# Google Earth---does anybody actually do anything useful with it? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 12, 2008, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-earth-does-anybody-actually-do-anything-useful-with-it/449069 "2008-05-12T18:52:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Q.N.Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/3da27b/32.png) [@Q.N.Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.N.Jones)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-earth-does-anybody-actually-do-anything-useful-with-it/449069/21 "2008-05-13T00:35:36Z")
Another environmental consultant here. I use it every day because the reports I write require an aerial photograph and historical research. The photos are more up-to-date than those on Terra Server, and are in color instead of black-and-white. This means they are not only easier to read, but I can compare the photos and see how the area has changed in the last 10-20 years. And, of course, it is infinitely more efficient than what we did in the bad old days, which was order aerial photos from USGS. On a more mundane note, I love that I can put a site marker on the photo and print it out that way. Before Google Earth, I used to have to cut out little “Site Location” arrows by hand and tape them on. Very annoying. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-earth-does-anybody-actually-do-anything-useful-with-it/449069/22 "2008-05-13T00:48:20Z")
I’ve noticed it being used on TV News shows. They used to need a graphics department for that, now they can bounce around on Google Earth to show proximities for multiple locations, or pinpoint obscure places. ---
**Author:** ![Alpine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpine/32/17813_2.png) [@Alpine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpine)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-earth-does-anybody-actually-do-anything-useful-with-it/449069/23 "2008-05-13T01:08:17Z")
If the resolution were better in my area, I’d use it all the time for work (I’m in GIS), but as it is I have better aerial photos. OTOH, I just got a call for volunteers through a GIS listserv as follows: > [@](#): > > Project Title: Compiling Infrastructure damage data (buildings, ports, bridges) in Cyclone Nargis affected areas in Myanmar in Google Earth (GE) environment Pretty cool. ---
**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-earth-does-anybody-actually-do-anything-useful-with-it/449069/24 "2008-05-13T01:10:29Z")
I´ve used it for doing first pass location engineering for oil well pads, working out access and egress routes for remote oil well drilling locations and on one occaison to express my confidence in the geology departments mastery of the subsurface environment but suggested they should really consider not specifying a surface location on the side of an old ravine. Yes maps and all sorts exist and were available, but GoogleEarth is really very convenient. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-earth-does-anybody-actually-do-anything-useful-with-it/449069/25 "2008-05-13T01:21:58Z")
I’m an avid geocacher. When we take trips, I’ll generate a .kml file for the trip and plug it into [geocaching.com](http://geocaching.com) to generate a query for all caches 5 miles on either side of the highway. Makes for a much more interesting drive. ---
**Author:** ![Spezza](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a698b9/32.png) [@Spezza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spezza)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-earth-does-anybody-actually-do-anything-useful-with-it/449069/26 "2008-05-13T01:49:31Z")
I used it while planning for last year’s trip to Europe. In almost every city I visited I had a mental image of the city’s layout. I would know where the train stations in each city where situated, where the principal attractions where, etc. It was a great help. Currently I’m using it to help plan next year’s bike ride across Canada. I’m mostly using it to visualize the vertical climbs in British Columbia, so I’ll know exactly what is between each destination. While a normal map can tell me distances, Google Earth can show me that what should be an easy 40km on a normal map is actually a steep 40km incline which will exhaust us. ---
**Author:** ![Klaatu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Klaatu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Klaatu)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-earth-does-anybody-actually-do-anything-useful-with-it/449069/27 "2008-05-13T03:03:37Z")
Well, Google Earth’s “Street View” (Now in more than 40 US cities) allows anyone to get a closeup view of the front of your house, including a 360’ view of the street. I suppose that would be useful to say, burglars or kidnappers. ---
**Author:** ![shimmery](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@shimmery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shimmery)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-earth-does-anybody-actually-do-anything-useful-with-it/449069/28 "2008-05-13T03:26:35Z")
I used it when I was working on a political campaign to plot the location of homes that had signed up to display a sign in their window. We also used it to print out a detailed map of the district so that we could plot routes through it. ---
**Author:** ![Hakuna\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Hakuna\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hakuna_Matata)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-earth-does-anybody-actually-do-anything-useful-with-it/449069/29 "2008-05-13T04:13:35Z")
Use it for initial site plans on various architectural projects. It makes a nice background to overlay a SketchUp model or rendered site plan onto for context of a project relative to the surrounding streets. ---
**Author:** ![Sunrazor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sunrazor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunrazor)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-earth-does-anybody-actually-do-anything-useful-with-it/449069/30 "2008-05-13T04:53:07Z")
Not an essential thing, but I drive past a dairy frequently, and it appears that the dairy is right on a county line. I was able to use Google Earth to figure out which county the dairy was in. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-earth-does-anybody-actually-do-anything-useful-with-it/449069/31 "2008-05-13T04:59:57Z")
