Google Earth is a virtual globe program that was originally called Earth Viewer and was created by Keyhole, Inc. It maps the earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite imagery, aerial photography and GIS 3D globe. It is available under three different licenses: Google Earth, a free version with limited functionality; Google Earth Plus, which includes a few more features; and Google Earth Pro, intended for commercial use.
Formerly known as Earth Viewer, Google Earth was developed by Keyhole, Inc., a company acquired by Google in 2004. The product was renamed Google Earth in 2005 and is currently available for use on personal computers running Microsoft Windows 2000, XP, or Vista; Mac OS X 10.3.9 and above; Linux (released on June 12, 2006); and FreeBSD. In addition to releasing an updated Keyhole based client, Google also added the imagery from the Earth database to their web based mapping software.
The viewer will show houses, the color of cars, and even the shadows of people and street signs.
The degree of resolution available is based somewhat on the points of interest, but most land (except for some islands) is covered in at least 15 meters of resolution[3]. Las Vegas, Nevada and Cambridge, Massachusetts include examples of the highest resolution, at 15 cm (6 inches). Google Earth allows users to search for addresses (for some countries only), enter coordinates, or simply use the mouse to browse to a location.
Google Earth also has digital elevation model (DEM) data collected by NASA's Shuttle Radar Topography Mission. This means one can view the Grand Canyon or Mount Everest in three dimensions, instead of 2D like other map programs/sites. Since 23 November 2006, the 3D views of many mountains, including Mount Everest, have been improved by the use of supplementary DEM data to fill the gaps in SRTM coverage[4]. In addition, Google has provided a layer allowing one to see 3D buildings for many major cities in the US and Japan.
It has amazing resolutions even for Malaysia.. For example,
Image Source :Google EarthThis is the Tim Phek King(donno how to spell,sorry..) building in Kuching..
The Google Earth Community is an online forum[23] which is dedicated to producing placemarks of interesting or educational perspectives. It may be found on the Google Earth webpage or under the Help section on the program itself. After downloading a placemark, it will automatically run Google Earth (if not opened), and fly to the area specified by the person who placed it. Once there, you can add it to your "My Places" by right clicking on the icon and selecting "Save to My Places". Additionally, anyone can post a placemark for others to download; as long as you have an account.
Google earth also can be used to locate "disasters". Currently a user can find these items within the google earth community. An example is a capsized ship off of the shore (69°15′32.22″N 33°14′17.11″E / 69.25895, 33.2380861) or a burning car, on A3 autobahn near Gieslenberg, N of Leverkusen, Germany (51°4′47.04″N 6°59′17.77″E / 51.0797333, 6.9882694).
Source : Wikipedia
If you have enough space and enough connection for it, I recommend you to download Google Earth and have fun seeing sights from around the world. =)
Day 6 of abstinence
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