Google Earth

Freeware (see text)

Current Version: 5.1.3533.1731 (November 19, 2009)

Google Earth is a free program from Google that combines satellite imagery, maps and the Google search to a huge amount of geographic information at your fingertips. Features include:

• Fly from space to your neighborhood. Type in an address and zoom right in.
• Search for schools, parks, restaurants, and hotels. Get driving directions.
• Tilt and rotate the view to see 3D terrain and buildings.
• Save and share your searches and favorites. Even add your own annotations.

Version 5.1 is a major new release that adds/changes the following:

• We've made a lot of adjustments under the hood, like improving memory utilization so we can show more buildings, layers, and user content.
• We improved our shaders (that's graphics-speak for small programs that run inside your graphics processor) to make the atmosphere draw faster.
• We also worked to reduce stuttering (known as frame drops) to provide an even smoother experience as you fly around the globe.
• When we draw imagery, we now use compression technology to use less memory and graphics resources.
• We know that waiting for a program to start-up can be really frustrating, so we improved our start-up time by 25%.
• In our Google Earth API (which allows developers to include Google Earth right in their websites), we have made API calls significantly faster, which means that our developers can now do even more.
• What does all of this mean to you? A faster, smoother experience when you're flying around the globe. Download the latest version (Google Earth 5.1), head on over to Paris, and turn on the road layer without fear of slowing things down. Or turn on one of the Rumsey Map layers from our gallery and see the world as it was drawn by Cassini in 1790 without missing a beat.
• We've also made another exciting change with the release: our browser plug-in is automatically included when you install Google Earth (PC-only for now.) This means that once you've downloaded Google Earth 5.1, you can explore all of the exciting Google Earth sites that our developers have made without having to mess around with another installation.

The recommended configuration for this release is as follows

• Operating System: Mac OS X 10.4.5
• CPU: G4 1.2Ghz
• System Memory (RAM): 512MB
• Hard Disk: 2GB free space
• Network Speed: 768 Kbits/sec
• Graphics Card: 3D-capable with 32MB of VRAM
• Screen: 1280x1024, "Millions of Colors"

The "Pro" version is available as a 7-day trial, and may be purchased online for $400 per year. It adds the following enhancements:

• Fastest performance - enhanced network access
• Improved printing and saving capabilities (2400 pixels)
• Additional annotation tools (draw polygons with height)
• Spreadsheet import - ingest up to 2,500 locations by address or lat/lon
• Additional measurement tools (square feet, miles, acreage, radius, etc.)
• Technical Support assistance (email and phone) during business hours (PST)
• Optional premium features including: Movie Maker, Premium Printing and GIS Data Importer

Google Earth is not a typical Mac OS X "Cocoa" or "Carbon" application, but rather it was written using the portable Qt/Mac framework. This means that the application is a little larger than you might expect, and it also helps explain why it uses rather old-fashioned looking tabs and controls. That said, it functions quite well, and it's worth a download.