Google Earth

Trees on Google Earth are blurry typically because the satellite that took the picture doesn't have enough resolution to get a clear picture of the ground from space. To get around this problem Google creates 3-D computer-rendered trees to look like trees in areas where tree should be.

The Google Earth Enterprise client software runs on desktop platforms including Windows, Linux, and Mac,. The Enterprise server software, however, is only supported on latest distributions of Ubuntu, Redhat, and SuSE.

See related links for more details.

Most land areas in Google Earth are covered in satellite imagery with a resolution of about 15 meters per pixel and highest resolution is 1 inch per pixel. At the highest resolution of once-inch resolution where each pixel represents one inch (or 2.54 centimeters). It won't appear blurry until you descend below 50 feet or so.

Most of the high-resolution imagery is aerial photography taken from aircraft flying at 800-1500 feet rather than from satellites.

See KML in related links to see examples of each resolution.

Google provides access to large amount of aerial and satellite photography from across the globe through Google Earth and Google Maps. The map imagery is not simulated nor computer generated so the data you see is "real" as-is the traffic and weather layers that Google provides.

That does not mean all KML content found on the Internet is "real" or accurate data. The data is as good as the source.

I guess it is free to use however, you cannot distribute it on your own. In free version you cannot integrate your GIS data but there are another versions like Google Earth pro and Google Earth enterprise.

Google Earth 5.0 and higher runs on Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7.

For Windows XP and older computers if Google Earth 7.x doesn't work then 6.2.2 is probably the best bet to try.

Note as of Google Earth 6.0 the older 5.0 is no longer available for download on Google's direct download page, but you can still download versions 5.1 through 7.1.

The maps of the Magellan 3100 are from the third quarter of 2006. There is not an update available yet for this particular product. ******************** 23.12.2007 ******************** Magellan has released an update version 2.18 for the unit. It is about 900mb to download. Check www.magellangps.com, you will need an user name and a password to get the download. More information on how to tweek your Magellan 3100 here: http://www.gpspassion.com/forumsen/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=102368 http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=66&threadid=2120938&highlight_key=y&keyword1=3225+GPS ********************7/07/08************************ There will be a release of a map upgrade for the Magellan 3100 at the end of September 2008, according to their website. (www.magellangps.com) Puchase the maps at http://www.autonavdirect.com/request-14-427.html

For those of you wondering what happens to Google Earth (GE) when you don't have an Internet connection, the amazing thing is that it will work. But, it only works with what you have installed in your cache. If you anticipate taking your laptop somewhere where you won't have a broadband connection, you can still use GE for a limited area of viewing. Or you can use it for doing a demonstration somewhere without an Internet connection. First, go to the menu item Tools->Options and select the "Cache" tab. You can make the cache size as large as 2000 MB (i.e. 2 Gigabytes). This will give you more data to work with. Then, you need to move to the area you want data for and zoom into that area. The most recent things you have looked at will be what's in your cache. I think you need to turn on the layers for the information you want cached as well (for example, 'roads' or 'dining'). You also might want to turn on any of your placemarks related to the region you want to look at. It doesn't take much of an area to fill up the cache. Especially if the area you are viewing has lots of high-res pictures. But, I read about someone using this in the remote areas of Africa with a GPS and a laptop to find his way around. There is also a tip that you can save your cache(s) under different files and then swap them out to look at different areas. Could be useful if you were travelling without Internet access for a prolonged period of time.

Previous versions of GE can be downloaded from the direct installer links. Prior to the non-beta release of GE 6.0 in March 2011 GE 4.3 was still available and has since been removed.

Only caveat is these versions have the auto-installer disabled so you have to manually install any updates yourself. This is not a problem since the auto-update mechanism has been known to cause problems for windows users.

See related links.

By taking the google spaceship from google mars.

Kidding aside, you can either visit the google earth web page to download & install Google Earth desktop client or simply install the web browser plugin.

You need to download Google Earth installer then run the installer to install. The basic program comes as a desktop application.

Google also provides Google Earth as a web browser plugin. Like Flash or similar plugin when you visit a web page using this plugin it prompts you to install the just the plugin.

Installing Google Earth desktop client requires administrator privileges and the web plugin does not.

The original Street View service was developed and demonstrated in 2002, but not by Google, but rather by an Irish inventor Tony Kelly. His website (see related link) was up and running several years before Google.

Google Earth is a desktop application that lets you fly anywhere on Earth to view satellite imagery, maps, terrain, 3D buildings, from galaxies in outer space to the canyons of the ocean. It also provides a street view with high-resolution photographs to "walk" the streets of cities around the world.

Street view photos are updated on an ongoing basis but general plan is to include more and more cities than keep any given city's photos current. More cities are added every day.

Check out related link to see where the cars are currently driving and pick the county to see the list for that country.

If the picture is of low quality or you're just curious, you can show a different picture on the globe by clicking on the Historical Imagery tab at the top (looks like a clock) and sliding the tab up or down.