Highlights:
New Imagery & Layers in October
Google Earth 4 Beta Updates
Geotagging Photos with Google Earth and Picasa
Google Earth 4 Supports Time

Explore Further:
Wirefly X PRIZE Cup Does Google Earth
Google Earthlings Land in Moab, Utah
Placemarks of the Month

New Imagery & Layers in October

On October 3rd we released an imagery update, which includes satellite photos from all over the world. In addition, several states in the US now have high-resolution coverage state-wide, 10 high-resolution cities in Germany were updated, and there are 32 new high-resolution images internationally. See details on this post. We also added a new 2006 US Election Guide layer which includes voting information for each state and outlines of congressional districts. There is a new layer under the Featured Content layer by Discovery Networks called Discovery Atlas. This sub-layer features 35 placemarks from episodes in their new HDTV series called Discovery Atlas. Each placemark leads to video content about the place shown. We have also added more than a hundred new articles and multimedia links to Africa and North America in the National Geographic layer.

Geotagging Photos with Google Earth and Picasa

Picasa is free software from Google for finding, organizing, editing and sharing photos on your PC. Now, starting with version 2.5, Picasa allows you to use Google Earth to quickly locate (or geotag) the place your photos were taken. You can then create a map in Google Earth to share your photos with your friends. The process is really simple. Once you have your photos in Picasa, simply select a group of photos you want to locate. Then choose the "Tools ->Geotag with Google Earth" option. Google Earth will open and a small window with thumbnails of your photos appears. Find the location where the photo was taken in Google Earth using search, or by moving to it with your mouse. Zoom in as close as you need to identify the location. Finally, select the "Geotag" button. You can also select a group of photos taken at the same location and choose the "Geotag All" option. The location information is stored in a standardized fashion in the photo file itself.

You can then use Picasa to generate a Google Earth file with snapshots of your photo as a map by choosing "Tools->Geotag->Export to Google Earth". If you choose "Tools->Geotag->View in Google Earth" and your geotagged photos will automatically appear when you look at their respective locations. And if you need a place to store and host your photos online, try Picasa Web Albums.

Google Earth 4 Supports Time

Google Earth 4 now supports data with time stamps. This means you can animate a sequence of information over time. For example, watch a GPS track of a bike move along a trail. This is accomplished through GE files which have been marked with simple time stamp tags (see KML 2.1 documentation on time tags). Try loading this file which will show the track of a whale shark as it swam the Indian Ocean over several months last year. After the file loads you will see this time slider gadget appear in the upper portion of the screen.

You can adjust the range of time displayed by grabbing the slider ends with the mouse. Slide the range over time by selecting the middle of the slider and dragging left or right. The interval of time shown is displayed with date and time. You can loop through an animation by clicking the "Play" button (the triangular right arrow on the right of the gadget). For further examples, here is information on a Hurricane Katrina time animation, and here is one showing the growth of buildings in London.

Wirefly X PRIZE Cup Does Google Earth

The X PRIZE Cup, an annual outdoor space exposition, was held in Las Cruces, New Mexico, on October 20-21. Google was showcasing the space-related Google Earth content put together for the show which included a Space Atlas (showing worldwide launch sites, space centers, observatories, space shuttle landing sites, moon trees), a 3D space models gallery, and the X PRIZE Cup shown in 3D.

Many Googlers attended and we showed Google Earth at our booth. During the show you could have watched web camera footage of the crowds in Google Earth. You can also see an aerial photo (see details about this photo) taken and shown during the event.

Placemarks of the Month

Giant Alien Bug (see article)
Capsized Cruise Ship (see article)
Visible Shipwrecks (see article)