Google Earth Live

There are few things in life that are free and at the time of writing this, only two really great ones spring to mind; air and Google Earth live. So far no one’s figured out how to tax the air that we breath (think water and fossil fuels) and, after 5 or 6 years of being in operation, Google still don’t charge a cent for what has become one of the best known satellite mapping applications available on the internet.

That’s pretty awesome. Since the inception of the mapping application back in 2005, providing that you don’t require the streamlined services of the pro version you can download the software, straight to your desktop or handheld device, and enjoy everything that this powerful GPS app is capable of.

It doesn’t matter where you are, providing that you have access to the internet and have taken advantage of the Google Earth download, you can remotely view innumerable images, delivered at varying resolutions, for as long as time will allow. What’s really interesting is the way in which the application has grown and developed over the last 5 or 6 years.

From its original format, we can now use the Street View, take a virtual walk on the moon, plunge beneath the oceans and seas, as well as wander from destination to destination. There’s also the Flight Simulator and let’s not forget that you can also navigate from point A to Point B with a few clicks of your mouse.

In all, Google Earth live is pretty damn impressive and until someone comes up with a better version (doubtful) it will continue to entertain, impress and motivate users all around the world. When you consider the wealth of knowledge that Google mapping delivers by way of its ability to cover the circumference of the globe, it’s astounding.

Gone are the days when parents needed to drag out a paper atlas, or a standard globe. Schools and colleges use it as a means of demonstrating aspects relating to world history and geography. They’re also used in field work projects and for a variety of other reasons and there’s no doubting how usual the software is as a visual aid tool.

There are many other ways in which Google Earth can be utilized and over the last few years there has been an upsurge in users either looking at or exploring the many different ways in which to employ the application, as a means of exploiting it to their full advantage. It’s available to all, it covers a wide range of languages and best of all … it’s free.

Google Earth Download

The first thing you need to do is to go and make the Google Earth download. It’s a simple task, nothing difficult about it and even the uninitiated in all things computer software based will manage it with no problem.

The application is set up to do all the hard work (or complicated stuff!) for you and, beyond clicking the ‘download now’ link, there’s nothing else to do but wait for the software to download and install onto your desktop or laptop.

Once done you can use it right out of the box (so to speak) and start viewing the world remotely within minutes. If you are new to GE (Google Earth) then it’s fairly likely that you’ll quickly realize why it’s so popular across the world.

The graphics are amazing, it’s genuine satellite imagery that you’re viewing, and plunging down beneath the seas or wandering through towns and cities via Street View is a pretty cool experience.

As more and more users have download the app over the years, there’s a plethora of websites that have sprung up that take a snap shot of certain locations that seem to throw up some pretty strange anomalies.

I remember one, a few years back that became quite the mystery. It related to a ‘dead body’, apparently left lying out in a street. After many hits and thousands of individual opinions as to who or what it was, it turned out that it was just a child, laid down, playing in the street!

Google Earth Street View

This is possibly the most often used aspect of the application. Google Earth Street View is known for enticing people into wasting time and procrastinating, simply because it’s so fascinating once you fire up the street level view.

I know that I’ve used it many times before I’ve moved house. Every time I’ve found a potential new home, I’ve gone to the street view, as a means of looking around the neighborhood. Sounds crazy? It’s not; it is in fact a rather sensible approach to getting a feel for the local area.

I remember a couple of places that I looked at that, based on what I had seen; I never bothered going to view. I was well aware that what I could see via the street view was going to look any better by seeing it in person.

That’s how reliable it is, how real and up to date the images and information are.  Enjoy the ability to wander along highways, cruise through the seas, wander through far flung destinations and enjoy the sights and wonders that all make up a part of this thing we call our home – Earth.

Google Earth Maps

Using Google Earth maps to navigate your way around *wherever* beats using a map book any day. Recently the software became mobile to the point that you can now download the application onto a handheld device, such as an iPhone or an android cell phone.

This allows you to access the data gathered by Google and plan routes from your start point to your destination. It’s about the same as using a GPS system, only you don’t need to by a separate gadget in order to have some electronic voice to tell you where to go and how to get there.

It’s fair to point out that the application is driven by Google Maps, rather than the desktop software but they kind of meet in the middle. You can use the maps to search at the street level, much as you can with GE.

However the images are one and the same and the mapping software is a simplified version (and came first) and you don’t need to fire up GE to check out routes and plan your journey. It’s as easy as ABC to use, no more difficult that using a standard GPS system and, in the event that you’re stuck in traffic and going nowhere fast, you can always switch to Google Earth live and fly (virtually) around the world!

Pictures: Wikipedia Commoms - Users Bd8494, Dashbot, Zouzzou