Google has announced the release of Google Earth 6. The latest version is available for Windows, OS X and Linux. The update that follows Google Earth 5.2 release earlier this year adds three major updates to the virtual geographical tool.
Here’s looking into what the latest update includes:
Integrated Street View
The Google Maps Street View experience is now fully integrated into Google Earth. Pegman (the small guy that represents your Street View position) is now placed alongside the Google Earth navigation controls, where he launches Street View just like he does in Google Maps. Just pick up Pegman and drop him wherever you see a highlighted blue road to fly right down to the ground.
Once there, you can use the navigation controls or your mouse to look around. And unlike Street View layer, you can now move seamlessly from one location to another as if you’re walking down the street by using the scroll-wheel on your mouse or the arrow keys on your keyboard. If you want to visit somewhere farther away, simply click the “exit” button and you’ll immediately return to an aerial view where you can easily fly to your next destination.
3D Trees
3D buildings has been there on Google Earth for some time now. Trees have now been added to liven up the environment. To enjoy these leafy additions to Google Earth, make sure you turn on the 3D buildings layer on the left side panel. As a starting point, try a search for “Palace of Fine Arts San Francisco.” Once you arrive at your destination, click the zoom slider. You’ll then be taken down to the ground where you can use our new ground-level navigation to walk among the trees.
Better Historical Imagery
Historical imagery in Google Earth allows users to look at map views of times like Warsaw in 1935, London in 1945 and Port-au-Prince Haiti before and after the January earthquake. The feature was first added in Google Earth 5, but it wasn’t always clear when and where it was available. With this version, Google has made it easy to discover historical imagery.
When you fly to an area where historical imagery is available, the date of the oldest imagery will appear in the status bar at the bottom of the screen. If you click on this date, you’ll instantly be taken back in time to view imagery from that time period. You can then browse through all the historical imagery available for that location, or simply close the time control and return to the default view.