OS X Freeware of the Day: Google Earth

Most people have used one Internet mapping service or another to find directions online. But a whole new level of navigational and explorative wonder awaits those who use the Google Earth software client to access Google's database of geographic data. Only fairly recently has an OS X client been available for Google Earth, which started out as a Windows only program. In today's FOTD, we take a closer look at Google Earth, which is available for free download directly from Google.

When you first open Google Earth, you will see an image of the entire planet, which can be spun around and zoomed in on. If you are really good at geography, you can keep zooming in on a location until you find your desired location. Since the data that feeds Google Earth goes down to street level accuracy at a few hundred yards from ground resolution, I'd be willing to be that almost nobody could find, say, their house just by zooming in from planet view.

More likely, you will want to enter an address and watch as Google Earth "flies" you to the destination, as though you were Superman in outerspace, looking at the planet, and then flying to your destination. This effect is quite impressive if you've never used Google Earth before, and it has been featured on news broadcasts and other media outlets in the past.

Some of the great features of Google Earth that push it beyond the simple interface of Google Maps are: (1) the ability to plot courses on the maps and calculate distances -- you can see which walking routes are the longest/fastest, (2) the ability to change the view angle of the data shown, (3) ability to see and contribute data on points of interest in maps, and more.

The data that supplies the Google Earth databases is continuously updated and new and better information is always being added. Since I first used Google Earth, certain areas which were not even available are now visible in high levels of detail. Certain metro areas in the U.S. and U.K. are available in ultra high levels of detail.

If you haven't checked out Google Earth yet, download this amazing free wonder now.