March 10, 2010
Use StreetView to make Points of Interest more precise
For a long time now, my biggest complaint about the points of interest (restaurants, car dealers, etc) in Google Earth and Google Maps was that they weren't accurate enough. They were close, but not precise. Google has already provided tools to help place markers more accurately, but now you can use StreetView to put them right on the buildings!
The process is quite simple. First, click on a marker, then click "more", then click "Move marker", as seen below:
After you do that, you'll be presented with a split screen. Move the marker on the map or in the StreetView window to place it as accurately as possible.
Be sure to save you changes and you're done! Over time, this will help to make the layers in Google Earth considerably more accurate.
In a sad twist of fate, we've also learned that Google may stop updating their StreetView imagery in Europe. Google and the European Union continue to disagree on the length of time that Google should hold the unblurred imagery in storage, which has lead Google's Michael Jones to say:
"I think we would consider whether we want to drive through Europe again, because it would make the expense so draining," Michael Jones, Google's chief technology advocate and founder of Google Earth, said in an interview at the Cebit Technology Fair in Hanover.
At this point it seems unlikely that Google would stop capturing StreetView imagery over there, but the possibility now exists that they might.
Posted by mickmel at 8:06 AM | Comments (5)
March 9, 2010
Playing games in Google Earth
Since Google Earth was first released, a variety of people (including myself) have looked for ways to use it for gaming. While it will never be a true gaming platform, there are still some fun choices out there to play with. Here are a few of the best:
• The Flight Simulator: This was first unveiled with Google Earth 4.2, and it's a built-in feature of Google Earth. You can fly as either an F16 or an SR22, and start from a variety of airports around the world. Press CTRL-ALT-A (or Command+Option+A on Mac) to get started. This video gives a nice overview of the controls:
• GEWAR: One of the first games people thought of when Google Earth came out was "Risk". Playing that kind of game on the Google Earth platform would be pretty cool. It was something I chewed on for a while, but couldn't figure out how to make it work. Eventually I discovered a way to create dynamic network links and I created "GE War" in mid-2005. It was mostly a proof-of-concept game, but it became quite popular. I eventually handed the game off to some of the more active players, and they've been improving it ever since. You can check it out at GEWar.net, where they have nearly 80,000 registered players.
• Ships: Last year, PlanetInAction.com released a neat game simply titled "Ships". It gave you the ability to take the helm on 3D ships, and was very well done. Here's a video tour of the game:
• Apollo 11 Moon Lander: The same guys that brought you "Ships" also released the "Apollo 11 Moon Lander" game. It's a very simple game, but it's very well executed with 3D models, responsive controls, and audio taken directly from the Apollo missions.
Beyond those, there are a wide variety of other games you can play. A few more:
• GEMMO: A DND-style game.
• Mars Sucks: Blast aliens from your space ship.
• Milktruck Madness: Drive a milktruck around the earth. No scoring or lives (and really, no point to it), but it's quite fun.
• Football: An American-style football game.
Do you know of any others we've missed? Let us know in the comments.
Posted by mickmel at 10:25 AM | Comments (2)
March 8, 2010
Models and Maps for NC State Centennial
We've talked about Concept3D on here a few times in the past. They've modeled Tiger Woods' home in Sweden and Boston University, and they have a variety of ways to work with you on your own project.
Their latest is North Carolina State Centennial, and it's another spectacular piece of work.
You can check out their slick interface, which uses the Google Earth Plug-in and adds a variety of useful layers, by clicking this link. If you'd rather fly there in Google Earth and check it out, here is a KML file for you
.
For even more, you can watch the two videos they've produced that show off the campus:
Posted by mickmel at 11:24 AM | Comments (1)
March 5, 2010
Frank's kite imagery of Petite Tabac is now in Google Earth
Back in January, we showed you the incredible photos that Frank took while visiting the island of Petite Tabac. You might recognize it as one of the islands used in "Pirates of the Caribbean", as seen below:
As part of the imagery update last week, Frank's photos were added to the primary layer in Google Earth!
If you look close (as seen in the image below), you'll see their dinghy ("Coconut") and you can see Frank standing on the beach just east of there!
Here is a KML file to fly you directly to the island so you can see it for yourself.
He also shot a pretty cool 360° panorama while he was there, which you can check out on his blog.
This isn't the first time his photos landed in Google Earth. Last November, some of his other kite imagery also made it into Google Earth.
Posted by mickmel at 8:30 AM | Comments (1)
March 4, 2010
Chile is updated with new(er) imagery
[UPDATE: 7:56pm EST, 4-March: This appears to be a standard imagery update, and not just focused on Chile. Details at the bottom of the post.]
It appears that Google is doing an imagery update of some kind, but we're not quite sure the extent of it yet. Thanks to GEB reader 'David' for discovering it.
If you look around parts of Chile (Talcahuano, Coronel, part of Concepcion, and Tome and then another tile around Pelluhue), you'll find newer imagery there. The imagery is very sharp and quite new, but it's from before the recent earthquakes. Most of it seems to be from September, 2009.
