My Google Map Blog

Google Earth has consistently been improving on mobile devices over time and last year's update to version 6.2 brought a giant new feature to it -- KML support.

While Google Earth on mobile supports KML and KMZ files, there still isn't a native sync between your desktop and mobile versions of Earth. Here are some ways to help you load and view your favorite KML files on your mobile device.

First, of course, find and save the placemarks that you want to view into a KMZ file and save that file somewhere on your computer. From there you have three main options.

1 - Email

The easiest way is likely to just email the file to yourself, then open it from the email account on your mobile device. This should work on most versions of Android and iOS.

2 - Sync it to another application

If you use Dropbox or Google Drive, you can save your file in there, open that application on your mobile device, then have it open the KMZ file with Google Earth. On Android you can also use an alternate file manger such as "Astro" to save and open the file.

3 - Sync it via Google "My Maps"

This last option doesn't use Google Earth, but is a nice way to view KML content on the go. First, open Google Maps on your desktop and click "My Places" at the top of the left column. Create a new map, select the "Import" option at the top, and then import the KMZ file into that map. After you have saved the it you can open Google Maps on your device and choose the "Layers" button. Look for "My Maps" and you should find your new map in the list and can open it.

Google Earth on mobile is getting more powerful all the time, if for no other reason than because devices are becoming increasingly powerful with higher resolution screens. Google Earth on my Nexus 10 is stunning and will only get better as faster and sharper devices are released.

What is your favorite feature of Google Earth on your mobile device?

We've been big fans of Meograph since we first discovered it last May. Their "four-dimensional storytelling" makes it very easy to create digital stories that include audio, video, images, text and map them all as the story progresses.

Since their launch last year, they've added more than 26,000 users to the site who have created over 36,000 meographs. Even more impressive is that it has been used in over 1,300 schools and is growing by 30 percent each month!

To help generate some revenue from the growing service, Meograph is now launching some paid plans for educators, starting at $19.99/year. The plans include features such as ad removal, private sharing, class management and a few other items. Of note is that the free plans remain intact for everyone, whether they're in an educational environment or not.

All in all, it seems to be a nice way to handle the move to paid licenses. The free product remains available and feature-rich, but there are now some nice add-ons for those that use the product heavily in their classroom.

Congrats to founder Misha Leybovich on the continued success of Meograph! Try it out for yourself at Meograph.com, or learn more about these new educational features in this article on TechCrunch.

Because of the irregular terrain around the world and the inability for wireless signals to penetrate it, planning wireless technologies can be difficult. A few years ago we saw how Clif Guy used Google Earth to plot locations that needed access, but today we're looking at the Wireless Networks Planning Tool (WiNPT) that makes excellent use of Google Earth terrain to help with network planning.

In short, their Radio Coverage Prediction Tool uses Google terrain elevation data to calculate the coverage for each wireless base station. The user can see easily which are the better places to build the base stations, along with the possible terrain obstacles. Here's a video showing a bit more about how it works:

You can learn more about WiNPT on their website, their Facebook page, or on their Google+ page.

Last month we showed you a creative visualization of the Parting of the Red Sea that MyReadingMapped had put together. They've also assembled a collection of files to help teach users about the ocean floor, while providing various charts and graphs to help explain things.

They've put together various resources to make this tool worthwhile, including a Google Map, a downloadable KML file and a blog post with more information.

Their original blog post is fairly old, but they've written a new one titled "Understanding the Ocean Bottom in Google Maps" that gives some great tips. They've also created a blog entry and video (below) that discuss the 342-foot tsunami in the Strait of Magellan in 1969.

(via Google Earth Hacks)

We told you earlier this year about the launch of the Landsat 8 satellite and now the first images captured by that satellite are starting to arrive.

NASA's Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) page has quite a bit of detail about the imagery including the following:

But the work is only beginning for validating the data quality and getting ready for normal mission operations. These images were processed using pre-launch settings, which must be checked and adjusted now that LDCM is in orbit to ensure that the data accurately measure the intensity of reflected and emitted light received by the instruments. The mission operations team also needs to ensure that each pixel is accurately located on Earth's surface.

LDCM's normal operations are scheduled to begin in late May when the instruments have been calibrated and the spacecraft has been fully checked out. At that time, NASA will hand over control of the satellite to the USGS, which will operate the satellite throughout its planned five-year mission life. The satellite will be renamed Landsat 8, and data from OLI and TIRS will be processed and added to the Landsat Data Archive at the Earth Resources Observation and Science Center in South Dakota, where it will be distributed for free over the Internet.

There is no specific timeframe for when imagery from this satellite may arrive in Google Earth, but it's certainly coming. You can read more about this imagery on the LCDM site or the Google Geo Developers Blog.

