Reading Time: < 1 minLast October, Google Earth got a new layer that showcased YouTube videos. Starting today, those videos are now available in Google Maps as well. When viewing an information bubble, simply click on the “Photos & Videos” tab. More information about this release can be found on the Google LatLong blog.
Google Earth/Maps
KML is now an international standard
Reading Time: < 1 minAs reported by the Google LatLong Blog, KML has now officially become an OGC (Open Geospatial Consortium) standard. According to Google, there are tens of millions of KML documents available online, hosted on over 100,000 unique domain names. The number of files isn’t a huge surprise, but 100,000 unique domains seem like a ton! As […]
Trees and Highway Overpasses
Reading Time: 2 minI’ve long felt that two things would need to happen to get to the next level in 3D imagery — trees and highway overpasses. Since one of the neat features in Google Earth is the ability to fly a route, having proper overpasses would make things look much better. The latest version of Virtual Earth […]
Microsoft launches “ClearFlow” traffic on Live Maps
Reading Time: < 1 minMicrosoft has just released “ClearFlow” traffic data on Live Maps, but it’s far more interesting than you might think. While it shows the colored traffic speeds in a similar manner as Yahoo, Google and Mapquest, it also goes much deeper. From Search Engine Land: In addition to real-time traffic data, the service offers traffic predictions […]
Trulia integrates Google Maps StreetView
Reading Time: < 1 minThe real estate info site Trulia has just added support for Google Maps StreetView, according to the Google LatLong blog. This is an excellent use of the StreetView technology. I’ve found that when looking at houses online, you want all the photos you can possibly get. This gives you a great way to see the […]
3Dconnexion releases SpaceNavigator for Notebooks
Reading Time: < 1 minAs many of you know, I am a huge fan of the SpaceNavigator. As Stefan Geens says, there is simply no better way to navigate Google Earth. Today, 3Dconnexion has released a portable version of the SpaceNavigator, at about half the size and twice the cost ($129 vs. $59). Is it worth it? My initial […]
The New York Times in Google Earth
Reading Time: 2 minGoogle Earth has just added a new layer into the “Geographic Web” folder for the New York Times. This layer updates automatically every 15 minutes and shows news stories on the map. It’s not an overly exciting addition, but it adds one more bit of great info. Combine this with the Panoramio layer, the YouTube […]
A new twist on the StreetView privacy concerns
Reading Time: < 1 minIn a classic case of the Streisand Effect, Aaron and Christine Boring have filed suit against Google for posting images of their home (which is located on private road) in StreetView. As a result, the Smoking Gun (and other sites, like this one) have posted pictures of the residence, thus making their “private” property even […]
Google adds contour lines to their Terrain Maps
Reading Time: < 1 minLate last year, Google introduced terrain maps, which were 3D-looking maps of the earth — kind of a cross between flat maps and satellite imagery. Today they’ve added contour lines to many of the maps around the world, helping to show the elevation changes in even greater detail. Their explanation is: Contour lines depict elevation […]
StreetView coming to Google Earth within a few weeks
Reading Time: < 1 minAccording to Rafe Needleman of Webware, StreetView will be available inside of Google Earth “within a few weeks”. Rafe quotes an unnamed source with that info. He states that it’s not clear if this will be a public release or an internal testing release. If done smoothly, this could be very slick. It’ll be interesting […]