Latest version of Google Earth allows you to explore Mars, oceans

04 February 2009

Google Earth, the popular earth mapping software provided by the search engine company of the same name, has now ventured beyond Earth. Not only does the latest version of the product allow users to explore the Red Planet, it also uncovers the depths of oceans in details unimaginable to laymen.

Google has partnered with the US Navy, National Geographic, the BBC, Cousteau's Ocean World, and several others to provide a wealth of information about everything from the global fishing crisis to footage of shipwrecks. Marine life census data, scientific expeditions, and countless links to information outside Google Earth make this a free treasure trove for science, social studies and geography.

John Hanke, director of Google Earth and Maps, said the idea of adding oceans came three years ago when a scientist pointed out that the software was missing the water that covers almost three-quarters of the Earth's surface.

This new-fangled Google Earth also has a Touring feature which makes it simple to create sharable, narrated, fly-through tour by clicking the record button and navigating through your tour destinations. By selecting "Mars" from the toolbar in Google Earth, one can access a 3D map of the planet featuring the latest high-resolution imagery, 3D terrain, and annotations showing landing sites.

Google Earth 5.0 was unveiled at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, where former Vice President Al Gore, singer Jimmy Buffet and others spoke about its capacity to educate the public about global warming, ocean acidification and other threats to the planet.

"This is an extremely powerful educational tool," said Gore, who won a Nobel Peace Prize for his work raising awareness about climate change. "One of my fondest hopes is that people around the world will use Google Earth to see for themselves the reality of what's happening because of the climate crisis."