Google has just pushed out a large imagery update to much of the world. Thanks to Ali Shareef for being the first to let us know about it. Also thanks to 'Andreas', 'Catalin' and 'Munden' for pointing out other areas with updates.

As is almost always the case, you can use Google Maps to determine for sure whether or not a specific area is fresh. This new imagery isn't in Google Maps yet, so you can compare Earth vs. Maps to see what's new; the fresh imagery is already in Google Earth, but the old imagery is still in Google Maps. If you compare the two side-by-side and they're not identical, that means that you've found a freshly updated area in Google Earth!

Some of the updated areas include:

• Algeria: Arzew, Mers El Hadjad, Mers El Kebir
• Bosnia and Herzegovina: Travnik
• China: Cengangzhen, Dalian, Miaolingzhen, Nanyaowan, Qingdao, Shanghai
• Dubai: Palm Islands
• Egypt: Alexandria, Aswan
• Greece: Iraklio
• India: Kochi, Lucknow
• Libya: Benghazi, Sirte, Tripoli, Tubruq
• Maldives: Addu City, Gan, Male
• Netherlands: Small area of Amsterdam
• New Zealand: Auckland
• Qatar: Doha
• Romania: Barlad, Bucharest
• Russia: Moscow, Vladivostock Harbor
• Tunisia: Al Munastir, Bizerte, Nabeul, Tunis
• United States: Alabama (Birmingham), Arizona (western Grand Canyon areas), California (Hidden Hills Ranch solar project), Florida (Fort Walton Beach, Freeport, Santa Rosa Beach), Hawaii (various areas), Mississippi (Jackson)

If you find any other updated areas, please leave a comment and let us know!

Google Earth has been used many times by researchers to help various wildlife around the world. From elephants to sea turtles to clean-up from the gulf oil spill, Google Earth has proven to be a powerful tool in assisting with these kinds of efforts.

Today's story comes to us from Scientific American, about how Mark Williams of the Lepidopterists' Society of Africa (LepSoc) was able to find a specific of butterfly using Google Earth that had been believed to be extinct.

...Mark Williams... was searching the Waterberg region on Google Earth, the 3-D map program that combines satellite data and other information from around the world. He noticed an isolated plateau near the town of Bela Bela, about 50 kilometers from the Waterberg copper's previously known habitat. Located in the Beteleur Nature Reserve, the habitat matched the original conditions in Alma.
< br />Williams talked with other LepSoc members and found that the reserve had already been searched for the butterfly. He decided to go there anyway for a vacation weekend. That ended up being a fortuitous decision. While walking along a nature trail with his wife on March 2, he struck gold. "We were walking through open grassland and had covered scarcely a kilometer when a small orange-winged insect flew up off the path in front of me, fluttered to the left, and dived into the grass a few meters away," he wrote in an account to be posted on the LepSoc web site. "I swiveled to my left and my eyes focused on the little creature that sat perched on a grass stem with closed wings. The underside coloring and pattern left no doubt." It was a Waterberg copper.

It was an exciting discovery for the group, thanks to good timing (a drier-than-normal season), good fortune, and wise use of Google Earth. I encourage you to read the full story on the Scientific American website.

We've seen quite a few driving games built on top of Google Earth over the years including Drive the A-Team Van and this great simulator from Katsuomi Kobayashi. Today's comes from "MisterFoley" and is a great take on Formula One racing.

They are a few 3D-rendered cars to choose from, and a handful of 3D objects around the course. What makes the game unique is the timing to rank the fastest drivers, and the fence around the course to keep you from cheating. I ran a couple of fast laps and didn't crack the top 10, but maybe you can do better!

There is currently only one track available (Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, Australia) but more are expected to be added soon.

Give it a try for yourself at www.mister-foley.com/page/games and see if you can make it onto the Top 10 fastest drivers list.

Just a few days ago we took a look at the history of Street View and now Google has literally taken it to new heights by capturing imagery from Mount Everest, Kilimanjaro and others.

Google is really working hard to bring Street View to all corners of the globe and this is another step in that direction. When combined with previous efforts like the Grand Canyon and diving in the oceans it's becoming quite remarkable.

Google also discussed the adventure in a 20 minute Google+ "hangout" which you can view here:

You can view the new imagery in this special gallery and you can read more about it and the effort that went into it on the Google Lat Long Blog.

Back in 2009, Google released a neat tool called building maker. It allowed you to easily contribute to the quantity of 3D models in Google Earth with some simple point-and-click tools.

Building Maker was a very innovative tool, and was used to create thousands of 3D models that can be found in Google Earth today. However, with the shift to 3D imagery in the latest versions of Google Earth, it seemed that tools like Building Maker were probably on their way out. Last week Google made it official.

Along with Building Maker, Google is closing a handful of other products including Google Reader and a variety of smaller products.

Building Maker is scheduled to be shut down on June 30, 2013. You can read more about it in this official blog post from Google.