The side panel, multi-fonction pocket knife of the "Google-earthien"

These possibilities of navigations already make it possible to have fun with the sphere and of zoomer on more detailed places (of the zones generally delimited by squares of color chestnut) to be filled with wonder at the level of precision of certain agglomerations. If you live Paris, Marseilles, Lyon, Strasbourg or Bordeaux, you will not have undoubtedly evil to find your house.



Nevertheless, the essence of Google Earth is in the side panel. That Ci is divided into three parts.

The module of research

This one comprises three mitres "Fly to" makes it possible "to fly" towards a specific place by seizing the name. It goes without saying that during the first minutes of use of the software, it is one of the jouissives functionalities: what a pleasure "of leaping" from Paris in New York, Rio or Peking in a few seconds! "Local Search", as its name indicates it, consists in seeking a trade or a monument in a city. Lastly, "Directions" makes it possible to calculate a route between two points. The last two mitres are more or less reserved for the American public.

The module "Places"

This module is the equivalent of the bookmarks in a navigator. You can safeguard your places preferred there to reach it later on of a simple double clic. It is also in this panel that the places added with the files added by the users are stored.

To exploit this module, one uses the button of the panel of navigation. A clic on this button opens a menu proposing to you to add a marker ("placemark"). You can also add other types of information as more precise charts which are superimposed on those provided by defect, or even of the models 3d of buildings or monuments, but this requires jurisdiction which exceed this article. We will however see some very successful examples of these additions.

To add a "placemark" is as simple as to add a bookmark to your navigator. You can use the button bug and choose "placemark", use the short cut Ctrl+N keyboard or, in the panel "Places", carry out a clic right and choose New > Placemark. A dialog box opens, in which you can name your marker, to assign another icon to him or to place it in an existing file (or to create new).

Note the buttons of reading in bottom of the module. Those enable you to carry out a turn of the world of your markers. To give an account of their interest to you, launch the turn of the places available by defect: campus of Google to the Imperial Palate of Tokyo while passing by Berlin or Peking, there is what to return jealous Jules Verne!

The module "Layers"

It makes it possible to post or mask a great number of copies on the sphere (borders, reliefs, buildings in 3d, roads, trade, schools, churches...) by notching them. The principal copies (real, reliefs, roads, lodging, restoration, borders) are also accessible since the panel from navigation.

This system of check box also functions in the panel "Places", from where interest to create files sets of themes where to arrange your favorite places. By notching or stripping the file, you will be able thus to post or hide all the markers who are there.




A software in perpetual motion

Several types of information can be added to Google Earth. These additions can be simple markers posed on an existing place (a subway station, a monument, a building...), but also the superposition of an image over the information provided by defect, like a more precise air sight of a city. For most senior, it is also possible to add models in 3d of monuments or buildings. The addition of information and in particular of modelings or charts is a relatively complex subject which exceeds the framework of this article. We nevertheless will teach you how to benefit from this richness from information.

As we saw previously, it is possible to define markers in precise places. It is also possible to safeguard these markers in the shape of a file KMZ which could be carried out by any user of the software, the place being then automatically added to the panel "Places".

The Community Google Earth
The first level of personalization is provided by the community Google Earth. The software indeed places at the disposal a forum where find impassioned virtual sphere.


The places added by the members of the community are classified and integrated every month into Google Earth. You can reach it by notching Google Earth community in the panel "Layers". By unfolding small Google Earth Community, you will notice that the places themselves are classified in various categories: travel information, transportation, nature & geography...

An example? Turn over on our good France old woman and zoomez on Paris. You ensure that the category Google Earth Community is stripped and unfold it. Now, notch "Transportation": the subway stations of the capital appear. Strip this option and notch "Education now" and you will see appearing the Sorbonne and Sciences Po.



The other information, considered to be less interesting by the community, is stored in the subcategory "Unranked". You can nevertheless find there information rather amusing. Always on Paris, a Net surfer indicated several places where a short film of Claude Lelouch was turned, another famous Café of the Two Mills of Amélie Poulain. Let us benefit from this example to use another functionality of the software: its integrated navigator. When you click on a marker, this one posts a bubble of information which can contain a bond towards the subject of the Community forum or an external site bringing more information, for example on a monument. A panel emerges then, allowing you of surfer on this site inside even of Google Earth. The software exploits engine Internet then To explore.