Last night Google published and announced an update to the Google Earth Community (GEC) layers. These layers show blue “i” icons in Google Earth which show placemarks posted in the forums when turned on in the Layers pane on the lower left of GE. For those of you who posted in appropriate forums (some of the forums are not included in the layer) before August 18th, your placemarks should appear now. You may have to zoom down lower heights to see more of the placemarks. Since it’s been a few months since the last update to this layer there are probably tens of thousands of new placemarks now available. Fortunately, the layer has sub-layers broken down by category (based somewhat on the forums at the GEC). This can help you eliminate unwanted placemarks.
In addition, Google has added a new layer called the “Featured Content” layer. Right now this includes the following: Turn Here, Jane Goodall’s Gombe Chimpanzee Blog, and Discovery Channel’s National Parks Tour (links point to earlier stories about these collections at GEB). My guess is that Google will rotate featured content from the GE Showcase web page through this new layer.
Related:
- Transportation Layer Improvements
- New Volcano Layer
- New Layer Layout
- New Search Feature in Placenames
- Ferry Routes in Road Layer
- Down Under and Kiwis Get Road Layer Update
About Frank Taylor
Frank Taylor started the Google Earth Blog in July, 2005 shortly after Google Earth was first released. He has worked with 3D computer graphics and VR for many years and was very impressed with this exciting product. Frank completed a 5.5 year circumnavigation of the earth by sailboat in June 2015 which you can read about at Tahina Expedition, and is a licensed pilot, backpacker, diver, and photographer.
I don’t have a “Featured Content” option in my Layers list. I’m using version v4.0.2722, do I have to update GE in order for featured content to appear or am I not doing something I need to do to update the layers that are available to me?
thanks.
I, too, don’t have a “featured content” layer. v 4.2.something
Also missing featured content.
Using: 4.2.0205.5730