As a real estate agent, I’m passionate about technology that helps my home buyers and sellers (or just makes homeownership more fun), and that definitely describes Google Earth.
If you’re not familiar (a lot of people have heard the name or seen a few Google Earth images but never actually used it), the program allows you to fix in on an address or even exact coordinates and see it from a bird’s eye view. You can then zoom in to the point where you can clearly see the color of your front door and the model of the car in your driveway!
In fact, Google Earth’s nexus of satellite imagery has provided useful to our daily lives, from tracking weather patterns and storms, fostering advancements in agriculture, city planning, traffic control, clean energy, and documenting and protecting our natural environment.
But my favorite part of Google Earth is still zooming in on a house that my buyers are considering or exploring the surrounding community!
Here are some fun and interesting facts about Google Earth:
The program that we now know as Google Earth was originally called “Earth Viewer.” Earth Viewer was designed by a tech company called Keyhole, Inc. that received funding from In-Q-Tel, a venture capital firm sponsored by the CIA!
The CIA understood that to keep abreast of cutting-edge technology, they couldn’t simply invent it themselves, so they invested in a host of small tech companies, who developed incredible innovations and then handed them over to the CIA for military, espionage, and national security use.
The modern day version of Google Earth is truly awe-inspiring, as there’s almost no place on the entire globe we can’t visit (virtually), see, and map with the program.
However, Google Earth’s reach and vision are not unlimited, as the owners of the satellites that the Google uses for the program sometimes choose to keep areas off the web. Those include certain government and military facilities, some businesses, and more.
For instance, rogue nations and hostile territories are often blurred out on Google Earth for obvious security reasons, such as North Korea, where you can only see low-res images of a few roads and other sites, but little in detail.
If you’re upset that Google Earth has so much unfettered access to your property that it will impinge upon your privacy, you can simply petition Google to blur out your home, and they’ll comply.
Google Earth may span the entire globe, but it does have a symbolic epicenter from which it radiates outwards. For ‘Earth users, you can see that the center point sits right at Lawrence, Kansas. But that’s no arbitrary accident, as Lawerence is also the hometown of Brian McClendon, the man credited with inventing Google Earth’s technology.
In the middle eastern nation of Bahrain, Google Earth is actually banned by the government, reportedly stemming from concerns by the ultra-rich royal family that the poor common citizens would be able to see the vast areas of land they own, adorned with swimming pools, helicopter pads, mega mansions, and other opulence.
In 2006, the Chinese military made a huge blunder when they revealed one of their military missions. While a border dispute between China and India was ongoing, Google Earth documented a Chinese military complex that was near the border, including a scale model of the actual border that stood 3,000’ by 2,300’, which they were using to plan mock raids on the Indian border.
You can explore the most remote places on the planet with Google Earth, including the inner rainforests, Mount Everest, uninhabited Polar regions, forgotten islands, and the craters of active volcanos.
Whenever a shuttle, satellite, or other space mission goes “up,” the imagery is also shared with Google Earth. So, you can actually explore the surface of the moon and even Mars on the Google Earth site!
Google Earth documents the oceans and seas, not just land. Thanks to their pinpoint satellite imagery, you can actually see a lot of shipwrecks sitting on the ocean floor, including the wreck of the Titanic!
Google Earth revealed plenty of surprises over the years. For instance, when Google Earth first shot birds-eye images of Iran’s national airport, Iranian officials were shocked to see a Star of David – the symbol of Judaism – sitting atop the airport roof. Apparently, the star was erected and left by Israeli engineers who built the structure before the Iranian Revolution in 1979 when it was a more peaceful country – but not discovered for three decades.
Humanity has also made groundbreaking discoveries thanks to Google Earth. A series of lost Egyptian pyramids were rediscovered by archeologist Angela Micol, who carefully scanned Google Earth’s satellite imagery to find them.
And in China, a natural limestone bridge (now called the Fairy Bridge), spanning 400 feet across a raging river buried deep in the jungle, was unknown to humankind until it showed up on Google Earth.
A rainforest in Mozambique in Africa was only known to nearby villagers until Google Earth identified it in 2005. Eager scientists quickly gave it the nickname “Google Forest.”
But it’s not just scientists and industrialized nations making good use of Google Earth. Several indigenous tribes deep in the remote Amazon rainforest in Brazil are using Google Earth and GPS technology to digitally map their lands, monitor natural resources like rivers and medicinal plants, and scout for illegal logging and mining.
Speaking of illegal activity, various law enforcement agencies across the world are now using Google Earth’s mapping imagery to identify and record criminal wrongdoing, such as drug operations.
Google Earth also has some seriously cool features.
For instance, Google Earth includes a flight simulator program so you can pilot around the world, enjoying the scenery thanks to their satellite imagery. From the tools menu, just select “Enter Flight Simulator,” and then you get to choose which aircraft you want to fly in, as well as what location you want to take off from.
Most people don’t realize that Google Earth also has a fascinating feature that allows you to recall historical imagery, including the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
If you have a strange fascination with end-of-the-world movies, you can use Google’s Maps framework to watch what would happen if a nuclear bomb detonated in your home city.
Of course, Google is continuously updating and reinventing their satellite imaging technology. Recently, they rolled out Google Earth Pro, a desktop version (version 7.3.2.) that makes it easier (and more fun!) for users with multiple search and save tools.
However, before you get into all of these advanced features and options, try Google Earth by searching for an aerial or 3D of your own house!
Simply visit https://www.google.com/earth/ to download Google Earth for free on your PC or mobile device (however, you will need Google Chrome to use it – not Apple’s Safari).
If you’re unfamiliar with the program, just shoot me an email with your address and I’d be happy to do it for you and send you the photos!
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Look for part two of this blog where I talk about Google Maps, Google Street View, and more fascinating technology that’s at our fingertips!
A Better "Way" to Real Estate 