Mapping

MAP YOUR WAY AROUND....ANYTHING!
//** So what IS GoogleEarth? ** //

 **Google Earth** is a virtual interactive mapping application originally called Earth Viewer. It was created by Keyhole, Inc., a company acquired by Google in 2004. It maps the earth by superimposing overlays of satellite imagery, aerial photography GIS 3D photos.

 The application, free to all users, allows viewers to virtually fly around the entire globe, giving the appearance of a bird's eye view of the earth. But what you are really looking at are the satellite imagery with overlays of roads, buildings, geographic features, and numerous other location-specific data points. You can add your own points of interest and share them with others, chart routes, plot areas, calculate distances, and overlay separate images right onto the application.

 GoogleEarth also connects seemlessly with the Internet, providing a plethora of information about locations to the viewer. Information and pictures are available from Wikipedia, Panorama, National Geographic, and NASA, to name just a few.

 **[|Common questions about Google Earth]** (answered BY the good folks at GoogleEarth)

 1. **When were these pictures taken? How often are they updated?**

 Our images are photographs taken by satellites and aircraft sometime in the last three years. The images in Google Earth are updated on a rolling basis.

 2. **Are Google Earth images captured in real time?**

 No, they aren't. Our images are photographs taken by satellites and aircraft sometime in the last three years.

 **3. Are there cities covered in detail worldwide? Or just in the US?**

 The whole world is covered with medium resolution imagery and terrain data. This resolution allows you to see major geographic features and man-made development such as towns, but not detail of individual buildings. Additional high-resolution imagery which reveals detail for individual buildings is available for most of the major cities in the US, Western Europe, Canada, and the UK. 3D buildings are represented in 38 US cities (the major urban areas). Detailed road maps are available for the US, Canada, the UK, and Western Europe. And Google Local search is available for the US, Canada, and the UK.

 **4. Why do I see blurry pictures when I go to my house?**

 Google Earth combines data of to offer a seamless viewing experience, so some locations look a bit blurry. We offer high resolution imagery (greater than 1-meter) for thousands of cities and more are on the way.

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Before you look at examples, you **must** have GoogleEarth downloaded.
GoogleEarth download http://googleearthgame.wikispaces.com/GE+download

Favorite KML/KMZ files created by others:
> http://www.google.com/educators/p_earth.html
 * Google Earth for Teacher (these tours done by content area)
 * [|Sir Ernest Shackleton Google Earth “documentary”] ([|blog post] from Google Earth blog) - 1.9 MB
 * [|Volcanoes of the World]
 * [|Documented meteor impacts worldwide] (>26,000)
 * [|World Wide Panorama]
 * [|Discovery Channel World Video tours] (unfortunately ads are included)

I took this idea and developed it into a semester-long game! Google Earth Game http://googleearthgame.wikispaces.com/Game+Home (Use the navigation links on the navigation bar under Google Earth Game)

Note that the student must answer the question by using observation of Google Earth or using information found in a layer.

Now, let's take a look at some examples of "map tours" made with MapWing. MapWing is a free Web2.0 tool that allows you to create a "tour" of...anything!

MapWing's Tours: http://www.mapwing.com/explore.php?sort=w (Personally, I like the tour of the coral reefs and Ribbon the Snake)

Some other student projects made with MapWing:

http://msfrachetti.wikispaces.com/2nd+Gr.+Projects (second grade community projects)

http://robertsk8students.wikispaces.com/2nd+Semester+Tech.+Projects (middle school student projects)

====**Before you go forward, PLEASE READ THE ASSIGNMENT. You are being given two options (and I personally think the second option is easier). You will be making a map project, but the second option (MapWing gives you a much wider definition of "map"). Your other option is to do a GoogleEarth Tour, but you** MAY NOT **use the "built in" Google Tour map feature--in fact, I will NOT accept that, even for partial credit.** ====

====** Let me state that again--if you use the cheezy Google Tour that is built into Google Earth (found under "Add", then "Tour" in the Google Earth toolbar), I will NOT ACCEPT IT FOR ANY AMOUNT OF CREDIT. **====

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> **READ BOTH, then decide which one you are going to do.**


<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">** ................. **