Google Earth Pro, once a $399 licence, is now available for free. The professional version of Google’s well-known mapping software adds several new features including the ability to make high definition “fly-through” movies of the earth, the ability to take area measurements, and a facility to import GIS data and display it in layers over the digital map.
This last feature could be particularly useful for ITGS teachers as it allows access to a vast amount of data in industry standard GIS data formats, rather than being limited to Google’s KML file format. Many governments and organisations make administrative, cultural, and geographical data sets available online for free, and sites like GISGeography have large lists and descriptions of the best sources, including:
While not technically a full Geographic Information System, the Pro version of Google Earth has many competing features and presents ITGS teachers with a great opportunity to add a practical angle to teaching this topic. With such a wide range of data layers available, students could investigate many different questions such as the best location to build a new hospital (perhaps using land value data, health data, population data) or the best way to protect wildlife from human interference (using land use data, road maps, and terrain type information).
As many of the sources above gather their data using Lidar and other remote sensing techniques, this is also a good opportunity to discuss the applications and benefits of these technologies.
You can download Google Earth Pro for free here.
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