Google acquired the technology that powers Google Earth back in 2004 and a little later it was launched to run on PCs and ever since, it has evolved to mobile apps and integrated some of the stitched imagery that allows users to see every corner of the world through Google Maps. The imagery has expanded to other places including the moon and some parts of outer space. It does not only satisfy the curiosity of looking at some distant locations from an aerial point of view, these images also help in situations of natural disasters by comparing photos before and after the disaster stroke to look for affected areas and along other tools, they can help people to find friends or relatives as well as marking the maps with useful information as shelter locations or dangerous paths. Users have also found some curiosities like animals in Africa, heart-shaped lakes or even marriage proposals. Today, Google is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the free service and has added some new features to let users explore the world in new and improved ways.
Voyager is a new tool that highlights some interesting places around the world so users can get to know a little more of them. It includes 5 sections: Street View, which lets users explore the locations as if they were walking right there, 3D cities let you see buildings rendered in 3D so they are viewable from every angle, they updated the Satellite Imagery, Highlight Tour suggests some places around a certain location and the Earth View showcases some of the best images as seen from above.
Speaking of Earth View, it started when some Google employees found some very aesthetically pleasing images, their geometry is very unique and the colors are not something that can be appreciated from humanly accessible places. They have made its way to Android phones, Chromecast and Chromebooks to be used as wallpapers. Now, this collection has been expanded to 1,500 images from every continent and ocean. A new web gallery has been created where users can view all these images and they can be downloaded if desired in desktop and mobile devices, plus the Chrome extension has been updated to include them.