New Google Earth Release Offers New 3D Features
David February 2nd, 2009
Today Google released Google Earth 5.0 which includes new 3D features including navigating the ocean floor, historical imagery (viewing landscape changes over time), user-created tours of landmarks, and a 3D view of the surface of Mars.
From Google Blog,
We were joined at the Academy by many of the dozens of ocean scientists and advocates who helped make this project a reality: friends from National Geographic, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, the US Navy, Scripps Oceanography, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, to name just a few. Above all, I would like to acknowledge the work of Dr. Sylvia Earle, who cornered me at a conference three years ago and told me that Google Earth was great but that it wasn’t finished (you can read more about that encounter on the Lat Long blog). As much as I hated to admit it, she was right. We on the Google Earth team had been working hard to build a rich 3D map of the world, but we had largely ignored the oceans — two thirds of the planet. Inspired by Sylvia, the team got to work. I hope you are as excited as I am to explore our new Ocean and all of the fascinating stories and images our partners have contributed.
Just last night I was thinking about how useful the historical landmarks would be for genealogy and family history. Let’s say that someone traces the route of Paul Revere through the colonies. Did you have an ancestor who was living in the area that might have heard his warning? You won’t know unless you take the time to compare your genealogy with important historical events such as this. It brings a whole new level to the study of history. Very cool tool!