Google Earth is amazing free software that lets you view the entire world in 3D! You can fly anywhere around the globe and even see your own house from space!

Google Earth comes with the Google Pack and is a free download...

Click the above link to download Google Earth 100% Free.
Google Earth comes with the Google Pack and is a free download

We are such big fans of Google that we are offering this free site to educate the public about Google Earth. This site is not an official Google Site.

*Google Earth Basics

What is Google Earth, you ask? Google Earth is a program developed by Google. It uses satellite imagery, maps and layer upon layer of other information to allow you to see the entire world, the countries, states, cities, streets, coffee shops, local points of interest, geographic information, 3D buildings and even more...right from your computer desk!

Here's a screenshot so you can see what it looks like:

And here are a couple 3D buildings in Google Earth...

You Can Also Download Google Earth Free Here, Click This Link

*Google Earth News:

The History of the World Layer: One of my favorite features of Google Earth are "layers".  With layers you can pick and choose to view different things on Earth.  With the history of the world layer you can view historic maps and see the time lines of our history.

Amazon Tribe + Google Earth = Saved Forest:Learn all about the tribe in the Amazon Rain Forest called the "Surui" on right in the software application.

What do Google Earth and MIT have in Common?: Find out in this article about how 3D satellite mapping program "Google Earth" is working with MIT.

Where On Earth Is Waldo?: Find out about this fun project and see if you can find Waldo using satellite maps.

*Google Earth Features

Google Earth is literally PACKED full of features. I'll give you the basics here, but you're likely to discover a lot on your own as well. Once you've installed the software, you might want to take a sightseeing tour. There are featured places and tours you can see by clicking here. You'll see there is a lot of information on that page, including blogs about Google Earth, placemarks to all locations in Shakespeare plays, and a 3D view of all up-to-date inbound flights to 7 different airports. There will continue to be more and more ways that Google Earth is used on the web, and we will add links and pages for these as they become available.

And if you want another example of how amazing these images are, below is an image of Miami, in beautiful color and 3D.

Fly To

"Fly To" is a box you'll see and use frequently in the Google Earth interface. It's a search field basically. You enter an address, city, state, country, zip code or cross streets into the box and click "Search". Google flies you to that location while you watch the world turn and you zoom in closer and closer until you hit your destination.

Directional Controls

With Google Earth you use directional controls to control what direction you fly. You can view all the satellite imagery under your dynamic control.  You have full control of this, just as you would in a video game console or in your car. In fact even more, because you can zoom in, tilt your view from over head to horizonally driving across terrain. You can fly backward, or choose a compass direction. There are little tricks you'll learn like holding the right mouse button while pushing or pulling to zoom in and out. The video tutorials also go over these details even more thoroughly. You can see the directional controls in the screenshot below. The directional controls are along the bottom in gray. And that's a picture of Miami, in case you were wondering.

Searches

Google Earth comes with a Local Search and a Business Search feature. Both have boxes where you can enter either an address or a more general search like "Indian restaurant in Wayne, NJ" to find anything you are looking for anywhere on earth. Both these searches utilize Google's powerful mapping technology, so you can see, print or email maps pr driving directions to and from anywhere. When you double-click on a business, you will get further information about that business like address and telephone number, or get driving directions.

Even more information is available to you when you click "more" in the balloon image from a business search. You'll get a new browser window with a Google Map of the location. As you go down the bottom of that page you'll see all kinds of information about that business, hours, reviews, menus, links.

Saving Your Locations

You have many options for what to do with your locations and searches once you've made them. You can create a placemark at a location for the future, you can print the entire page, you can email a map, driving directions or a placemarked location to a family member or friend.

Layers

You'll hear a lot of talk about "layers" so it's good to know right from the start what they are. Google Earth has dozens and dozens of options for what types of things are viewable in the viewing screen. Maybe you want to see roads and restaurants only. Maybe you want to see where all the 3D buildings are. Each of these options is called a "layer", because they represent layers of information that go on top of each other. There is a checkbox next to each option on the left side, and when you check a box that "layer" becomes visible in the viewing screen of Google Earth.

*Social Networking with Google Earth

When you join the ranks of Google Earth users you are not alone. In fact you are part of an enormous community of hundreds of thousands of people who use Google Earth. And you can communicate with them, find out news about the latest advances, new releases, all kinds of things. There is an official Google Community which you can become a member here: Google Earth At Keyhole. There is also the officialGoogle Earth blog you can read and participate in, post comments, etc.

*Which Google Earth Should I Get?

That's a good question. Here are your choices, along with the differences between them, so you can decide. The first thing you'll want to do in any case is to download the free version, to see how it works. Then you can decide from there if you want or need the enhanced features of the not-free versions.

Google Earth - This is the free version. It has all the features of fly to, searches, printing, saving, emailing, placemarks mentioned above. Support only via website. Limit of 1000 px per printed or saved image.

Google Earth Plus - $20 subscription-based annual fee. Enhanced performance, limit of 1400 px per printed image and 1000 px per saved image. Can be used with GPS device, optional business ad feature, support via website and email.

Google Earth Pro - $400 subscription-based annual fee. For professional use. Fastest performance of all three versions. Limit of 4800 px per printed image and 4800 px per saved image. Can be used with GPS device, optional business ad feature, support via email, website or chat. Modules for data importing, movie making and premium printing. Optional GDT traffic counts data.

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