Install Earth

I have seen this question probably more than any other question on forums related to Google Earth, mostly from people in other countries than the US.  So Im going to explain it here in case this was your question as well.

Google Earth has only been in existence since 2005.  They have gotten satellite imagery from many different sources and work to always gather more data to stitch into the existing imagery.  It is an ongoing project and as of this writing you can search any city or country of earth and it will show up in Google Earth.  But for maps, street level views and driving directions the countries included are:

US, UK, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, and Spain.

This list will most certainly be added to over time, and if you want to find out the latest news and updates to Google Earth, you can subscribe to their monthly newsletter.  It’s called “Sightseer”.

Click here for the official Google Earth newsletter subscription page.

Hope this helps.

Technorati Tags: sightseer, sightseer newsletter, google earth newsletter, google earth countries

Ok this is actually a tutorial post for those of you new to Google Earth and just trying to wrap your wits around the buttons and text and options and overwhelming amount of awesome which is Google Earth. I’ll post these from time to time and keep them categorized as “tutorial” so that you can always learn how to use various aspects of Google Earth from reading the posts in that specific category.

So, what are layers? Layers is an option on the left column of the Google Earth interface.  You can click on any of the options and then you’ll SEE those options in 3d on the earth itself.  So if you want to see all the roads and restaurants in the area you’re looking at, you just click on “roads” and “restaurants” and POOF all you want is right there.  You can check and uncheck anything you want in full view on the earth or anything you want removed from view.  That’s why they’re called “layers”.  It’s a lot like if you had a transparency of all the roads, all the hotels, all the tourist attractions, all the hotels, etc. and you could overlay them on an actual map or remove them.

Go test it out for yourself and see what you think!

Technorati Tags: google earth, layers

Hiya! This is my first post about Google Earth. I’m going to be blogging like crazy about it, because I think it is that amazing. And I want to help people learn about the features, the uses and little secrets so that everyone digs Google Earth as much as I do.

The first thing I think is important to understand is that Google Earth is not just a mapping feature like Google Maps or Mapquest. Google Earth is a 3-dimensional, virtual globe. You can travel the earth virtually with Google Earth, much like you would in a video game. You can, of course, see maps, but that’s just one of hundreds of features that make Google Earth so fascinating to use. For example, you can find all the italian restaurants within 5 square miles of a point that you designate. It takes maps to an unheard-of level. Try it. And may you never be the same.

Want to find out about the people who made it all possible? Click here.

More to come!