Full 3D Google Earth unveiled

Google unveiled Wednesday a full 3D version of its Google Earth service, which it said is coming soon to mobile devices on its Android and Apple's iOS platforms.

 

The service allows users to move around, rotate, and interact with 3D images of cities, according to a report on tech site CNET.

 

"We're trying to create magic here. It creates the illusion you're flying over the city," CNET quoted Peter Birch, product manager for Google Earth, as saying.

 

Birch said Google expects the upgraded service to cover the location of 300 million people by the end of the year, with the ultimate goal being to get it everywhere.

 

CNET said Google used advanced 3D rendering technology to create the images.

 

It did a demonstration of the feature in San Francisco, moving around the city and getting full images on an Android tablet.

 

Google is investing in planes to take shots of the city, and using automated technology to extract 3D images from the aerial shots.

 

Birch said the company has been working on it for years, but the quality of the images on Google Earth was not high enough until now. — TJD, GMA News