Also of interest is that the Google Maps imagery is already updated as well; we don't have the typical delay between Earth and Maps to compare what's new.
So what does this mean? I have two theories, but I'm open to others:
1. This is a routine imagery update that happens to include some imagery from Chile. The last update included some imagery from Chile, also from last September. Are there other places on the globe that have been updated? Let us know if you find any.
2. Google is preparing to release post-quake imagery, and they wanted to provide a more recent base layer for comparison. The imagery for much of Chile was up to five years old, so getting it caught up to 2009 is a solid improvement.
That's what we've got for now. If you find any other updated imagery, please leave a comment and let us know. Thanks!
[[ UPDATED INFO BELOW ]]
As many of you pointed out in the comments, this appears to have just been a standard imagery update. Their methods were a bit different (updating Google Maps immediately) and they've released the new Imagery Update KML already. It appears to be a somewhat small update, but still covers portions of many countries around the world. Check it out and see what kind of great stuff you can find!
Posted by mickmel at 5:40 PM | Comments (11)
March 4, 2010
Marine Scientists dive into Google Earth
Google has just released a pretty cool new tour that features the 2010 Pew Fellows in Marine Conservation.
This tour features the work of various Fellows, and it is narrated by Isabella Rossellini.
About the Pew Fellowship:
The prestigious fellowship is awarded each year to five outstanding global leaders or teams for working tirelessly to preserve and protect the world's oceans and marine species. For the next three years, these marine scientists will work on their original, research-based marine conservation project.
You can view the tour using the Google Earth Plug-in, or you can download the KML file to view it in Google Earth. More information can be found on www.pewmarinefellows.org.
Posted by mickmel at 9:22 AM | Comments (0)
March 3, 2010
Solving a murder with Google Earth
On January 24, 2006, Jennifer Kesse vanished. The police quickly determined that she was abducted, but nothing solid has turned up in the past four years. Not long after that, a website was set up to help spread information about the case.
A tip recently came in saying her body was buried in a field in Orlando, Florida. The police conducted a massive search of the field, but came up empty. The field is very large, about 15 acres, and the body could be anywhere in there.
During this time, users on her site discussed the new events and came to a stunning revelation: using Google Earth's historical imagery, they found an image from approximately one month after she disappeared. The image seems to show some promising information:
The area in question can be found here.
They contacted us and we've touched base with Google to see if any other imagery was available during that time. As suspected, Google had no other imagery available because they have already put all of that imagery into Google Earth (much of it via "historical imagery").
However, this was enough for the police to go on. They plan to dig in that area based on this new information. There's no telling if this will amount to anything, but it's certainly an interesting use of the historical imagery.
We'll keep you posted if anything comes out of that.
Posted by mickmel at 11:17 AM | Comments (3)
March 2, 2010
StreetView: Trike winners and slick new photo viewing
A few cool bits of news about StreetView:
• Navigate through photos: Google has added a feature where you can navigate through user photos while in StreetView. The new feature is quite cool and feels a lot like Microsoft's Photosynth (seen in our Resources for Haiti or Frank's recent photos of Petite Tabac). This new StreetView feature is a neat way to fly from photo to photo, and offers a way for you to see much more imagery than the standard StreetView provides.
Here's a video of how it works:
• Winners of the Trike contest: Back in November, we told you about Google's contest involving their Streetview "Trikes". You could vote for places that you'd for the trike to visit, and winners would be announced. Well, the winners are here!
After more than 238,000 submissions, totaling more than 25,000 locations, Google started narrowing it down. Those 25,000 locations were put up to a public vote, after which the 24 finalists were revealed. The winners were:
- University Campuses: Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY
- Parks & Trails: Boulder Creek Path, Boulder, CO
- Pedestrian Malls: Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston, MA
- Landmarks: The National Mall, Washington, DC
- Theme Parks & Zoos: Detroit Zoo, Detroit, MI
Congratulations to the winners, and look for their imagery to appear in StreetView in the next few months!
Posted by mickmel at 9:45 AM | Comments (1)
A few more gorgeous hotels from CyberCity3D
CyberCity3D is getting good at building virtual hotels. A few weeks ago we showed you the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort that they built, and now they've got a few more to show off.
I really appreciate their attention to detail. Not only do they build excellent buildings, but they include trees, sheds, tables, etc. It's quite remarkable.
Their two new hotels are:
Sheraton Maui -- KML
Sheraton Waikiki -- KML
If you build any 3D models that you think should be highlighted on the blog, please let us know when they appear in Google Earth and we'll check them out.
Posted by mickmel at 9:26 AM | Comments (0)
March 1, 2010
Athens goes 3D
With the Winter Olympics wrapping up, Google thought it'd be fun to revisit the site of the first modern Olympic games. They've added detailed 3D coverage to the city, with thousands of buildings now showing off sharp 3D models.
They provide a list of fun places to check out, such as the Parthenon and the Herodeion Theater. If you can't load it up now, check out the video below of a short tour:
Posted by mickmel at 10:13 AM | Comments (4)
Links marked with this icon are Google Earth files. You must have Google Earth installed to use these links.