Google Earth Introduction: Intro & Help

Zip file with sample data for Google Earth training session.

Download free version

The library has the premium version, Google Earth Pro, installed in the Brandaleone Family Center for Data and GIS Services, Room 226 Perkins.

Premium editions

Many of the features described here are available only from the premium editions (Google Earth Pro or Google Earth Enterprise).  See the User Guide for details.  Google Earth Pro is installed on some Library computers (see above).

Help from Google

• Google Earth Support page
  Leads to a variety of help pages, tutorials, and sample files. Also, try the following:
• User Guide
  Detailed guide in Adobe Acrobat format.
• Help Forum
  Knowledgebase with lots of questions and answers.  Search Help is also available from back on the main Support Page.
• Gallery
  Leads to example projects with KML files or gadgets to download.
• Tutorials
  More tutorials, not necessarily all the same as available from "Outreach" (see below).
• Google Earth Outreach
  More help from Google geared toward non-profit organizations. Success Stories leads to example projects with KML files or gadgets to download, like Gallery (above).  Tutorials leads to "how-to" tutorials on some topics.
• Google Earth Community
  Leads to bulletin boards and the like for users and developers.
• Google Lat Long Blog
  Blog postings from Google staff on Google Maps, Google Earth, and related products.

Other Help Sources

• Google Earth Basics
  Introductory help from the Google Earth Blog website (different than official Google blog mentioned above).
• Free Geography Tools
  Check out the Google Earth and KML categories at the right, among others.
• Teaching (and Learning) with Google Earth
  This blog showcases the work done by students in Dr. Christine Erlien’s Duke writing course "Google Earth’s Impact.” Examples from a lot of disciplines and many links to other sites.
• Books in Library:
  about Google Earth; about KML (Keyhold Markup Language)