Google Earth and Online Maps
Technological Challenges
From the beginning of history, man has found the need to classify, organize, and document our
environment and surroundings. The beginning of documentation started with etches on cave walls
and progressed to hieroglyphics in Ancient Egyptian times. Needless to say, documentation has
taken leaps and bounds especially in the area of cartography. Maps have been an essential tool in
human history. Since the inception of time, man has tirelessly tried to map the world, both known and
unknown. Even the crudest of maps served as an important source and guide. The design of a map
has changed but the purpose remains the same. The progression of paper maps (atlases) to digitally
enhanced online maps has been instrumental in changing many facets of our life in areas like travel,
business, and education. Maps have become much more accurate throughout the years, and with the
advent of computers and graphical software even more so. Integration of satellite technology and
imagery with freely available web-based and computer software have brought to the forefront many
opportunities to expand our connection to the world outside us but with this also come challenges.
Smile! You’re on Google Camera!
Google Maps is a free software program offered by Google, Inc. that provides basic web mapping
technology. The focal point of this paper scrutinizes two software applications that have shaped the
way online mapping has transformed our way of living and thinking. “You can view basic or custom
maps and local business information, including business locations, contact information, and driving
directions.” (Google)
Users can also view maps in four different ways: visiting the web site maps.google.com, viewing a
web page with an embedded Google map, on a mobile device, or viewing a private map created by
Google Earth Enterprise products (Google, 2004). Google Maps enhanced their product by adding a
controversial feature named Street View in 2007.
“Street View offers users the option of looking at photographs of streetscapes taken at ground level
when searching for directions on Google Maps.”
Essentially, using Street View allows a user to scroll through panoramas which make it feel as if you
were walking through the streets of the city or driving through highways and roads.
Google Earth
Another software program that revolutionized the way satellite imagery has been utilized for the
general public is Google Earth. Google Earth in its early stages was actually the brainchild of a
company by the name of Keyhole Corp. (Descy, 2005). In 2003 Keyhole Corp. received an
investment from In Q Tel which was initially backed by the Government’s Central Intelligence Agency.
Google purchased Keyhole Corp. in 2004 and along with the company was handed 10,000 clients all
of whom were Government agencies invested in the technology Keyhole had initially created (Descy,
2005). In a press release Jonathan Rosenberg, vice president of product management for Google,
Inc. described the acquisition as “a powerful new search tool, enabling users to view 3D images of
any place on earth as well as tap a rich database of roads, businesses and many other points of
interest” (Google, 2004).
Top Four Mapping Software Applications
maps.google.com
maps.yahoo.com
maps.live.com
mapquest.com
Social Applications
Maps, in a general sense, assist us in getting from point A to point B. The advent of digitally
enhanced maps such as Google Maps and Google Earth covers every inch of the Earth’s surface in a
three dimensional way. This includes the vast abyss of space to deep trenches of our ocean. These
software applications allow schools of thought an important technological tool. Educators in our
community can depend on satellite imagery of Earth’s oceans and vast lands to teach children of all
grade levels in school. People can use digitized or virtual maps to travel the world while sitting in their
living room sipping a cup of coffee. All these possibilities have shed new light on the different social
applications and legal implications that online maps hold. Below are detailed explanations of the
positive attributes and negative consequences of online maps and how dependent we have become
with these new tools.
Conclusion
It is apparent that maps in conjunction with the World Wide Web offer humans a new age of viewing
and analyzing the environment surrounding us. The accessibility of personalizing maps using
applications like Google Maps and Google Earth have changed the very face of traveling, education,
advertising, and other activities we partake in. The uses of personalized virtual maps far outweigh any
negative stigma associated with it. Privacy will remain a concern but the social and public good of
online maps have brought to the forefront and has changed the way the world clicks! Below are
detailed explanations of the positive attributes and negative consequences of online maps and how dependent
we have become with these new mapping tools.
Market Share
Mapping Sites 2009
Name
Mapquest.com
Maps.google.com
Bing.com
Market Share
46.8%
32.2%
3.86%
Works Cited
Descy, D.E. (2005, July/Aug) Finding out exactly where we are: Internet maps and satellite images.
TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning, 49, 5-7.
Doering, A. & Veletsianos, G. (2007, November) An Investigation of the Use of Real-Time, Authentic
Geospatial Data in the K-12 Classroom. Journal of Geography, 106, 217-225.
Google. (2004, October 27) Google Acquires Keyhole Corp. Retrieved from http://
www.google.com/press/pressrel/keyhole.html.