Google Earth is a virtual globe program developed by Google. It overlays satellite imagery, aerial photography and GIS data on a 3-D model of the planet, letting any user browse high-resolution pictures of every corner of the world for free, explore rich geographic content, save favorite places and share them with others.
How it works
Google Earth's 3-D mapping engine lifts the latest Google-Map satellite imagery to a new level. You can search any region on the 3-D globe, zoom the virtual view in or out, and generate driving directions. A special "bird's-eye tour" mode puts motorists right into the journey. All this is powered by streaming data from Keyhole's continually updated archive of satellite and aerial shots.
Key features
- Global historical imagery – click once to travel back in time and watch suburban sprawl, ice-cap retreat or coastal erosion.
- Ocean & sea-floor data – dive below the surface with exclusive BBC & National Geographic content, even explore 3-D wrecks such as the Titanic.
- Guided tours with audio & video – drop markers and record unlimited personalized fly-throughs; add background music or voice-over.
- Street View – walk the streets of the Taj Mahal, Grand Canyon and thousands of other memorable spots at ground level.
- Space-eye view – admire Cuba's islands and other beautiful sights from orbit.
- 3-D cities – realistic VR-ready models of hundreds of cities and towns.
- Satellite & aerial imagery – petabytes of high-resolution shots.
- Voyager highlights – thousands of curated stories that make you feel on site in seconds.