Google introduced a major upgrade for Google Earth on Monday that gives users the ability to zoom in on many locations on the planet and instantly transform the perspective to a view from the street. The free Google Earth 6 release also includes other new features for exploring the planet virtually, including historical images for selected urban locations.
Though Street View took its inaugural bows in Google Earth during 2008, the new release now fully integrates the virtual walking tour experience. “You can journey from outer space right to your doorstep in one seamless flight,” noted Google Earth Product Manager Peter Birch in a blog.
Google Earth at Ground Level
The streets available for conducting virtual walking tours are all in selected city locations. To switch to Street View mode, drag the Google Pegman icon at the top of the zoom control onto any road highlighted in blue, Birch wrote.
“Unlike our earlier Street View layer, you can now move seamlessly from one location to another as if you’re walking down the street by using the scroll wheel on your mouse or the arrow keys on your keyboard,” Birch wrote. “If you want to visit somewhere farther away, simply click the ‘exit’ button and you’ll immediately return to an aerial view where you can easily fly to your next destination.”
Google Earth 6 integrates a huge array of photos of major urban areas, including major landmarks and tourist attractions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. When visiting these locations using Google Earth, users are able to pan 360 degrees to view everything else in the area.
Though historical photos have been available in Google Earth since 2006, the new release makes it significantly easier for users to discover and access these images. “When you fly to an area where historical…