Advantages and Disadvantages of Google Earth

Google Earth is software that lets you see planet Earth as if you were really there. It also provides the ability to fly around the planet, explore 3D buildings and landscapes, share your discoveries with a global community of geo-explorers, and much more.

While using Google Earth, you can easily enjoy its advantages and ignore its disadvantages, however, a few more disadvantages than advantages of Google Earth.

Let’s start with the first one.

Advantages of Google Earth

• You can see what any place looks like at any time of day or night.
  
  
• The software also allows users to zoom into the selected location for a closer view. You can zoom in on individual buildings and houses.
  
  
• It’s free – there are no monthly fees associated with using Google Earth.
  
  
• It’s easy to use: All you have to do is click on any location in the world, and you can see its exact location through satellite imagery. You simply need an internet connection and you can start browsing through dozens of different images within seconds.
  
  
• Ability to see places you have never been before.
  For example, you can see the Amazon jungles or Lake Victoria in Kenya. You can also see how cities are built, i.e. New York City or Tokyo.
  
  
• Google Earth offers high-resolution images of some cities, so it’s perfect if you want to see details such as individual buildings or cars.
  
  
• It can be used to find directions to a particular place. If you want to go somewhere for example, on vacation, Google Earth’s “Get Directions” feature will make sure you get there safely and efficiently.
  
  
• Google Earth offers detailed information about places that are hard to explain in words. For example, the path of an eclipse can be easily viewed on Google Earth.
  
  
• You can fly over a virtual Google Earth world, or rotate around to look at it from different angles. You can also tilt the view so that you aren’t looking straight down at it.
  
  
• You can turn layers on and off to see different things about locations around the world, such as roads, 3D buildings, photos, weather information, etc.
  
  
• Google’s application has a 3D mode where there is an aerial view of any area you would like to see. Unlike other similar programs, Google Earth does not show just one type of aerial image, but rather it shows several types of images from several different sources to provide users with more options in viewing locations from above.

Disadvantages of Google Earth

• The resolution of images on Google Earth is another disadvantage. The software relies on aerial photographs taken by satellites in space or aircraft flying overhead, which can limit the resolution of images. For example, if a satellite takes an image from space, it cannot get close enough to earth to achieve high-resolution images. Also, because aerial photography is dependent on weather and sunlight conditions, not all areas are equally visible on Google Earth at all times.
  
  
• The pictures also may not be updated as often as you would like them to be. For example, if you are using Google Earth for navigation purposes, that new road that was just completed may not show up in the images yet.
  
  
• The size means that it is lacking in detail for places that are small. This can make it difficult to determine exactly where something is located with accuracy compared to other maps.
  
  
• It is not available offline, so you must be connected to the Internet to use it.

Recommended Reading: 11 Best Uses for Google Earth in Education and Business

I hope you found this article on the advantages and disadvantages of Google Earth helpful. I really appreciate your time in reading this article.

Please comment in case of any advantage or disadvantage you know that isn’t included.