Google Earth facts for kids
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Google Earth 9 on Google Chrome
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| Original author(s) | Keyhole, Inc. | ||||||||
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| Initial release | June 10, 2001 | ||||||||
| Stable release(s) [±] | |||||||||
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| Preview release(s) [±] | |||||||||
| Written in | C++, Dart | ||||||||
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| Available in | Various languages | ||||||||
| Type | Virtual globe | ||||||||
| License | Freeware | ||||||||
Google Earth is a cool computer program that lets you explore a 3D model of our planet, Earth! It uses pictures taken from satellites and airplanes to create a realistic view of cities and landscapes. You can zoom in, spin the globe, and see places from different angles, just like you're flying over them.
You can explore the world by typing in addresses or special codes. You can also use your keyboard or mouse to move around. If you have a smartphone or tablet, you can download Google Earth and use your finger or a special pen to navigate. People can even add their own information and pictures to Google Earth. Google Earth now shows over 97% of the world and has captured millions of miles of Street View images!
Besides exploring Earth, Google Earth has other fun tools. You can measure distances between places. You can also explore the Moon and Mars, or even look at the night sky. There's even a flight simulator game built-in! You can see photos from different places, read information from Wikipedia about certain spots, and explore Street View images. The online version of Google Earth also has a feature called Voyager, which offers guided tours about different topics, often led by scientists.
Sometimes, people worry about privacy with Google Earth because it shows detailed images. Because of this, some countries have asked Google to blur or hide certain areas, especially places like military bases.
Contents
Discovering Google Earth's Origins
The main idea behind Google Earth started in the late 1990s at a company called Intrinsic Graphics. They were making software for 3D games. To show off their 3D skills, they created a spinning globe that you could zoom into, like the famous Powers of Ten film. People loved this demo!
However, the company wanted to focus on games. So, in 1999, a new company called Keyhole, Inc. was created. Keyhole found a way to send huge amounts of map data over the internet to their software. They gathered map data from governments and other places. Their product, "Keyhole EarthViewer," was sold on CDs to businesses like real estate and defense. Users paid a yearly fee. Even with some big deals, the small company struggled to keep its employees.
Things changed for Keyhole in 2003 during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. A director at Keyhole convinced news channels like CNN to use their cool 3D views to show what was happening in Baghdad. This was a new way for millions of viewers to follow the news. Public interest in the software grew very quickly! Keyhole's servers couldn't handle all the demand. Soon, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency contacted Keyhole to use their maps for defense. This gave Keyhole the money it needed.
In 2004, Google noticed that many people were searching for maps and directions. So, in October 2004, Google bought Keyhole to help its users better. In 2021, Google updated its layers feature in Google Earth, combining some and removing others.
Exploring Google Earth's Imagery
Google Earth shows images on a digital globe. From far away, it looks like one big picture of Earth. As you zoom in, the images change to show more detail. These detailed images come from satellites or aircraft. The pictures are not all taken at the same time, so some areas might look newer than others.
Google used to rely on images from the Landsat 7 satellite, which had a problem that left diagonal gaps in its pictures. In 2013, Google fixed this by combining many Landsat 7 images to remove clouds and gaps. This created a single, clear "mosaic" image of the whole planet, like a new version of the famous Blue Marble photo. Now, Google uses many sources to get high-quality images more often. Google Earth needs an internet connection to get these images from Google's servers.
The clarity of the images can range from 15 meters (about 49 feet) to 15 centimeters (about 6 inches). For most of Earth, Google Earth uses special data from NASA to make the land look three-dimensional, even if the images themselves are flat.
Google says that all images created from Google Earth using their satellite data are copyrighted maps. This means Google owns the rights to the data. However, Google lets people use these images for personal, non-commercial things (like on a personal website or blog) as long as they keep the copyright information.
Viewing Past Imagery
In version 5.0, Google added a cool feature called Historical Imagery. This lets you see how places have changed over time! If you click the clock icon, a timeline appears. You can slide it to see older images of the same area. This feature can show changes over as many as 32 years.
Discovering 3D Views
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Google Earth also shows 3D models of buildings in some cities. These 3D models are very realistic, made using a process called photogrammetry (which uses photos to create 3D shapes). At first, people created 3D buildings using programs like SketchUp and uploaded them.
