Since I was a kid, I've had a fascination with geography and maps. I have a large collection of both road and topographical maps. I use to spend hours looking at and studying my maps, trying to imagine and visualize what distant places looked like. I became fairly adept at reading topographic maps. I could easily see where mountains and valleys, cities, rivers and lakes were all located. No matter how much I studied my maps I still needed to rely on my imagination to visualize the terra. Are there trees or scrub brush, lush vegetation or grasslands? Then along came the Internet and web based maps like MapQuest and Yahoo maps. Great, now I could match photos from websites with geographic areas, which gave me a general idea of what the area was like. I then discovered satellite imaging on sites like Microsoft's Terra Server, Digital Globe, and others. This was really great. Photographs from space that I could now match with my land based maps. I didn't think it could get much better, until I discovered a little program called Keyhole. Keyhole, took mapping to a whole new level. A 3D interface allowing users to navigate around the globe viewing high resolution images of the earth below. For the first time, I could actually see the terrain, the trees and scrub brush. Google purchased Keyhole in 2004 and re-launched the program as Google Earth.
I don't look at my paper maps very much any more. Google Earth is now my map of choice. Google Earth is very cool, not only because you can view high resolution images of the earth in 3D, but also because users can easily find other media and information though the discussion boards. For example, I downloaded a Google Earth file from the discussion board that contains the location of web cams worldwide. Now as I navigate the globe, there are little web cam icons placed on the map. Click on the icon and you have a direct link to the live web cam. I have a similar file for radio stations. Click on a radio station icon and listen to the local stations in real time. Very cool. Google Earth is also linked to a website called the Degree Confluence Project. The goal of the project is to visit each of the latitude and longitude integer degree intersections in the world, and to take pictures at each location. The pictures, and stories about the visits, will then be posted. See a Degree Confluence Point and click on it to view photos and stories from the visitors of that location. There are two confluence points located in Connecticut. One in Hartland (42°N 73°W) and one in Woodstock (42°N 72°W). In addition Google Earth offers features that allow users to view roads, borders, populated places, dining, lodging, transportation, schools, parks, and other content.
Google Earth screen shot of the Farmington Valley.
If Google Earth isn't enough there is also
Google Maps. Google Maps is the 2D web based version of Google Earth. It works like traditional web based maps with several enhancements. The same satellite imaging from Google Earth can be toggled on and off in Google Maps. This is nice if you don't want to download Google Earth, but lacks the ability to view in 3D. Google Maps, does offer something Google Earth does not. A new feature in Google Maps is called "Street View" available in selected cities. Street View allows users to view images from street level. Check out San Francisco or New York. You can pan and zoom these street level views. Very cool, talk about visualizing distant place on a map, this is the ultimate. I'm not sure how they do this, but its as if Google mounted a camera or multiple cameras to the top of a van capable of capturing 360° images and then drove up and down every street in the selected cities. In some cases
peoples faces are clearly visible. I was able to read license plates and bumper stickers on vehicle crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. Wow, talk about visualization. There is no need to imagine what it looks like any more.
Google Maps "Street View" screen shot.
Google Maps "Street View" screen shot.
For those of you already familiar with Google Earth, the image database was updated last week and includes new imaging for Connecticut. More than likely your house is now visible from space. What is your latitude?
Richard