earth maps

Quite by accident, my husband discovered the earth maps that they have on Google. Since then, he has spent a lot of time playing around with them, and also some of the other ones that are online. These maps are different than the average map in that they show aerial photos that can get quite close. He has zoomed in on some of the more amazing things on this earth, but when he zoomed in on our house, I have to admit that I was a little alarmed. I wasnt sure how comfortable I felt with how closely someone could see a house.

Its not like that earth maps allowed someone to peek into your windows, and I think the images are about five years old. However, I wonder how long it will be before they zoom in further and they are live shots. That is what bothers me. I realize that the government probably already has this, but that does not mean the general public should have access to something like this, and I hope that never comes to pass, even for a huge fee. That could never be a good idea. There are enough creepy people in the world that would make bad use of such a thing.

However, the earth maps as they stand are amazing. My husband and I found the pyramids, the great wall of china, and a harbor featured on one of his favorite shows from television. We also saw many of the old places where we lived when we grew up, and some of the places where we hung out when we were in college. It was very cool to see all of these, even though the pictures are not really up to date. Im sure there are many other great places in the world that we have yet to look up, but I am sure we will get around to it some day. Perhaps the next place should be the Sydney Opera House.

Anyone can take advantage of these wonderful earth maps if they have access to a computer. When going on Google, there is a link right at the top. Simply click on maps. Microsoft also has a earth maps program, but I am not sure how to find it just yet. I know that more and more people are taking advantage of this, and one of them in weather.com. They are using this map for radar and you can zoom in on your location lower than where the radar registers.