Aerial View Maps

Alright what is the point of Google Earth?

Basically I love Google maps. I figured that you could customize Google Earth to be a better version of Google Maps, but that doesn't seem to be the case. A lot of people rant and rave about this being a must program, but I don't see it. I went to my house and zoomed in, and all I see is some extremely low quality aerial view of the top of my house. I'm trying to not jump to conclusions, but a lot of people put this on their top 10 favorite programs, if you could give me a little insight as to whether you love/hate this program and why, that would be great.

Public Comments

1. you can catch your spouse or significant other cheating on you if there's a weird car in the driveway....haha
2. sometimes you can find intersesting/funny stuff.....aside from that it not that great
3. it stops pervs chugging one off while watching their neighbor over the garden wall
4. The new versions that allow you to tilt maps, and I believe they have the versions out now that allow you to see cities in 3D from ground level is awesome to mess around with. The picture quality in rural areas probably won't be any better than in Google Maps, that's not really the point of Google Earth. There's a wealth of options available in Google Earth that aren't available in Google Maps. If you simply want to look at basic satellite pictures and get directions, Google Maps is fine.
5. some people like a giant moving model of the earth in their computer
6. well I don't love or hate programs, seeing as they're just programs. google earth is interesting and people use it to pass time.
7. Recently a previously unknown large crater made by a meteorite Was discovered initially on google Earth in outback Australia. Of huge scientific interest. Support for these services means they will improve. Looking at areas from above does have uses.
8. I agree it is over rated but if you believe in the greenhouse effect, the energy crisis, the cold war (with Iran I am not so sure this issue is over), the global economy, the World Wide Web, the way the Olympic games in China are protested in France and Great Brittan because of something that happened in Tibet, you must agree what happens in China, Iraq, Haiti, Tibet or the housing crisis in Kentucky matters else ware. I agree you can not know these far away places by the low quality satellite photo's but it is a start. They do have links to higher quality photos of importiant spots, you know, ,just wondering why my house is not one of them? You can visit chat rooms in far away lands on the internet. Granted you will find many customs that differ from your own and you will be discusted, but I for one believe we need to make Iraq our freind (even if we have to beat the sh** out of them to do it). We need oil. I live in Florida and the hurricanes over the past few years suck. Just imagine no Electricity, no AC, no TV, internet, the pump stations (sewage) does not work. You have no running water or refrigerator. Energy is very dependent on oil, and unfortunately that is what they have a lot of in the middle east. Knowing what is happening far away is very importiant. Seeing is one of our five senses. We only have five ways to input information into our brain. Seeing Google Earth is a way to see the other parts of the world. I think this system could be greatly improved.
9. It saves you money from buying a globe to study geography.
10. Drawing site plans with semi-current building located on a site, confirming topo maps for rivers, lakes etc. I wouldn't trust it 100% for scales and elevations but it is a good alternative source of information.