My Google Map Blog

Google has just launched the Google Maps Gallery to help “unlock the world’s maps”. It’s an impressive collection of maps of various kinds, easily accessible in one place.

The maps all have a “View in Google Earth” button to generate a KML for your use, and some of them (such as this Tokyo 1680 map) have slick transparency sliders to make them more useful. As Keir Clarke at Google Maps Mania points out, the maps are all embeddable as well and makes it somewhat like a “YouTube for maps”.

There are some great maps in there and I strongly encourage you to check it out. You can browse them all at maps.google.com/gallery/ or read more about it over on this post on the Google LatLong Blog.

The post Google releases the Google Maps Gallery, with solid support for Google Earth appeared first on Google Earth Blog.

A recent article at Popular Mechanics discusses some great ways to share your hikes with your friends via Google Earth, and they include some great tips.

To start of course, they recommend that you carry a handheld GPS unit. You can also use various apps on your cell phone, but because the big battery drain of GPS-related apps, be sure you have enough battery power to make it through the hike. When you finish the hike, upload the resulting file to Google Earth, mark it up with other placemarks and photos, then export the file as a KMZ to share with your friends.

You can also use apps such as Everytrail, which makes great use of Google Earth Tours, to share your adventures.

Lastly, be sure to check out some of the great ways you can use the Google Earth ruler. You can use it before your hike to estimate distances, or afterwards to see how far you went.

What are your favorite tips for using Google Earth to supplement your hiking?

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