Google Earth and the view from on high
July 16th, 2005 by Bill
The idea of Google Earth is kind of cool. The reality is a bit more sobering.
The view from on high is of an urban aggregate of box like structures, all mute shades of dun and grey. Is this really where I live? This is Edmonton?
Thank heavens I generally go through life with the ground level view. The god-like perspective is a little depressing. It’s amazing how bland almost every world community looks from the sky.
I took a satellite stroll through Los Angeles – it looked like every other place I strolled through. Only more of it. You only start to see some interesting looking landscape when you get out of urban centres and into the country. Unfortunately, the resolution doesn’t appear to be quite the same – it gets kinda blotchy and blurred as you move in.
Still, it’s quite an amazing tool. Great for directions, great for finding places. Great for getting a sense of vertigo as it wheels from one place to another.
It’s also a good reminder that we need to get some designers involved in fashioning our cities. If we’re going to start watching ourselves from the sky we’re going to want to see something a little bit better than baby shit-coloured boxes.
Tags: Google Earth, Earth, Cities
