The New Google Earth 3D release for developers and gamers: is this a real revolution or just a teaser?

Google Earth, a platform visited by 30 million users monthly since its 2001 launch, now offers enhanced 3D modeling of over 2,500 cities globally. Its recent API launch allows for streaming these 3D city models to external systems, potentially eliminating the need for costly aerial photography and intricate 3D modeling processes for developers. This could revolutionize the gaming industry, enabling more realistic game maps, and could fast-track new AR/VR apps for tourism, property tech, and autonomous vehicles. However, there are challenges: the platform restricts detailed ground-level views, raising quality concerns, and Google’s current terms prohibit commercial deployment of the API, with substantial data limits. Moreover, concerns linger about future costs for developers and the frequency of model updates. Google’s potential impact on the 3D industry is immense, but its future plans, especially commercial aspects, remain uncertain.

The New Google Earth 3D release for developers and gamers: is this a real revolution or just a teaser?

Who hasn’t checked out Google Earth before booking a vacation abroad to see what the hotel or resort really looks like, plan your itinerary, or take a sneak peek at destinations you probably won’t visit anytime soon? Since its launch in 2001, the Google Earth service has become super popular, with an estimated 30 million visitors per month.

Google’s 3D modeling offers an impressive coverage of around 2,500 cities across the globe, where we can visit New York, San Francisco, London, Paris, Rome, Tokyo, Moscow, Sydney, and more. But is it really a service whose entire purpose is free for would-be travelers and the curious at heart, or is there a far greater potential here?

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/new-google-earth-3d-release-developers-gamers-real-revolution