{"id":338642,"date":"2017-04-18T21:43:11","date_gmt":"2017-04-18T13:43:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/techcrunch.com\/?p=1477893"},"modified":"2017-04-18T21:43:11","modified_gmt":"2017-04-18T13:43:11","slug":"google-earth-for-chrome-android-gets-upgraded-with-guided-tours-more-discovery-features","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/google-earth-for-chrome-android-gets-upgraded-with-guided-tours-more-discovery-features\/","title":{"rendered":"Google Earth for Chrome & Android gets upgraded with guided tours, more discovery features"},"content":{"rendered":"

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As reported<\/a> earlier this month, Google today has unveiled its new vision for Google Earth<\/a>, the\u00a0software that combines satellite imagery, topographic maps and 3D cities, to help you better visualize the planet. The company is now rolling out an update for Google Earth for web and Android, two years in the making, that will introduce\u00a0features like\u00a0guided tours, Knowledge cards, as well as\u00a0Google\u2019s classic \u201cI\u2019m feeling lucky\u201d button for more spontaneous discoveries, and more.<\/p>\n

Voyager is Google\u2019s Earth\u2019s showcase of guided tours, which have been created with the help of \u201csome of the world\u2019s leading storytellers, scientists and nonprofits,\u201d Google says in its announcement of the launch.<\/a><\/p>\n

For example, there\u2019s a tour called\u00a0Natural Treasures<\/a> from BBC Earth which takes you to half a dozen habitats around the world, including mountains and jungles, where you can learn about the wildlife.\u00a0Jane Goodall hosts a tour in the\u00a0Gombe National Park<\/a> in Tanzania, where she talks about\u00a0her team\u2019s chimpanzee research and conservation efforts. Even Sesame Street is participating with its\u00a0Girl Muppets Around the World<\/a>\u00a0tour. NASA is working with Google Earth, too.<\/p>\n

The tours themselves encompass other features, like 360-degree videos and Google Maps\u2019 Street View imagery.<\/p>\n

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Meanwhile, Google Earth\u2019s\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m Feeling Lucky\u201d button isn\u2019t totally random. Instead Google has curated\u00a0a database of 20,000 different places around the world that are worth exploring. These could be famous attractions in far-away cities or scenic places of natural beauty, among other things. Once there, you can open up a new \u201cKnowledge Card\u201d that will offer more information and history about the place in question.<\/p>\n

While this\u00a0feature is interesting in and of itself, it could also appeal to those who are looking for travel inspiration and don\u2019t have a set place in mind they\u2019d like to visit. That would give Google Earth a more practical position in Google\u2019s lineup of products\u00a0\u2013 potentially tying it into other travel-related products, like\u00a0its personalized travel planner, Google Trips<\/a>, its online trip planning feature on the web, Google Destinations<\/a>, or its airfare booking tool, Google Flights<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Another new feature is a 3D button that lets you view a place\u00a0from any angle. You could use this to move around the\u00a0Grand Canyon<\/a>\u00a0to see geological layers, or check out the 500-year-old Ch\u00e2teau de Chambord<\/a> in the Loire Valley in France, Google suggests.<\/p>\n

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The updated Google Earth, which rolls out this week, will now run as a web app in the Google Chrome browser, or on Android. An iOS version is in the works.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"\" As reported earlier this month, Google today has unveiled its new vision for Google Earth, the\u00a0software that combines satellite imagery, topographic maps and 3D cities, to help you better visualize the planet. The company is now rolling out an update for Google Earth for web and Android, two years in the making, that will introduce\u00a0features like\u00a0guided tours, Knowledge cards, as well… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n

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