Google Earth Celebrates 20 Years with Time-Travel Street View and AI Insights

June 24, 2025
Google Earth Celebrates 20 Years with Time-Travel Street View and AI Insights
  • Google Earth Pro will also incorporate Gemini-powered AI insights, enabling users to ask natural language questions about geographical data.

  • These updates reflect Google's commitment to integrating artificial intelligence into its products, enhancing the platform's functionality for professional users.

  • Alongside the time travel feature, Google Earth will also showcase its 3D timelapse functionality, which animates satellite data to illustrate changes in specific areas over time.

  • The new functionality enables users to see a yearly progression of images for specific locations, providing a visual narrative of changes from 2007 onwards.

  • Notable examples of these timelapse views include the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral's transformation from 1943 to its reconstruction after the 2019 fire, as well as urban changes in cities like Berlin, Las Vegas, and San Francisco.

  • In addition to historical imagery, Google Earth will soon introduce AI-driven insights for professional users, offering valuable data on tree canopy coverage and land surface temperatures to assist in urban planning.

  • This new historical imagery feature is expected to help both casual users and experts understand the impacts of climate change and human activities on various geographies.

  • Google is marking the 20th anniversary of Google Earth by launching a groundbreaking Street View integration feature that allows users to 'travel back in time' and view historical images of various locations.

  • Since its debut in 2005, Google Earth has gained immense popularity, achieving 100 million downloads in its first week and evolving through numerous significant updates.

  • Users can now access historical satellite photos dating back to 1993, although images prior to 2000 may be blurry and in black and white until 2003.

  • The platform's history includes significant milestones such as the 2006 launch of Street View and collaborations aimed at tracking climate change and endangered species habitats.

  • In the past year alone, Google Earth has been searched over 2 billion times, underscoring its ongoing relevance and utility for exploring diverse locations worldwide.

Summary based on 10 sources


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