Google Earth and Switzerland

Daily Life, Swiss News and General Topics
1
I just (re)installed Google Earth and was pretty amazed when I zoomed into Basel and Zurich. They're both in '3D'.. not sure how long that's been a feature or where else it applies.. but it's certainly a spectacular way to see the cities

2
few years AFAIK

3
no... not at that level of detail

plus i can tell... based on some building sites.. that the pics are only 6 to 8 months old

4
Isn't it effectively an advancement of street view?

5
IIRC, Google Earth predates street view.

6
Sure it does, but street view provides the 3D data.

7
A Google Earth camera car passed me this morning as I walked to Uetikon am See station. Maybe they are updating at the moment.

8

you could always pan the viewing angle to get a 3d view in GE, you didnt mention anything about levels of detail in your opening question but i suspect you actually mean streetview which is integrated in GE. streetview is contantly being updated, you can even see long boring sections of motorway if one so wishes

9
I noticed this at the weekend. You don't need to install the program, just go to google maps, and switch to Earth view.

It isn't the same 3D I saw a few years ago - much more impressive than that. And it isn't street view.

10
It's very handy if you want to go hiking in a new area to see what's in store for you.

I take pictures of the screen with the camera, then when I'm on the walk I can check back if I get to a decision point that isn't clear.

That said, the Swiss trail signage is pretty robust.

11
Google Earth and Street View are two separate solutions of looking at maps... the former uses terrain and altitude information to create a 2D --> 3D simulation of the Satellite maps, whereas the latter is literally sequences of photo-sphere images uploaded to create a feeling of "being there"...

here is an example of a Google Earth 3D map...

[](https://www.englishforum.ch/attachments/other-general/64836d1372241427-google-earth-switzerland-google_earth_bundeshaus_bern.jpg)

12
not all images are like that though ? looking thru only certain "of interest" buildings and areas have such detail ?

13
True till some extent... the 3D simulation engine needs detailed altitude and terrain information, as well as higher resolution Satellite view images... so it is more dependent on which city/country you are looking at, and not just "of interest" locations in that city/country...

14
The new version of Google Earth/Maps has many built in features as well as the 3D buildings. It includes a carousel of photos, interactive Panorama shots and customisable maps among other features.

I was lucky to get selected to be one of the first to try this out and have been testing/training on it recently.

15
Google Maps is in the process of being updated - some people have the new version which integrates Google Earth views directly into Maps, whilst other don't yet - it was offered to me as a beta testing version, I'm guessing because I use gmail and maps a lot...

16
Although of interest to me, I'm fairly sure my house isn't an "of interest" building.

google maps requires a plugin to get this, which requires administration access (on a PC).

17
There is a preview here:

http://maps.google.com/help/maps/hel...sktop/preview/

18
I love Google Earth for aero-archeology. Have you ever noticed if you zoom into empty fields, you'll sometimes see a clear outline of a former building or construction ?

19
I have been using it as a pre-hike as well.... It really gives a good sense of what to expect, and in the very least, it helps a lot with identifications along the way, almost like you have walked the trails already. This is a big plus for me because it is hard to visualize the hiking when looking at a map.