Google Earth
Operator: Google Ireland Limited, Ireland
Digital globe with satellite and aerial imagery, 3D terrain and Street View. This profile covers Google Earth on the web.
Image, Video & Geo
Product
Google Earth on the web, Google's interactive globe for maps, image comparisons and geospatial projects. Earth Pro Desktop and Earth Engine are separate products.
Availability and source date
Active
As of: 16 October 2026.
No functionality test has been performed.
Use in OSINT research
Visually compares places, tracks changes using historical imagery and measures distances or areas.
Queries
| Input | Result | Result type |
|---|---|---|
| Place name | Location on the globe with available satellite and aerial imagery, terrain display and Street View. | Retrieved |
Features
- Views high-resolution satellite and aerial imagery, 3D terrain and buildings.
- Uses historical imagery and Street View to compare places.
- Measures distances and areas.
- Creates placemarks, lines and polygons in custom maps.
- Imports KML and KMZ files and exports projects as KML.
- Shares and collaboratively edits map projects through Google Drive.
Categories
- Image, Video & Geo
- Maps & satellite imagery
Coverage
Geographical coverage
Worldwide
Dataset
Satellite and aerial imagery, terrain data, 3D buildings, Street View and supplementary geospatial data. According to the provider, 3D buildings are available in hundreds of cities.
Access
Requirements
Web browser. Collaborative projects use Google Drive; paid plans use Google Cloud.
Export
Exports custom projects as KML files.
Provider
Google Ireland Limited
Country of establishment
Ireland
Interfaces
No API, MCP or AI integration is documented.
Usage note
Bulk downloads and data feeds of Earth content are prohibited. Public reproduction is subject to Google's attribution requirements and the linked usage guidelines.
Legal note
Limitations
- Imagery age and coverage depend on location; actual conditions may differ from the display. Additional layers and analysis features depend on the plan. According to the plan page, Ask Google Earth is available only on the web in English.
Guides and practical reports
Official · Google Earth: Quickstart
Google · EN
Explains place search, map projects, historical imagery and KML export.