GOOGLE EARTHA Blakiston & Clarke Production © 2008

General Information on Google Earth

The Google Earth Community is an online forum which is dedicated to producing place marks 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 place mark, 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 place mark for others to download; as long as you have an account.

Google Earth displays satellite images of varying resolution of the Earth's surface, allowing users to visually see things like

houses and cars from a birds eye view. 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. Melbourne, Australia, 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, enter coordinates, or simply use the mouse to browse to a location.

Google Earth also uses 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 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.

Where to Begin?

1. Load a Google page at

www.google.com.au

2. In the search bar type in Google

Earth and press enter.

Where to from here?1. Once the page has loaded up, click on

the first option.

What option do I click on now?1. Be sure to click on the blue download

bar on the right hand side of the

screen.

Accept or not?

1. Select location to Other/Australia if the option allows you

2. Before agreeing and downloading be sure to UNTICK all options.

3. Do not set google as default.

4. Do not download google toolbar.

5. Once you have unticked both boxes, then click on Agree and Download.

Agree1. Before clicking on Agree and Download after reading the terms and

conditions, make sure that you do NOT tick the box about “Send me”

Active ‘X’ Control1. If you get to this stage and your download has not begun, left click on the yellow bar at the top of

the screen indicated by the red arrow.

Download File…1. Click on the download file option

Approve download by clicking Run1. If this screen comes up, be sure to click on Run, not Save.

What to do now?

1. If this Security Warning comes up, click on Run.

Installing1. Once this screen appears, it’s very simple to follow the steps.

2. Click on Install

What to leave ticked?

1. When this screen is appears, it is best to not have the first or third box ticked.

2. Untick the first and third boxes.

3. Leave the second box ticked as this allows us to start exploring and having fun.

4. Click on Finish

Did you know…

Many people using the applications are adding their own data and making them available through various

sources, such as the BBS or blogs mentioned in the link section below. Google Earth is able to show all kinds of

images overlaid on the surface of the earth and is also a Web Map Service client. Google Earth supports

managing three-dimensional Geospatial data through Keyhole Markup Language.

Google Earth is a proprietary virtual globe program that was originally called Earth Viewer and was created by

Keyhole Inc. a company acquired by Google in 2004. It maps the earth by the superimposition of images

obtained from satellite imagery, aerial photography and GIS 3D globe.

The product, renamed Google Earth in 2006, is currently available for use on personal computers running all

types of …………. Including Microsoft, Linux, Mac and FreeBSD. Google Earth is also available as a browser plugin

for IE6, IE7 and Firefox. 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 release of Google Earth in mid

2006 to the public caused more than tenfold increase in media coverage on virtual globes between 2006 and

2007, driving public interest in geospatial technologies and applications.

Google Earth-ing1. Once Google Earth opens up, a tip screen will appear similar to this one with a different tip each time.

2. The tip displayed here explains how to use the navigation controls, very handy to read through.

3. Once you have read through this tip click close.

Welcome to Google Earth1. The navigation controls are in the top right corner of the screen.

2. Have a play around with them and learn what does what.

3. The top navigation control moves the north point.

4. The middle control rotates the earth.

5. The bottom navigation control zooms in and out on a selected area.

North Point Rotation

Rotation of Earth

Zoom In/Out

Your Discovery Task

1. Tip: If you double click on

a place from the starting

point, it zooms in so you

can read surrounding

towns/cities.

2. Take 15 minutes to find:

*Sydney Harbour

Bridge/Oprah House

* Ayres Rock Helicopter

Tours

* Karajini National Park

* Your house

* Great Wall of China

(Beijing section)

* Statue of Liberty

* Niagara Falls

* Stone Henge

* CN Tower Canada

2. Each time you find a place

please show the person

next to you, or either

Wayd or myself.

Extra Information

1. The great thing about the new

Google Earth is that it offers a

whole range of information

around certain landmarks. You

will find this when you go to

Ayres Rock or Sydney for

example.

2. This is a great resource for

students to be able to see what

they are studying or learning

about and a great way to get

more information on that area.

This information could be from

when it was built, how it

formed to what you can do

around certain areas from

walking to helicopter rides.

Google goes 3D

Google Earth has the capability to show 3D buildings and structures (such as bridges), which consist of users'

submissions using SketchUp, a 3D modelling program. In prior versions of Google Earth (before Version 4), 3D

buildings were limited to a few cities, and had poorer rendering with no textures. Many buildings and structures

from around the world now have detailed 3D structures; including (but not limited to) those in the United

States, Canada, Ireland, India, Japan, United Kingdom, Germany, Pakistan and the cities, Amsterdam and

Alexandria In August 2007, Hamburg became the first city entirely shown in 3D, including textures such as

façades. The Irish town of Westport was added to Google Earth in 3D on January 16, 2008. The 'Westport3D'

model was created by 3D imaging firm AM3TD using long-distance laser scanning technology and digital

photography and is the first such model of an Irish town to be created. As it was developed initially to aid Local

Government in carrying out their town planning functions it includes the highest resolution photo-realistic

textures to be found anywhere in Google Earth. Three-dimensional renderings are available for certain buildings

and structures around the world via Google's 3D Warehouse and other websites.Recently, Google added a feature that allow users

to monitor traffic speeds at loops located every 200

yards in real-time. In version 4.3 released on April

15, 2008, Google Street View was fully integrated

into the program allowing the program to provide

an on the street level view in many locations.

Google Earth is now also available in 23 languages

Educational Benefits

Following are some questions that have been asked regarding the educational benefits and allowances of

Google Earth.

Is it permitted to "redistribute" Google Earth in installing it to every computer in a school district?

Yes, Google has been known to give away Google Earth licenses to educational institutions, and included both

Google Earth and SketchUp software for free in a large educational program for the state of New South Wales.

In fact in Australia, over 2500 schools have received Google Earth Pro, a program of Google Earth worth over

$450 donated to them.

What can Google Earth be used for in the classroom?

Ways of persuading kids to use Google Earth themselves and not only to engage through teachers

The use of Google Earth by children doing coursework

Encouraging teachers to set more tasks using Google Earth, Google Maps and SketchUp for homework

Allows students to explore other countries and lands in greater detail.

Gives them the feeling of being there when added with Street View.

Google Earth provides details and facts on certain areas. This resource is highly beneficial when it comes to

research other cultures, countries and land formations.

When showing students a landform, you are able to see it in 3D, unlike an atlas that offers a birds eye view and

maybe a photograph, you can fly around the landmass.

…Finally

In version 4.2, released August 22, 2007, Google Earth added a Sky tool for viewing stars and astronomical

images.

Google Sky is produced by Google through a partnership with the Space Telescope Science Institute in

Baltimore, the science operations centre for the Hubble Space Telescope. Dr. Alberto Conti and his co-

developer Dr. Carol Christian of the Space Telescope Science Institute plan to add the public images from

2007, as well as colour images of all of the archived data from Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys. Newly

released Hubble pictures will be added to the Google Sky program as soon as they are issued. New features

such as multi-wavelength data, positions of major satellites and their orbits as well as educational resources

will be provided to the Google Earth community and also through Christian and Conti's website for Sky. Also

visible on Sky mode are constellations, stars, galaxies and animations depicting the planets in their orbits. A

real-time Google Sky mashup of recent astronomical transients, using the VOEvent protocol, is being provided

by the VOEventNet collaboration. Google's Earth maps are being updated each 5 minutes.