Learning about Earth

Posted by Chikai Ohazama, Director of Product Management

Since it was introduced about 3 years ago, we've seen a broad range of uses for Google Earth -- from potentially life-saving (Cyclone Nargis disaster response planning) to educational (Rumsey historical maps) and, of course, to entertaining (the number of downloads of the new Nine Inch Nails album around the world).

We've also seen interest in and usage of Google Earth grow as people find even more new and interesting ways to convey information in its geographic context through the Google Earth. 

We're constantly working to fine-tune the Google Earth experience to provide the most useful geographically organized content for all of our users.  Yet I often get questions from friends and family about what they're seeing in Google Earth and how to best explore all that one can find there.  I'm sure many users ask themselves these very questions when they first launch Google Earth.  

With that in mind, I thought these pointers might be helpful:

• Controlling what you see in Google Earth
  To present information in Google Earth, a file format called KML is used to display data in a geographic context. Groups and individuals can create KML files which appear as "layers" on top of the satellite and aerial imagery that form the base layer in Google Earth. 
  
  After you launch Google Earth, you'll see a sampling of these layers.  This is a preview of the range of content available in the product. To turn particular layers on and off, just go to the "Layers" panel in the left navigation window, click the "+" sign to expand a given list and check or uncheck the box for a layer.

• Understanding what content comes from Google
  We've heard that users sometimes are confused as to what information in Google Earth is supplied by Google and what is provided by users, organizations, or other third parties.  Google supplies a base of information in Google Earth through our licenses with content partners; this includes information for borders, terrain, roads, business listings, weather, and traffic.  
  
  Separate layers, which appear on top of this base information, feature educational and informational content from third parties such as National Geographic, NASA and The New York Times.  Each of these layers has its own icon (such as the familiar yellow rectangle for National Geographic), which is displayed in connection with the content when the layer is checked on.  Layers for content created and submitted by users of certain other Google services, including YouTube, Panoramio, and the Google Earth Community, also appear on top of the base information.
  
  Certain layers will automatically be turned on when you open Google Earth.  With all the interesting content out there, we thought this would help users discover new content from any of these third-party sources.  You can turn these layers on or off by following the instructions above.

• Creating content for Google Earth
  Google Earth is not just for browsing information supplied by others.  Users can join the Google Earth Community and contribute their own content.  This is incredibly powerful because it allows users to share their expertise and knowledge with the millions of people who use Google Earth.
  
  To get started, create an account in the Google Earth Community.  This allows you to participate in discussions about content that your fellow users may have added to Earth.  Next, go to the location where you'd like to post information and check out this tutorial video.
  
  After you have created a placemark, you can easily share it with others on the Google Earth Community. Just right click (CTRL click on the Mac) on the placemark and chooseShare/Post.  Just follow the subsequent instructions to post information about this placemark in the Google Earth Community.  The Google Earth Community content submitted by users may appear as blue "i" icons or orange dots in Google Earth.
  
  If you're ready to take it to the next level, you can create a KML file to appear as a layer in Google Earth.  To get started, take a look here. If you're proud of what you've done, share it with us!  We might show it off in the Google Earth Gallery which highlights various layers created for Google Earth.

Hopefully this helps give you a better understanding of just how Google Earth works, and the wide range of ways you can interact with it. Keep an eye out for additional "tips and tricks" features on the LatLong blog about to learn more about how to take advantage of all the features of Google Earth (and Google Maps too!).

Tour Japan in 10 minutes

Posted by Michael Rubinstein, GIS Specialist, Google Earth

Hot on the heels of yesterday's Webcam.travel announcement, we've also launched a new Google Earth layer under the Travel and Tourism folder in the Gallery. The Japan National Tourist Organization worked with the Google Japan office to develop the Japan Tourism layer, which features rich information on landmarks and attractions all over Japan. These include everything from the many temples of Kyoto to the bustling streets of Tokyo to the clear blue waters of Okinawa. Turn on this layer along with other interesting layers such as 3D Buildings, Panoramio or Kyoto Tourism to get a head start on your trip planning.

Visit before you visit

Posted by Philipp Hirtz, Engineering Manager, Google Earth

Are you interested in the current weather at your travel destination so you know if it's worth to start early in the morning for that trip to the nearby mountains? Or do you want to check the current traffic situation or visibility conditions on the Golden Gate bridge? Or do you just want to confirm that the Earth is still spinning and the other side of the globe doesn't get sunlight now?

Just enable the newly launched layer Webcams.travel in the Gallery folder and start to browse the placemarks. Clicking on the Webcams.travel placemarks will show you an image taken within the last 15 to 60 minutes. This new layer has been created in partnership with Webcams.travel and gives you access to almost 5,000 geo-located webcams all over the world. 

