- KML 2.1 Docs – Google has substantially updated the KML documentation. This includes new KML samples, KML tutorials, and KML reference docs.
- New Blue Marble – Someone at NASA has put out a GE 4 network link
allowing you to view the Blue Marble Next Generation from a WMS (Web Mapping Service). This means you get pretty smooth updates of higher resolution versions as you get closer. It also time stamps the data and lets you view all 12 versions for each month of the year. You can animate the results as in my Blue Marble Time Animation. One thing I don’t like is that the NASA BM images are dark and need a color saturation boost. But, I’m glad to see this regardless. Posted at the GEC by ‘OnEarthWMS’.
- More Panoramas – The new innovative approach for viewing panorama photos from DigitalUrban has resulted in several new examples. It involves placing the photos inside a 3D sphere – which you can read about here. Here are some stories highlighting new samples: Trafalgar Square, Snowdon in Wales, Andy Warhol, and someone has done kite aerial photos with it as well.
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.
“One thing I don’t like is that the NASA BM images are dark and need a color saturation boost.”
Well, maybe they’re prettier with brightness and saturation set to max, but I prefer being real over being beauty.
I believe that NASA folks did their best and spent a lot of time in order to make BMNG as real as it’s possible. If you put visible MODIS data over the BMNG you’ll see that thay blend almost seamlessly.
Anyway, enhanced or not, BM still looks better than GE default patchwork 🙂
all the NASA stuff doesn’t load for me???
any suggestions? i get an error message an http server error???
smokeonit – are you by chance using a Mac? I had the same problem with my MacBook and I’ve reported it to the NASA guy who posted them.
yes, macbook pro CD 2.0, osX 10.4.8 and GE .2722. i almost thought that it’s just me, seeing all the post about how wonderful the layers look, lol… hopefully GE and NASA fix the mac bug… is there nobody in that team there using a mac??? all those people work on pc? maybe that’s why they have problems getting the colors right, no? LOL;-)
in osX under parallels runnig winXP the layers work flawlessly, it’s not really as pleasent as using GE in osX, or in XP nativley, but @ least for now i can try out the NASA layers….