You can call them flyover maps, 45-degree aerial images or 3D maps. In an effort to show that its mapping software is still cutting-edge, Google updated the Google Earth app for Android and added new 3D imagery for many US cities: Boulder, Boston, Santa Cruz, San Diego, Los Angeles, Long Beach, San Antonio, Charlotte, Tucson, Lawrence, Portland, Tampa, Rome and the San Francisco Bay Area. A similar feature is available in Apple’s new maps app for iOS 6.
“Using 45-degree aerial imagery, we’re able to automatically recreate entire metropolitan areas in 3D. This means every building (not just the famous landmarks), the terrain, and any surrounding landscape of trees are included to provide a much more accurate and realistic experience. (…) We’ll continue to release new 3D imagery for places around the world over the coming months; by the end of the year, we aim to have new 3D coverage for metropolitan areas with a combined population of 300 million people,” explains Google.
The new features is available in Google Earth 7.0 for Android and it requires a device with a dual-core CPU. An updated app for iOS will be released soon.
