Hoping to make it even easier to turn its online maps into collages of local information, Google Inc. is introducing tools that will stitch together applications from a hodgepodge of Web sites. The free service, scheduled to be introduced Wednesday morning, represents the Mountain View-based company's most ambitious attempt yet to capitalize on the growing popularity of hybrid maps known as 'mashups.'
Google Earth is changing as fast as the world it virtually replicates. Now, Google wants to increase the pace. It wants Google Earth to organise all the world's geo-spatial information through user-annotation. That's why earlier this summer, Google Earth and Google Maps general manager John Hanke announced that Google would open the new version of its geo-spatial mark-up language, KML 2.2, to the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC).
The free version of vesseltracker Google Earth integration contains a delay of up to 24 hours and gives only limited information about the ships. You can try this version for free and immediately without registration.
Google has today just posted new high resolution (10 meter) terrain for the western United States. This is very significant as it will make the area look even more realistic when viewed by Google Earth's 3D capabilities.
* Germany now looks much better thanks to special colour mapping techniques which were used for Switzerland previously! * UK updated - Most of England is now in high resolution. * Parts of Greenland * Antarctica - some strips of high resolution down here * Parts of Canada with new high resolution, big area around Toronto * Catalonia part of Spain * State of Alabama * St. Paul, Minnesota * Puerto Rico has more high resolution * Iran has lots of new Digital Globe satellite strips * New Zealand has some new coverage * Parts of Russia
As well as homing in on visual feasts around the globe, users of Google Earth may soon be able to listen to the sounds that accompany them. A Californian company has created software that can layer relevant recorded sounds over locations in Google Earth, New Scientist reports. Wild Sanctuary has over 3,500 hours of soundscapes from all over the world. The firm is in talks with Google, although no official agreement has yet been made.