Google Earth For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)) (Paperback)

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Key Phrases: principal toolbar, kml file, image overlay, Google Earth, Overview Map, Getting Started (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

• This interesting guide covers all aspects of Google Earth, the freely downloadable application from Google that allows users to view satellite images from all points of the globe
• Aimed at a diverse audience, including casual users who enjoy air shots of locales as well as geographers, real estate professionals, and GPS developers
• Includes valuable tips on various customizations that users can add, advice on setting up scavenger hunts, and guidance on using Google Earth to benefit a business
• Explains modifying general options, managing the layer and placemark systems, and tackling some of the more technical aspects, such as interfacing with GPS
• There are more than 400,000 registered users of Google Earth and the number is still growing

From the Back Cover

Explore foreign cities or find every ATM in your hometown!

Map historic sites, look for a new home, or analyze traffic patterns

Want to see the world? Forget packing, customs, and airport security —with Google Earth, simply click and you're there. And it works just as well to find school districts and shortcuts in your hometown. This guide helps you install and customize the software, create specialized maps, tour almost any city on earth, and more!

Discover how to

• Locate specific businesses in any city
• Create a tour of homes for sale
• Visit historic sites in another country
• Insert your own 3D models
• Find alternate routes to work

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Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (February 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470095288
• ISBN-13: 978-0470095287
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #57,340 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Two Tech Books for One Earth Price, May 6, 2007

By	Robert Diaz (All around the US) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is a well written introduction to Google Earth. The fact that it doubles as a wonderful introduction to Google Sketchup means you're getting two outstanding technical primers for the price of one.

As a Google Earth fan from its beta days, I thought a dummies book wouldn't give me enough information to warrant the price of the book, particularly given the abundance of tutorial materials freely available online. This book, while valuable to its base of novice users, offers enough for an intermediate user to justify a thorough reading. For example, while beginners will appreciate the information about geographical terms such as defining latitude and longitude and familiarizing themselves with GPS jargon, other users may find the more comprehensive knowledge about the program's KML file structure and the explanations about the various layers in Google Earth more worth their reading time.

Now again, the addition of the materials on Google Sketchup, a 3D modeling program more likely once intended for CAD and landscape enthusiasts, means that even more accomplished users can use this as a tool to explore Google Earth's more advanced features. I myself had only cursory knowledge of Sketchup before reading this book and was sold on it when I saw how quickly I could get started with 3D modeling and put it to immediate use on Google Earth. Had this book not included the Sketchup section, I would probably have relied on web sites to fill me in on GE's other features. By reading the chapters on Sketchup, I was able to download the program with the confidence that I could begin using the program quickly. I even showed the program to several of my advanced fifth graders who themselves were playing with the program in no time at all.

As a consequence of reading this book, I am a much more capable member of the Google Earth community but I can also now boast some knowledge of 3D modeling. That's not too bad for an Earth dummy.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book for Beginners and as a Reference, August 4, 2007

By	George Johnston (Anchorage, Alaska United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I had a lot of questions about the nuances of Google Earth, which is why I purchased this book. The Google Earth tutorials are nice, but only go so far in explaining how to use it. "Google Earth for Dummies" goes a long way for explaining the application, how it works, it's nuances, and how to use it for maximum benefit.

As with many of my "for Dummies" books it is a great reference manual that is well organized, well thought out, and well researched that makes finding answers to questions a snap. I use it when trying to decide how to do animations for presentations and how to most effectively illustrate points that need to be made through placement of different elements either from the 3D library or custom 3D items from Google SketchUp (there is even a short tutorial on how to use Google SketchUp).

In short it covers all the bases, is very informative, is intuitive and well aid out, and it functions as a great reference. Mr. Crowder deserves a "well done" for his efforts, and a "Thank You". It is well worth it's price and the time to learn what's in it.

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Well Written But Now Somewhat Outdated, July 22, 2009

By	Jay Sage (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I found this book extremely helpful in learning how to use Google Earth effectively, including how to use the KML language. However, since version 5 of Google Earth came out, some of the material in the book is understandably outdated. When the next version comes out, I'll buy it again!