Google Maps and Google Earth
UNEP: Atlas of Our Changing Environment. Custom Google map on the UNEP website. Courtesy UNEP, 2008.
- Google Maps are viewed in your web browser
- You can create and embed custom Google Maps on your website
- You can share a custom Google Map by sharing a simple web link
- Google Maps can include satellite imagery and shaded-relief terrain, but are limited to a two-dimensional (overhead) view - no 3D “tilt” feature
- Ideal when the 3D view is less important than accessibility in a browser
- For the best of both worlds: host your custom Google Maps on your website, and allow interested users to view the same content as an overlay in Google Earth
- Get Started using Google Maps!
Google Earth
Watersheds, Gombe National Park, Tanzania. KML file provided by the Jane Goodall Institute.
- Google Earth is a free, downloadable application which combines satellite imagery, maps, 3D terrain and 3D buildings to create a highly realistic virtual globe
- Sometimes a simple Google Earth screen shot is all you need to tell a story or make a point
- You can display your custom content as overlays in Google Earth
- You can share your custom content overlays with others, using KML files
- Google Earth supports full 3D viewing including detailed topography and virtual flight tours through your content
- Ideal when a fully-3D world and an immersive, virtual-reality experience are most important
- Best of both worlds: host your custom Google Maps on your website, and allow interested users to view the same content as an overlay in Google Earth
- Get Started using Google Earth!
Getting Started
The first question many nonprofits ask is: should we use Google Earth or Google Maps? The answer is yes! Both “Earth” and “Maps” have proven to be very useful to the nonprofit community. And the good news is - there are many tools that allow you to enter your data once, and then create both custom Google Maps and Google Earth content overlays (KML files). We’ll show you how. But first a brief overview of Maps vs. Earth.
Tags: Google Earth, Google Maps
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