Is there any advantage to installing Google Earth vs. just using online Google Maps with satellite view? Do you get higher resolutions, more info, more features, or what? ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-earth-does-anybody-actually-do-anything-useful-with-it/449069/32 "2008-05-13T06:38:03Z")
There are more features with Google Earth, and often the resolution is better (or, at least, you can keep zooming in after Google Maps has stopped, though it might be just a zoom of a more pixelated image). I know that Autodesks Civil 3D package comes with an “export to Google Earth” feature that allows civil engineering work to be overlaid onto the Google images for a very realistic “3D” view of what a project will actually look like. You can also take the GE image and bring it into AutoCAD, and get all the elevation, latitude, longitude etc data directly from Google. It’s pretty cool. [http://c3dpavingtheway.blogspot.com/2006/05/civil-3d-2007-extension-for-google.html](http://c3dpavingtheway.blogspot.com/2006/05/civil-3d-2007-extension-for-google.html) We had a rep show us in class once, though at the end when he finally asked where in Montreal he had randomly plotted a subdivision and highway, he was kind of embarrassed that he’d actually chosen the site of the Mont-Royal cemetery! Kind of dull youtube demo: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=\_O9e5NAz6i8](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_O9e5NAz6i8) The narrator is really boring, so I didn’t watch it all, but you get the idea. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-earth-does-anybody-actually-do-anything-useful-with-it/449069/33 "2008-05-13T06:50:47Z")
[QUOTE=Sunspace] My understanding is that the pro version allows you to overlay your own data on the map, so that town planning departments can overlay lot lines, utility companies can overlay pipelines and electrical lines, etc, etc. [/QUOTE] You can do this on the free version. The weekend before last I took a contour map, overlaid it on GE and printed out the relevant section. Instant combined contour/aerial photo map for a hike we were doing. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-earth-does-anybody-actually-do-anything-useful-with-it/449069/34 "2008-05-13T06:52:39Z")
[QUOTE=Cervaise] There’s an online flight tracker that plots airplane route and position in Google Earth as a 3D overlay. So when I’m expecting my girlfriend or somebody, I fire it up, put in the flight number, and keep half an eye on it. When the flight crosses a certain geographic boundary, I know it’s time to wrap up whatever I’m doing and head for the airport. [/QUOTE] Linkety link pls. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-earth-does-anybody-actually-do-anything-useful-with-it/449069/35 "2008-05-13T11:02:26Z")
Well, I don’t know if this qualifies as useful, but I use it for discovering interesting things in my local area - then I go and visit them. It’s good for finding interesting hidden lakes, footpaths, coves, shipwrecks, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-earth-does-anybody-actually-do-anything-useful-with-it/449069/36 "2008-05-13T14:38:23Z")
[QUOTE=Princhester] Linkety link pls. [/QUOTE] [flight tracking using Google Earth](http://fboweb.com/flighttracking) [QUOTE=Koxinga] Is there any advantage to installing Google Earth vs. just using online Google Maps with satellite view? Do you get higher resolutions, more info, more features, or what? [/QUOTE] One rather significant GE feature not available on Google Maps is 3D terrain. For available areas (US, mostly), you can click a checkbox, and then tilt down, and see the contours of the land. Google Maps doesn’t do this. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-earth-does-anybody-actually-do-anything-useful-with-it/449069/37 "2008-05-13T16:23:25Z")
I use Google Earth in conjunction with GPS software and or applications like gmap-pedometer in order to determine routes for running or cycling. Before google earth my bike had a computer that would calculate distance based on wheel revolutions, but that didn’t take into account elevation. ---
**Author:** ![fusoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@fusoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fusoya)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-earth-does-anybody-actually-do-anything-useful-with-it/449069/38 "2008-05-13T16:24:05Z")
One of my major hobbies is map-making for railroads (see [www.richegreen.com](http://www.richegreen.com) for some of my completed projects), and I use google earth constantly when making these. [maps.live.com](http://maps.live.com) tends to have BETTER quality imagery for the northeast (and the great birds-eye view too), but Google Earth is perfect for the measuring tool, to determine how long a track siding or platform is, or its exact placement. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-earth-does-anybody-actually-do-anything-useful-with-it/449069/39 "2008-05-13T16:25:03Z")
[QUOTE=Koxinga] Is there any advantage to installing Google Earth vs. just using online Google Maps with satellite view? Do you get higher resolutions, more info, more features, or what? [/QUOTE] I’d like an answer to this too, since for the most part, Google Maps is fine for me. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-earth-does-anybody-actually-do-anything-useful-with-it/449069/40 "2008-05-13T17:10:43Z")
[QUOTE=Klaatu] Well, Google Earth’s “Street View” (Now in more than 40 US cities) allows anyone to get a closeup view of the front of your house, including a 360’ view of the street. I suppose that would be useful to say, burglars or kidnappers. [/QUOTE] I used this to confirm the name of the florist I used for my wedding. Couldn’t remember the exact address, but I knew the intersection, so I checked the street view and read the sign. Sure beats accidentally directing someone to the florist down the street. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-earth-does-anybody-actually-do-anything-useful-with-it/449069.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-earth-does-anybody-actually-do-anything-useful-with-it/449069.md?page=3)