The hidden power of Google Earth

Posted on 7 Dec 2007 at 11:17

Tour the stars, share your photos with the world and discover dozens of hidden features with our guide to Google Earth.

Google Earth is a staggering feat of software engineering, enabling us to zoom down from space to any spot on our planet courtesy of satellite photography. It's a program anyone can relate to - "you can see my house from here" is taken to a whole new dimension. In fact, Google Earth's biggest problem is that the basic experience is so enthralling that few people look deeper and get to grips with its real power.

Move beyond the basics, however, and you'll find an astonishing wealth of features with which to experiment and explore. You can post your own photo albums on the globe, take to the skies with a hidden flight simulator, or even render your house or local landmarks in 3D and then share them with the world. It's a place where you can fly through the Grand Canyon, but also somewhere you can kick back and contemplate the wonders of the cosmos.

Google Earth has also become a compelling way of spreading the company's services and making the most of web content from third-party providers. Google saw that opening up Earth and the code that controls it - an extension of XML called KML - would enable everyone to use it as a foundation on which to build their own presentations or data applets. And hundreds of individuals, companies, public bodies and charities are doing just that. Already, Google Earth isn't just about finding your nearest Starbucks; it's about tracking the effects of genocide in Darfur, taking a closer look at UFO sightings or enjoying a virtual tour of China. In short, it's the world's most powerful software interface.

We're going to reveal how to start exploiting Google's world and show you where to find dozens of the software's most amazing features. Or, if you just want to jump straight to the area you're interested in, head to that page.

Peel back the layers

Make your own virtual tours

Share photos with the world

Reach for the stars

Take to the skies

Model your house in 3D

How Google Earth works