икона за подаръкLast week on Google Earth Blog we…

• Looked at ways to correct data errors in Google Earth.
• Showed how 360cities is now accepting non-spherical panoramas.
• Took a look at PeterG’s awesome new model of Saint Basil’s Cathedral.
• Looked at the new application from Exist.inc that showed off Terbuka University in 3D.
• Viewed the NOAA historical shoreline data, which goes back 171 years.

You can read more over at GEarthBlog.com.

Post from: Digital Earth Blog

The Week in Google Earth News

It’s been rumored for a while, and we won’t know for sure until this summer, but it appears that Apple is dropping Google Maps from the iPhone and iPad in favor of an in-house solution.

Over the past few years Apple has purchased companies such as Placebase, C3 Technologies and Poly9, and it’s thought that they’ve successfully combined those technologies in a way that works quite well on the iPhone.  The new 3D mode is thought to be coming straight from C3 Technologies, which has a pretty nice system.  Here is a mock-up from 9to5Mac that shows the potential difference between the old and new system:

The result of this would be quite interesting.  There is certainly a lot of potential for them to do some great things, and losing the Google Maps integration is likely step when you consider the competition between Android and Apple.

iOS 6 is expected to be unveiled at Apple’s WWDC in June, so we’ll find out for sure then!

Post from: Digital Earth Blog

iOS 6 dropping Google Maps for an in-house solution?

Google just pushed out a nice update to Google Maps on Android, bringing it to version 6.7.  Some of the new features include:

Google Offers

You can find special deals near you from Google Offers.  Here’s how it works in the new Maps app:

Indoor Walking Directions

Indoor maps have been around for a few months now, but Google Maps wouldn’t direct you through the store.  Now it will!

Google Business Photos

You can explore 3D panoramas inside of select businesses, giving you an easy way to see what the store looks like.

Go grab the update now from Google Play!

Post from: Digital Earth Blog

Google Maps for Android updated to version 6.7; includes indoor walking directions and Google Offers

Last week on Google Earth Blog we…

• Looked at ways to view the locations where UFOs have been spotted over the years.
• Took a look at the new “tallest building in New York”, as One World Trade Center surpassed the height of the Empire State Building.
• Showed you some ways to follow the 2012 Giro d’Italia race, which is happening right now.
• Showed off some excellent 3D buildings from Artur Mazur.
• Finally got to take a sneak peek at the “four-dimension storytelling” product called Meograph.
• Discovered some fresh imagery in Google Earth for various parts of the world.

You can read more over at GEarthBlog.com.

Post from: Digital Earth Blog

The week in Google Earth news

We’ve seen attempts at building a social network inside of Google Earth, such as YoubeQ, and now we have one that’s built entirely in Google Street View.

Wallit allows you to create a virtual “wall” anywhere on earth that you’d like, which others can then come write on.

The twist is that you need to be physically near the wall in order to write on it, which means you need the iPhone application in order to make much use of it.  You can browse walls on their website, but can only interact with them if you’re mobile.  Other mobile applications are coming “soon”, for what that’s worth.

You can learn more at wallitapp.com.

(via Google Maps Mania / Street View Funny)

Post from: Digital Earth Blog

A social network in Street View

A few years, Microsoft Research developed a method to deblur images captured from a camera.  While it was intended for consumer photography, they’re now using it to help improve the image quality in Bing Maps.

Anything to help improve aerial image quality is a good thing, and this appears to make a noticeable difference in the image quality.

(via SlashGear)

Post from: Digital Earth Blog

Microsoft now deblurring imagery in Bing Maps

After teasing it months ago, Google has finally released the “Maps Cube” game, and it’s pretty slick.  You roll a ball through various city streets to reach various goals, and you’re timed for your effort.  It’s fairly simple, and the interface is very slick.

The game requires that you use Google Chrome, but our stats show that most of you are already.

You can play the game at PlayMapsCube.com.  Have fun!

(via Google Maps Mania)

Post from: Digital Earth Blog

The Google “Maps Cube” game is released

Last week on Google Earth Blog we…

• Looked at the best ways to share your favorite locations.  There are a variety of great ways to share screenshots and KML files from Google Earth.
• Discovery News showed off a beautiful slideshow of photos from various Google Earth Outreach projects.
• We took a look at the excellent 3D buildings in Plymouth, Michigan, modeled by Luna Tech Designs.
• The Data Appeal visualization tool got some nice updates, making it an even more useful tool.
• The big news of the week was that Google sold their SketchUp product to Trimble.  This makes the future of the product somewhat unclear, but it shouldn’t affect modelers that use the free version to create 3D models in Google Earth.

You can read more over at GoogleEarthBlog.com.

Post from: Digital Earth Blog

The week in Google Earth news

Google has just added a great new feature to Google Maps called “photo tours”, which feels a lot like Microsoft’s PhotoSynth but taken to a whole new level. Here’s a video showing how they work:

To try them for yourself, check out a famous site such as Trevi Fountain or St. Mark’s Basilica.  To learn more about how these tours were created you can read this entry on the Google Lat Long Blog.

Post from: Digital Earth Blog

Amazing new photo tours in Google Maps

The MapsGL mode of Google Maps is continuing to improve and offer some great features, and the newest is the shaded 3D buildings that we’ve seen in standard maps for a while now. The new buildings certainly add a lot to the look of the maps, as you can see in some of these before/after shots:

Could the next step be textured buildings?  It seems unlikely at this point, but with the rate they’re adding features to MapsGL, anything is possible.

(via Google Lat Long Blog)

Post from: Digital Earth Blog

New 3D buildings in Google MapsGL