VilaWeb - Diari escola: Google Maps and Google Earth: a Bird's Eye View of the World

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Google Maps and Google Earth: a Bird's Eye View of the World

> From the Earth to the Moon and Mars!

> Google Maps: a World of Possibilities

> The Competition

dilluns, 8 de maig de 2006

Google just never ceases to surprise Internet users. The Californian (US) search engine is constantly coming up with increasingly varied ideas, some of which are truly spectacular. Such is the case with Google Maps which was launched at the beginning of 2005 and which has just arrived in Europe. For now, it's still in the test phase but it already covers the Catalan Countries.

Google Maps is an important cartographic tool, a detailed search engine of maps via the Internet. Satellite photos which give a bird's-eye view of towns and cities are the main appeal but, as we'll see later, it's not the only feature.

In addition to Google Maps, which is free and easy to use, Google is also offering Google Earth, a comprehensive atlas of satellite images covering every corner of the planet. Google Earth has a free version which can be downloaded for PCs or Macs, although there are certain minimum system requirements needed to run the application but the results are three-dimensional, high-resolution images.

+ Webs relacionades dins Nosaltres.Cat: Cartografia.

From the Earth to the Moon and Mars!

+ Google Mars provides us with truly spectacular images of the Red Planet.

Not content with mapping the whole world, the North American company has also embarked on conquering space. First, there's Google Moon which allows us to explore the surface of the moon and see the exact spot where Apollo 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 and 17 landed on the lunar surface. Then there's Google Mars which provides us with truly spectacular images of the Red Planet. All the images come from the North American space agency, NASA (National Aeronautics & Space Administration).

Google Maps: a World of Possibilities

+ Satellite photos give a bird's-eye view of towns and cities.

With Google Maps, all you have to do is enter an address to call it up on the map and see satellite images of that exact spot. Google Maps also provides information about businesses, restaurants, hotels, museums, etc., in a specific location, whether it is a village or a big city. It even provides route maps, showing the number of kilometres and the route it would take just by putting in the start and end points. Altogether, you could really say that Google Maps has revolutionised how we search for local and business information on the web.

The Competition

+ Google Maps has caused a stir with Google's rivals.

The introduction of Google Maps has caused a stir with Google's rivals. Microsoft, for example, has come up with Windows Live Local based on a similar idea to Google Maps, although still being tested and, as yet, limited to the USA. Then there's Yahoo!, another giant of the Internet, with its Yahoo! Maps!.

MATERIALS

Google Maps
Format:Web
Pàgina d'aquest servei aplicable al territori català, amb accés a l'apartat d'ajuda.
Google Earth
Format:Web
Descarregable de franc per a ordinadors PC; també per a Mac (en versió de prova).
Google Mars
Format:Web
Permet d'explorar la superfície del Planeta Vermell.
Recursos
Format:Web
Sobre cartografia.

QUE HO SABIES?

Google Maps is also available via mobile phones.
Google Moon was launched on the 36th anniversary of when man first set foot on the moon on 20 July 1969.
With the help of Google Earth and Google Maps an Italian computer programmer discovered the remains of a Roman villa near Parma (Emilia-Romanya, Italia).