Google Earth is an incredible tool that Earthwatch has found a number of ways to use.

At its simplest, Google Earth is a free software program that allows you to see aerial views of any place on the globe from any elevation: you can zoom out to see the whole country, for example, or zoom in and see your own neighborhood. These aerial views are based on satellite photos taken within the last 3 years. Depending on the area you're looking at, the photos may be sharp enough to see the cars in your driveway.

But that's just the start. You can create "placemarks" -- virtual stick pins in the globe -- and associate those spots with photos, information and web links. And you can share these placemarks easily, with the community at large, or just within your organization.

You can also overlay an area on the globe with a "layer", a collection of placemarks or information such as hiking trails, housing plot borders, or congressional districts. Google Earth comes with many standard layers that you can turn on or off, things like roads and cities.

And Google Earth is offering its Pro version free to nonprofits. This version allows you to save high quality images as well as create video "flyovers". You can get more information, and download the software, here.

Kathy Santos
Internet Communications Manager
Earthwatch Institute
Earthwatch.org