You can also rate or comment on a webcam by following the link below the image. Or if you have your own geo-located webcam and want other people to see it in Google Earth, just register your webcam with Webcams.travel and, after being approved, it will appear in Google Earth.

See which campuses received an A+

Posted by Allyson McDuffie, SketchUp for Education Program Manager


We are happy to announce the winners for the Google 2008 International Model Your Campus Competition! Congratulations to the talented students who took on such a challenging project. You can see their amazing models in Google Earth by turning on the 3D Buildings layer and navigating over to each campus, or you can see their individual collections in our 3D Warehouse. The winning schools are:

• Johns Hopkins University (Student Technology Services & Digital Media Center; United States)
• Zhongnan University of Economics and Law (China)
• University of Wisconsin-Madison (Department of Engineering; United States)
• Missouri University of Science and Technology (Department of Physical Facilities; United States)
• Nicolas Copernicus University (Department of Biology and Earth Sciences; Poland)
• Stockholm University and KTH (Department of Computer and Systems Sciences; Sweden)
• Cardiff University (Department of Information Services; United Kingdom)
• Bournemouth University (The Business School; United Kingdom)
• Peking University (School of Electronics Engineering and Computer Science; China)

Tour the Tour de France with Street View

Posted by Daniel Ratner, Mechanical Engineer

One of the things I look forward to every summer is the Tour de France. I'm always fascinated when I hear about the hairpin turns and steep climbs. To bring the Tour de France to life and help you experience it stage by stage, we're very excited to provide Street View for the 2008 Tour de France route.

With this launch, you can now follow the race through each of the 21 stages with just a click of a mouse and enjoy a perspective similar to what your favorite cyclists see as they wind through France's majestic mountains, vivacious cities, and tranquil countryside. To jump right in and see panoramic imagery at street level for the Tour de France, navigate over to google.com/tourdefrance2008. Or keep reading and I'll take you on a little tour of the Tour route!

The Tour de France route marks our first launch of Street View imagery in Europe, and we're bringing with us some of our newly released features such as ground-filling and face blurring, but we're also introducing some more new features.

First off, we're now featuring even higher quality imagery -- take a look for yourself:

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Coliseum in Nimes, found within Stage 14 from Nimes to Digne-Les-Baines


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Nearing the finish line in L'Alpe-d'Huez, found in Stage 17 from Embrun to L'Alpe-d'Huez, arguably the most physically demanding stage of the whole race


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The Eiffel Tower and Seine river in Paris, passed in Stage 21 from Etampes to Paris' Champs-Elysees, the final stage of the race

We've also been keeping busy since first announcing our the state-of-the-art face detection technology -- you'll see our new license plate blurring technology as you travel through the Tour de France route.

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This feature, seen on a car in the town of Pipriac within Stage 3 from Saint-Malo to Nantes, complements our previously launched face blurring feature

Of course, there's only one way to conclude a blog post about the Tour de France -- with an image of the finish line!

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The Arc de Triomphe, at the western end of the Champs Elysee. If you zoom in, you can look at the detailed sculputres on the frieze

How I spent my summer vacation

Posted by Donna Axelson, Summer Fellow

Last week's Google Teacher Academy (GTA) got me thinking about the way I got launched into the world of Google back at the GTA in November 2006. I had previously used Google as a search engine but after the GTA I used Google for, well, everything I could! During the Academy, teachers using the products gave us examples of activities and projects they had done with their students. That’s all I needed to be off and running. As the Technology Resource Teacher for my K-8 district I have had many opportunities to pass on my enthusiasm and training to both teachers and students. Now after a two and a half year hiatus I have returned to Google as a Noogler (a new Googler).

Even though I have just begun my fellowship at Google, I feel like I am part of the Google family. My first week was spent finding my way around. I took some time to discover the ins and outs of the Google campus, then I got to work and explored the Google For Educators website, which is overflowing with useful lesson ideas.

There are many reasons why I'm loving my time here, but one of the main ones is learning about and being able to pass on all the engaging ways educators can use the Geo products to help students learn about their world. Even though it may be summer vacation, the Google for Educators site can help teachers prepare some great lessons for the upcoming school year, and parents can take a browse to find fun ways to keep their kids learning over the summer!

Sightseeing in South Africa

Posted by Philipp Hirtz, Engineering Manager, Google Earth

If your 're dreaming of traveling to beautiful South Africa you can now enjoy the newly launched South Africa Tourism layer in Google Earth. Together with South Africa Tourism, the layer allows you to discover more about the country's highlights. You can learn about the heritage and culture of the region before touching base with the urban vibes of the different cities. If your interest is more about the countryside and wildlife then you can explore the nature and safari layers, or if you're a sports fan then check out the locations of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. You can also enjoy virtual tours, create an itinerary, or take a flight along the proposed routes to plan your next vacation.