[UPDATED] Google Earth 5.0 is just now released! You can download it here. There are some major new features in this release. Not the least of which is the long-rumored ocean features (3D Ocean floors, ocean surface, and more). Also, historical aerial/satellite imagery. And a new 3D Mars!! Or watch this movie of what it looks like:
Here’s a link to the new tour of Google Earth 5 at the Google Earth site.
More information on the new features in my next post.
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.
Ooops. It’s also available in Catalan. Visca!.
One big disappointment – the animal tracking. Thought I would pick one shark or anything from there and start tracking it, taking a look every half hour where it had swimmed, but oh well, maybe in the future.
Frank, just to let you know, the “installation” of Google Earth 5 takes an exorbitant amount of time to even start installing. Not only that, it uses the Google Updater. Is there a way to get the actual installer file so that people can cut out the “middle-man” that is the Google Updater?
Any help would be good.
the new “show historical imagery” feature is awesome!
in many places i checked there’s footage online more recent than the one shown in default mode! i don;t understand why google would not pack the most recent good footage into the default view within GE???
for law enforcement it will make it easy to see when & what was going on @ certain locations…
just check out this location: http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Main=793287&Number=1194537#Post1194537
this is about the site where many people were put into acid in order to get rid of them. the GE footage clearly shows that all the horror went down within the last 12 months, not earlier!
Hi.
It seems that the new ocean function causes errors. For example: The Faroe Islands. Some parts are under water 🙂
Greetings
Peter
yeah, some features have bugs!
as well as the historic footage feature: if you zoom in too close it will not show the optional footage in the timeline, you have to zoom out until it does!!!
I try to download the 5.0 but the app takes me to my regular google earth app and it doesn’t have any history features. Can someone help? Thanks
Some mind blowing stuff – visit Mars, and drift above the waves to sooth away the worries. but…
What is the significance of the switch to Google Updater in the install? Are there any downsides? Is anything else being installed you might not want?
And, as well as all the technical wizardry, can we please have the Scilly Isles and all the other islands back, plus imagery for the parts of Europe still covered by blankets of cloud.
Amazing! GE5 is spectacular and MUCH faster.
A few strange things, though… e.g. London, Ontario is now Londres! Quebecers will love it, but I fear the locals will be a tad upset.
Another bug: the app flashes white now and then. Never seen this with v4. It happens both in DirectX and OpenGL mode.
Question to Frank and the other GE-Gurus:
GE 5.0 seems to have a (at least for me) serious bug (or “feature”): kml-files with placemarks, which show their text-labels *only*, when you hoover over the placemarks does not work for me in GE 5.0 (the same file works fine in old GE 4.3)
Can you confirm this behaviour?
thk
Kurt
Google Earth can now handle areas below sealevel! Go to the Death Valley and find it showing -75m. Fly to the Dead See and find -415m showing a correct 3D surface! Also find Amsterdam Airport Schipol below sealevel!
GPS integration is a welcome improvement, especially since GE Plus was withdrawn.
Paul
A couple of notes in ver5 noticed: In ref to GPS have been without luck getting it to work in realtime. Transparencies in polygon & dae models (Reversed & transparent surface)Example1: http://www.czmartin.com/jpw/606_463930-h4.kmz Example2: http://www.czmartin.com/jpw/cyl_tri_sq_mov.kmz work now. No wrap in the annimation tools only option is loop. Enhanced loading of multiple dae’s (annimations. So far looks really good
jpwade
http://www.czmartin.com/jpw
The historic aerials are definitely off in places, with the default photos being several years out of date. Both Maps and Earth are affected by this. I have details on my blog, along with some annotated KML.
http://njgeo.org/2009/02/03/googles-historic-aerials-have-shuffled-dates/