Google Earth Goes Browser
At the recent developer gathering, Google I/O, Google announced the new Google Earth API. As many of you may be familiar with, Google Earth is a desktop application which allows you to view the Earth (and now Sky) in 3D. The Google Earth API now allows users to view and manipulate Google Earth from within their browsers (currently Windows only).
Within the API, you can place your own 3D model files created with Google’s SketchUp directly onto the Earth and you can also call KML files to use, which is Google’s own XML format, which is heavily used with the desktop version. Google have also put up some examples of what is possible using this API along with all the source code to see here: http://www.google.com/earth/plugin/examples/samples/
One great example of using this API is the “Monster Milkman” example which allows the user to drive through the earth as a milk truck. The 3D Buildings are turned on which allows you drive through places such as New York with a rather realistic view. Go have a fun drive - http://www.google.com/earth/plugin/examples/milktruck/
One problem I have had with it was driving through Everest often caused the milk truck to disappear off screen…