How They Work: “How Google Maps Work”

Time and again, we have been moving to the “Digital World”, nearly every aspect of our daily lives is being affected by electronics. As is the case, we had most documents on paper, but, those are getting phased out time and again and we are adopting computerised systems. These systems are harnessing the power of the internet. Most of us have been using one online this or that; they as for the “google maps”, they are a blessing for many people who would have gotten lost within a 5km radius of their destinations, they are just an amazing feature for people who enjoy figuring out where stuff is. With the above in our minds, imagine how amazing Google Earth must be for it to provoke admiration from the online community and cause certain countries to request for modifications here and there in the name of security or the other. Google Earth is no ordinary mapping application. Type “Kigali Kacyiru” into the Google Earth search box, and yes, you can learn where “Kigali Kacyiru”. is in relation to Kigali Rwanda, and how to get around the city of Kigali. And you thought the world was small before, Google maps give you a grand picture of the world. The application is fairly easy to use, but there are a lot of functions to try out. What is the Google Earth software anyway? Google Earth is currently available for download as a desktop application, although you need to be connected to the Internet to use it. Every time you open Google Earth, it automatically connects to Google’s servers, giving you access to terabytes of geographical, political and social data. For instance, you can view a city with certain “layers” turned on, including topographical information, population data and crime statistics for the area. The layers and all of the map navigation buttons, including zoom, tilt and rotate, are all located in the Google Earth frame. The amazing fact is that, the basic version of Google Earth is completely free of charge. This means that, you and I can download and install it on our PCs without worrying about and cost element. Though the scenario may change in future or not! So you can start by downloading the free version of the software located at www.earth.google.com while it is still free. If your computer runs Windows or Linux, and it is relatively new, you should have no problem meeting the system requirements. Once you open Google Earth and start moving around a bit, you’ll immediately notice one of the biggest “whoa” aspects of the program; some of the information is 3-D, and the stuff that isn’t 3-D is still a photograph -- there are no illustrated maps here. The baseline visual data comes from satellite imagery and aerial photographs taken by aircraft. Though there is a free (basic) version, there is also a pay version that comes with lots of enhancements and special and up to-date maps, pictures etc. (to be cont’d) eddie@afrowebs.com