In 2012, Google started replacing these user-made buildings with automatically generated 3D models. This was done to make the 3D buildings look more consistent and to compete with other map services. This new 3D coverage started in 21 cities in four countries. By early 2016, hundreds of cities in over 40 countries had 3D imagery, covering almost every continent!
In 2009, Google worked with the Museo del Prado museum in Madrid. They photographed 14 of the museum's paintings in super high resolution (14,000 megapixels!) and put them inside the 3D version of the Prado in Google Earth and Google Maps.
Exploring with Street View
Since April 2008, Google Earth has included Street View. This feature lets you see 360-degree panoramic photos taken at street level in many cities. These photos are taken by special cameras on cars. You can look around and move through the streets using arrows on the screen.
With Street View on Google Earth, you can visit and explore 30 World Heritage Sites like the Great Pyramid, the Taj Mahal, and the Great Sphinx. You can also learn about their history.
In 2019, Walt Disney World teamed up with Google to create Pixar Street View. This allowed people to search for hidden Pixar "Easter eggs" (secret items) in Toy Story Land at Disney's Hollywood Studios using Street View. It was a fun way to bring Pixar's tradition of hiding things in their movies to a new platform.
Exploring Water and Oceans
Google Earth 5.0, released in 2009, introduced the Google Ocean feature. This lets you zoom below the ocean's surface and see the 3D shape of the ocean floor. It includes information from many top scientists and oceanographers. In 2009, Google also added detailed underwater data for the Great Lakes.
In 2011, Google made some deep ocean floor areas even clearer, changing the resolution from 1-kilometer squares to 100-meter squares. This sharper view is available for about 5% of the oceans.
Journeying to Outer Space
Google has special programs and features within Google Earth that let you explore beyond our planet! You can visit Mars, the Moon, or look at the sky from Earth. You can even see the surfaces of other objects in our Solar System.
Discovering Google Sky
Google Sky was added to Google Earth in August 2007. It lets you view stars and other objects in space. Google worked with the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), which operates the Hubble Space Telescope, to create it. New Hubble pictures are added to Google Sky as soon as they are released.
Google Sky also shows constellations, galaxies, and animations of planets moving in their orbits. You can even see where major satellites are and how they move. There are also educational resources to help you learn more about space.
Exploring Google Mars
Google Mars is a special version of Google Earth that shows images of the planet Mars. The maps inside Google Earth are much clearer than the online version. They include 3D terrain, infrared images, and elevation data. You can also see very high-resolution images from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's HiRISE camera, which are as clear as city images on Earth. Plus, you can view many high-resolution panoramic images from Mars landers, like the Spirit and Opportunity rovers, similar to how you use Google Street View.
Exploring Google Moon
Google Moon lets you explore our Moon! Google added this feature to Google Earth in July 2009, for the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission. Google Moon includes tours, especially for the Apollo missions, with maps, videos, and Street View-style panoramas, all provided by NASA.
Other Cool Features
Google Earth has many features called "layers" that help you learn about specific places. These layers can include photos and videos. Some layers even offer tours that guide you through different places in a specific order. You can also create your own custom layers using a special language called Keyhole Markup Language (KML). For example, you could mark interesting landmarks around the world, add descriptions, photos, and videos, and then share your custom layer with others.
In 2006, Google Earth added connections with Wikipedia and Panoramio. The Wikipedia layer shows information from Wikipedia articles about different locations. The Panoramio layer shows pictures uploaded by Panoramio users, placed on the map where they were taken. Google Earth also has a layer for user-submitted panoramic photos, which you can explore like Street View.
Google Earth also helps you keep up with current events. In 2007, Google started showing real-time traffic data from Google Traffic. This information comes from the GPS locations of cell phone users.
Flight Simulators
In Google Earth 4.2, a flight simulator was added. At first, it was a hidden feature, but later versions made it easy to find in the menu. You can control the simulator with your keyboard, mouse, or even a joystick. The simulator also shows animations, so planes move realistically.
