Introduction
Google Earth is a name familiar to everyone who is familiar with the internet. This is a program which can be installed on your computer and gives a virtual look at the earth using various technologies. The developers use images from satellites and other aerial photography methods to create a virtual globe. With the help of Google earth.com, you can travel to any place in the earth, virtually. This was actually a program developed for Central Intelligence Agency by a company called Keyhole Inc. Once Google acquired the company, it became Google Earth.
Step 1
There are many uses for Google earth.com. One of the main uses of this program is to view areas of the world where major issues are happening. Google earth.com very often provides real time images of places hit by natural disasters. Google is providing pre-recorded images in Google earth.com. Today, classrooms are also benefited with Google earth.com.
Step 2
Teachers are using this program to teach students about different places and their geographical features. When you are lost at some place without knowing the way, Google earth can come useful. This can be used to find directions just like a GPS map. There are also options to add links, pictures, YouTube videos and even Wikipedia articles.
Step 3
If you thought Google earth.com is just to view the terrain of the earth, you are mistaken. It is also possible to view the outer sky with Google earth.com and the feature Google Sky. It is even possible to track and bookmark Mars and Moon using Google earth.com. Street view is another feature which is one among the most popular features of Google Earth. Using this feature, you can zoom to the streets of a city and view the place at 360 degree angle. However, this feature is only available for the big cities in the world.
Step 4
There is a free edition of Google earth.com available for you, but it has limited capabilities and features. Google Earth for commercial use is the one with maximum functionality and costs around $400 annually. The latest version is Google Earth 6.2 beta, which was released on January 26th, 2012. Google earth for cars was also introduced into the market and it is now used in Audi A8.
Step 5
Many recent updates have gone into Google Earth software which makes it even interesting and intriguing. There were many hidden features in Google earth, especially in the earlier editions. Most of these hidden features are now an open part of Google Earth features.
Tips
For example, flight simulator was one hidden feature which is now made official in the latest versions. There are also options for historical research people to travel back to early times. This program has a feature which allows you to select the time period to which you want to travel.
Images of that time will be shown to you. Google Moon is a similar program which allows users to travel across the surface of the Moon. This is one software program with so many features and uses. You can expect Google Earth to be used in many other areas of life in the coming years.
