My Google Map Blog

One of the great things about Google Earth is the unique vantage point that we gain from it, as viewing objects from above often shows them in a whole new light.
Among other great items to view from above are corn mazes. They can be fun to trek through in real life, but viewing them from above can be quite neat as well.

While corn mazes only exist for a brief time each year, you can find hundreds of them in Google Earth thanks to the amazing historical imagery feature. Because any particular area can have a handful of views from different dates, the odds of finding a time where a corn maze was present increases dramatically.
To find mazes for yourself, a good place to start is in this old thread in the GEC (and this related KML file).
Many of the mazes are now gone, though you can track them down using the historical imagery slider in each location. You can also find mazes in this old post that Frank wrote or by searching for “corn maze” on Google Earth Hacks.
One of my favorites is this corn maze found in Ditzingen, Germany. Grab the KML file to see it for yourself.

What I’d love to see next is a full corn maze in Street View! Given the variety of Street View devices, such as the trike and the trekker, it seems like something that Google might do at some point.
The closest I’ve seen in the past is this 3D maze in London. It’s easy to cheat (no collision detection), but it’s a neat use of the “ground level view” in Google Earth.
What is your favorite corn maze in Google Earth?

The post Exploring corn mazes in Google Earth appeared first on Google Earth Blog.

Our family is in Chattanooga, Tennessee today on a brief spring break trip, so I thought I'd spend some time exploring the city in Google Earth.

Chattanooga is only the fourth-largest city in Tennessee, yet it has some of the fastest internet speeds in the country thanks to amazingly fast fiber network throughout the city. Inside of Google Earth Chattanooga has very solid 3D building coverage, though the city hasn't yet received the new "3D Imagery".

Our first stop was at the Tennessee Aquarium last night. Despite living in Atlanta and having their awesome aquarium nearby, the Tennessee Aquarium is still a great place to visit. The 3D model of the building isn't bad either!

You can view the aquarium in Google Earth by using this KML file.

Our primary destination today is Lookout Mountain, which none of us have visited before. We'll ride the "Incline Railway" up the 72.7% slope to the top of the mountain, which offers views of seven different states (Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama). It's quite a view!

Check it out for yourself by using this KML file.

Have you visited Chattanooga before? What is your favorite aspect of the city?

Our family is in Chattanooga, Tennessee today on a brief spring break trip, so I thought I’d spend some time exploring the city in Google Earth.
Chattanooga is only the fourth-largest city in Tennessee, yet it has some of the fastest internet speeds in the country thanks to amazingly fast fiber network throughout the city. Inside of Google Earth Chattanooga has very solid 3D building coverage, though the city hasn’t yet received the new “3D Imagery“.

Our first stop was at the Tennessee Aquarium last night. Despite living in Atlanta and having their awesome aquarium nearby, the Tennessee Aquarium is still a great place to visit. The 3D model of the building isn’t bad either!

You can view the aquarium in Google Earth by using this KML file.
Our primary destination today is Lookout Mountain, which none of us have visited before. We’ll ride the “Incline Railway” up the 72.7% slope to the top of the mountain, which offers views of seven different states (Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama). It’s quite a view!

Check it out for yourself by using this KML file.
Have you visited Chattanooga before? What is your favorite aspect of the city?

The post Exploring Chattanooga in Google Earth appeared first on Google Earth Blog.