Surveying the Scene: Google Earth Adding New Dimensions to Online Maps |
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November 15, 2005
by Austin Brentley
austin.brentley@techinician-programs.com
Technical Programs Columnist
If you consider yourself something of a technophile, you have probably come across the new mapping software called Google Earth. It is an amazing program that allows you to zoom in on street addresses, mountain ranges, valleys, and rivers all over the globe. Using satellite imagery and advanced surveying, users can explore the world with remarkable clarity. Google's new software signals a remarkable leap in GPS surveying technology.
Cheaper Everything
Google's new GPS surveying software allows construction workers and surveyors to check out new projects without incurring exorbitant transportation costs. Will your new summer dream house fit in the allotted space? Rather than fly down to Florida to check, just call up Google Earth. Is the destination site for the new high school gym level enough? Google Earth can tell you. But the advantages do not stop there.
Never Get Lost
In truth, GPS surveying software was quite advanced before Google came along. If you were on any major interstate highway in the United States and had GPS surveying capabilities, there was little chance that you would lose your way. But with Google's new software, you can be anywhere in the world and never get lost. You can actually see the contours of your surrounding terrain. The software will even map the fastest and most convenient directions between point A and point B. The best part is, you can see all of the trees, stores, alleyways, and trash cans you will need to pass before you reach your final destination. Most mapping programs do not even come close
Real-Time Video
Google Earth is only the beginning. In the months and years to come, they will start to add real-time footage. There are many positive aspects of real-time GPS surveying software, but no doubt surveying will still be a great career. Roads will still need to be charted out and building sites scouted. Google Earth may even make surveyors jobs a little bit easier.
About the Author
A freelance writer and researcher, Austin Brentley is an English teacher currently living and working in Yamaguchi, Japan. His previous experience includes working for a lobbying firm in his native Washington, DC and working for various record and television studios in New York. Austin holds a B.A. in history
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