Photo courtesy of Google Earth™ mapping service/Sanborn 2007 copyright If your computer can't run the application, read on to find out what you'll be able to do once you update your equipment. If your computer runs Windows, Linux or Mac OS X 10.3.9 or higher, and it's fewer than five years old, you should have no problem meeting the system requirements. So let's all start by downloading the free version of the software located at while it's still free.

Of course, this could change in the future. The big deal right now is the basic version of Google Earth is completely free. The layers and all of the map navigation buttons, including zoom, tilt and rotate, are all located in the Google Earth frame. For instance, you can view a city with certain 'layers' turned on, including topographical information, population data and crime statistics for the area. Every time you open Google Earth, it automatically connects to Google's servers, giving you access to terabytes of geographical, political and social data. Google Earth is currently available for download as a desktop application, although you need to be connected to the Internet to use it. Photo courtesy Google Earth™ mapping service See how Google Earth gets images and data and learn how you can get started with Google Earth so you can explore some of the features and customization options. The application is fairly easy to use, but there are a lot of functions to try out. And you thought the world was small before. in Denver to the Forbidden Palace in Beijing, China. from space and if you click on 'Forbidden City' in the 'Sightseeing' column, you can see what it would look like to fly Superman-style from 1600 Curtis St. and watch it disappear into a satellite view of the Earth and then zoom back in as if you were falling onto 1600 Curtis St. is in the 80202 zip code and that there are 12 Starbucks Coffee shops within a half-mile radius of that address you can zoom out from 1600 Curtis St.

In the same search, though, you can also learn that 1600 Curtis St. and how to get from your address to 1600 Curtis St. Type 'Denver, CO' into the Google Earth search box, and yes, you can learn where Denver, Colo. Google Earth is no ordinary mapping application.

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