Different Versions of Google Earth
Google Earth is available on many devices, including macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android. The Linux version started as a special version using the Qt toolkit. Google Earth was released for Android in 2010 and for iOS in 2008. On phones and tablets, you can use your fingers to move the globe, zoom in, or spin the view. In 2020, Google made its online version of Earth available on web browsers like Firefox, Edge, and Opera.
| Version | Release date | Changes |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | June 10, 2001 | |
| 1.4 | January 2002 | |
| 1.6 | February 2003 | |
| 1.7.2 | October 2003 | |
| 2.2 | August 2004 | |
| 3.0 | June 2005 |
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| 4.0 | June 2006 | |
| 4.1 | May 2007 | |
| 4.2 | August 2007 |
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| 4.3 | April 2008 |
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| 5.0 | May 2009 |
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| 5.1 | November 2009 | |
| 5.2 | July 2010 |
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| 6.0 | March 2011 |
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| 6.1 | October 2011 | |
| 6.2 | April 2012 |
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| 7.0 | December 2012 |
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| 7.1 | April 2013 |
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| 7.3 | July 2017 |
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| 8.0 | October 2014 |
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| 9.0 | April 2017 |
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| 10.0 | September 2023 |
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Google Earth Pro
Google Earth Pro used to be a special, paid version of Google Earth for businesses. It had extra features like making movies and importing data. Until 2015, it cost $399 per year. But then, Google decided to make it free for everyone! Google Earth Pro is now the standard desktop version of Google Earth. It includes tools for making videos, printing advanced maps, and taking precise measurements. You can get it for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Google Earth 9
Google Earth 9 was a big update released in April 2017, after two years of development. The main new thing was a new web version of Google Earth. This version added the "Voyager" feature, where you could find guided tours led by scientists and documentarians. It also added an "I'm Feeling Lucky" button (shaped like a die), which takes you to a random place on Earth and shows you a "Knowledge Card" with a short piece of information from Wikipedia about that spot.
Google Earth VR
In November 2016, Google released a virtual reality (VR) version of Google Earth. This lets you explore the world using VR controllers and a VR headset like the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive. In September 2017, Google Earth VR added Street View support, so you can experience street-level views in VR!
Google Earth Outreach: Helping the World
Google Earth Outreach is a special program where Google helps and donates to different non-profit organizations. Since 2007, these donations often come with special layers in Google Earth. This lets users see what a non-profit is doing by looking at specific locations on the globe. Google Earth Outreach also teaches people how to use Google Earth and Google Maps to educate others about important issues, whether they are local or global. For example, in 2008, they trained 20 native tribes in the Amazon rainforest to help them protect their culture and raise awareness about deforestation.
Some of the non-profit organizations featured in Google Earth through this program include Arkive, the Global Heritage Fund, and the World Wide Fund for Nature.
Google Earth Engine: A Powerful Tool
Google Earth Engine is a powerful online platform that helps scientists and researchers process satellite images and other Earth data. It gives them access to a huge collection of satellite images and the computing power needed to analyze them. Google Earth Engine lets people see how things like farms, natural resources, and climate change over time. It uses data from satellites like Landsat, which flies over the same places on Earth every sixteen days.
Google Earth Engine makes it easy for researchers to use satellite data. It provides a catalog of data and computers for analysis, allowing scientists to work together using data, special computer programs, and visualizations.
An early version of Earth Engine was shown in 2009. It was officially launched in 2010, along with maps of water in the Congo basin and forests in Mexico.
In 2013, researchers used Earth Engine to create the first high-resolution maps showing global forest cover and how much forest was lost. Since then, Earth Engine has been used in hundreds of scientific articles in many fields, including studying forests, agriculture, water, natural disasters, and climate.
Google Earth Engine has been free for schools and research since it started. In 2021, Google announced that businesses could also start using it.
Images for kids
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Google Earth icon
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Google Earth 9 on Google Chrome
See also
- Elevation
- Esri, publisher of ArcGIS Earth
- Flyover (Apple Maps), similar 3D feature on Apple Maps
- List of space flight simulation games
- Planetarium software
- List of observatory software
- Orthophotomap, the type of aerial and satellite imagery present in Google Earth
- Virtual globe, the category of software that includes Google Earth
- Web mapping
