Google Earth: An Introduction

fergtegtrGoogle Earth has made life easier for many people. This world map based on steroids, allow people to zoom and glide through the satellite photos of the globe. When travelling for the first time, many people use Google Earth for directions while driving, to find restaurants and to calculate the distance from where they are and where they should go. Others also use it to travel virtually, or to do research about their next destination. There’s also a Google Earth Pro which helps create realistic movies or to print high-resolution images. Many features which can be found on Google Earth can also be found on Google Maps, and this is merely because the two applications are inter-related and their data are shared. There’s a high possibility that both applications will be merged to become one powerful tool, in the upcoming years.

Keyhole Earth Viewer was the initial name of what is now called Google Earth. This platform was built by Keyhole Inc in 2001, which was then bought by Google in 2004. At that time, Niantic labs which have now produced Pokémon Go, were still part of the Google Company.

Google Earth is one of the most used applications around the globe, and it comes on different platforms. It comes as a desktop software for Windows and Mac or can be run from the web when a compatible plug in has been set and when using Google Chrome browser. This application is also available as a mobile app for iOS and Android. Currently, there are two versions of this application: Google Earth and Google Earth Pro. Both versions are free of charge, but Google Earth Pro has more features and proposes data mapping.

When you open Google Earth, it pops up as the view of the world from space. You can as well spin the globe by clicking and dragging on the planet’s map. The application also enables users to zoom in and out for close-up views. Some areas are so detailed that you can even see cars or humans on the streets. The globe can as well be titled so that you have a perspective view of the planet, by moving the horizon line down and up. This feature allows you to view the close-ups as if you are seeing these from above, instead of seeing these directly or straight down. The close-ups from Google Earth can also be in 3-D, and the best views come when the Terrain layer is on. This application can provide a lot of information about a specific location, all at once and it can be rather confusing. To grasp information slowly, these are stored as layers which can be turned on or off, as per your preferences. Some of these layers are parks, food, gas, lodges, streets and border labels. The layer box is on the lower hand-side of the screen, and it can be checked or unchecked by clicking next to the layer’s name. Some layers are also categorised as folders, thus you just need to switch on or off the folder, to have all the information at once. Or you can file all the non-useful layers as per your preferences and keep these off all the time.

Just like Google Earth has made use of categorisation, at Lucky Pants Bingo as well, life has been made easier for players. On there, you can find the best bingo games online and exclusive slots as well. For instance, when it comes to bingo games, these are categorised by 90-ball, 75-ball or 5-line, and you just to pop into a room to have some fun. If you prefer other types of games, you can just choose these as per these themes: Magic and Myth, Animals and Nature, Movie and Adventure, Egyptian, Food and Fruits and Exclusive. Thinking about your next destination to look up on Google Earth? Play some Movie and Adventure games at Lucky Pants Bingo to get a first insight of a variety of destinations, before choosing!

There are two layers which can help see a three-dimensional globe. The Terrain layer shows the elevation levels, thus when the screen is tilted, mountains and other objects can be seen. When it comes to the 3D layer, it allows users to zoom through the cities like San Francisco, and go across the tall buildings. However, this layer is limited to a number of cities only, and the buildings are seen as grey, unshaded shapes. Users who are good at sketching can as well give a shape to the buildings with Google’s Sketchup which can be used while being on Google Earth. You can as well look through different addresses by clicking on the Search address tab. Most of the small countries require full details like street name, zip code whereas large cities can be found only by their names. But for more effective results, it is advised to type in the full address.

While using Google Earth, you can also bookmark specific locations such as workplace or home, by putting a virtual thumbtack. You can also look for the maps from locations, and save it for future use, without having to activate your internet package. Recently Google Earth has added a new feature to its application which is called Voyager. This add-on allows users to take guided tours of the planet while using Google Earth. These destinations have not been randomly chosen, and Google has worked with conservation experts and scientists to develop this add-on. The Voyager proposes more than 50 tours covering places like Hemingway’s Hangouts, Galapagos Islands and all UNESCO World Heritage sites. Google has also out forward that they have plans to propose different tours on a weekly basis.

A new – “I’m feeling lucky” button, has been added on the map. By clicking on that tab, you are randomly taken to a destination and a knowledge card is shown. This allows you to find out stuffs about that destinations, plus you will see the closest locations and points of interest.

Published by Kidal Delonix (1196 Posts)

Kidal Delonix is a contributor to Mr. Hoffman's blog. The views and opinions are entirely his/her own and may not reflect Mr Hoffman's views.

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