, as well as incorporating historical Earth maps. The oceanic maps provide the capability to plunge to the floor of the sea, view exclusive content from the BBC and National Geographic, and explore shipwrecks like the Titanic in 3D. Exploring the Martian surface is limited to data provided from NASA, but that's not much of a limitation considering that it's unlikely that most of us will ever get to visit the Red Planet. Switching between Google Earth, Sky, and Mars can be done from the menu bar or from the planet icon on the toolbar.

Most of the interface's real estate displays a rendering of the globe, which can zoom in on a satellite image of your destination once you've keyed it in. Controls live on a top toolbar and a left-side navigation window that lets you quickly jump between different views and locations. Google's Street View, real-time illumination of the Earth, roads, restaurants, and even crime statistics can be displayed. Smooth integration with Google's 3D rendering program SketchUp means that you can design buildings and see how they'd interact with their surroundings on the fly. The only downside to the program is that it can consume a large amount of RAM, so older machines might experience performance issues, but even that can now be configured through the Options menu. Everyone else is bound to love Google Earth, both as an entertaining novelty and an informational tool.

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