Posted on 06/28/2005 1:45:36 PM PDT by Spiff
First, Google mapped the U.S. and provided detailed street maps for free. maps.google.com) Users (including me) raved over the interface and the cool little flags with 3D shadows. Then, one day, the Satellite tab appeared on Google Maps. (Upper right corner) Oh, my! You could view almost every part of the United States in hi-resolution satellite or from airplane photographs. I literally spent hours just "sightseeing" from the air. I would look for well known landmarks, my house from the air, where I grew up, etc. Then the website called Google Sightseeing was put up by a 3rd party. Users submitted the cool stuff they'd found while playing with Google's satellite maps. Fascinating.
Then, earlier this month, Google's satellite maps went far beyond just the United States, far beyond just North America. Now you can see satellite maps/photos of almost the entire world. I quickly jumped in and zoomed in to Fallujah and Baghdad. I zoomed into the parade grounds with the crossed swords called Hands of Victory as well as Firdos Square where Saddam's statue was toppled. Too cool.
In June we also got a report that Google was going to map some U.S. cities in 3D. They were going to use trucks to drive around the cities and use lasers and cameras to map the structures and the photograph them for realistic depictions on a future Google project.
Well, it wasn't too far in the future. No, they're not done doing the 3D mapping, but they've already got an early version of their 3D stuff online RIGHT NOW. And it is stunning.
You can zoom into your neighborhood, spin the globe, fly over any city, and then zoom into that city and see the buildings in 3D (in select cities) with the 3D mountains in the background. I've got a new toy now and I'm going to be spending many, many hours playing with it.
You can too. Go to earth.google.com and download and install Google Earth. Prepare to be blown away.
And it is FREE.
Sucks about the 3-d mapping. That's what first generation cruise missles use to hit their targets. Our military has most of the rest of the world mapped in 3d for that reason. Now the bad guys will have us mapped.
mark
Man, that sure brings a new definition to the word "Googled"!
Or a real "Google Bomb"!
Bump for later
Yea, my only gripes are a lack of scale bar (unless I"m missing it) and the crappy search query.
Well the satellite stuff on maps.google.com isn’t accurate. At least not concerning the places I’ve checked that I’m familiar with.
I say that because I’ve been in plenty of permit departments and they can use their GIS/satellite (whatever it is) and can literally count the lawn chairs around your pool (at the correct address too!).
you left your hammer out in your back yard
I see Mrs. Patterson down the street is sunbathing in her back yard again.
OK, that is just about the coolest thing I've seen in years! Thanks for the post. :-)
How long will it take for flyover country to be put in 3D mapping? It sounds like they will start just with the big cities.
google map satellite is not as close as you can get....pay services or GIS can get you closer.
We ran a sat picture of our college campus in the college newspaper last year because of expansion plans, and it was much closer than the Google maps.
Indirectly. If you can get to the 3d topo information that google is holding, that is an essential ingredient in programming cruise missles.
Lots and lots of terrorists and stuff have multi-million dollar guided cruise missile systems. This is hugh and very series!! We're doomed.
bump
I don't think we really need to worry about cruise missiles right now. A minivan and Rand McNally makes for a hard to detect long range weapon delivery system.
No need for a 3d map when you have suicidal teenagers looking to get laid in paradise. A few lies and empty promises and you have a very effective weapon system known as the Jihadi Mark one Mod zero.
I wonder if I can see my girlfriend's home in Alchevs'k, Ukraine with this software? Might have to download it.
maps.google.com doesn't require a download. If it is there, it is on Google Earth.
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