Google Earth relaunches with guided tours, 3D views and more

Date
18 April 2017

Google has launched a new version of Google Earth after two years of development.

The new version incorporates the familiar features such as street view and offers new functions such as Voyager – a showcase of interactive guided tours. Collaborators at launch include BBC Earth, which takes you on a tour of diverse habitats around the world in the Natural Treasures series, and Sesame Street takes a look a Girl Muppets around the World. The function includes 50 examples at launch including stories that reveal the exact location that a David Attenborough documentary was shot, while viewing the film at the same time, or provides a tour of Gombe National Park, Tanzania, by primate expert and conservationist Jane Goodall, and a building tour with architect Frank Gehry.

A new “I’m feeling lucky” function will take visitors to one of 20,000 places of interest around the world – offering information and views of areas of natural beauty, famous attractions, parks, buildings and monuments. Each location is accompanied with a “knowledge card” that will provide further background to what you are looking at.

Another improved function is the 3D button that provides a drone’s eye view of any location that can be anchored to one spot or slowly rotate around a location. “Swoop around the Grand Canyon and see geological layers, or check out the majestic architecture and pristine grounds of the 500-year-old Château de Chambord in the Loire Valley in France,” says Google in a blog post.

Google Earth is available to use for free using Google Chrome, iOS and Android.

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About the Author

Owen Pritchard

Owen joined It’s Nice That as Editor in November of 2015 leading and overseeing all editorial content across online, print and the events programme, before leaving in early 2018.

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