*Earth: Know where on earth are you..

I have been recently looking at the various cool mapping applications enriched with satellite imagery that various companies are coming out with. What impressed me the uncanny ability of these applications to show you your location with help of very rich images.

I have seen 2:
  1. Google Earth
  2. Virtual Earth (it is now publicly avaiable)
    There is post on Channel 9 by the MSN Virtual Earth Team at: http://channel9.msdn.com/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=91714#91714

While Google earth covers parts of India very well, Virtual Earth can only currently do USA. using Google earth i can almost locate the roof of my house whereas virtual earth limits it to a dot called "Gurgaon" :(.. currently, virtual earth is totally useless for me unless i am travelling to US.

The one big difference amongst the 2 applications is that GoogleEarth uses Rich client that has to be downloaded to your machine while Virtual Earth uses Internet Browsers only. Use of Internet Browser has an advantage that i can create permalinks on the map and send the same to my friends and share with them what i want to on the maps (get from here to there and to my party)..

The other breakthrough feature for Virtual earth is "Locate Me" that uses Wi-Fi APs to locate you.. it uses something similar to GPS tracking but using the 802.11 APs that are in your vicinity.. Virtual Earth is building DB of all APs in US currently and then aspires to reach out to the world..

Till the Virtual Earth includes India in its maps, it is pretty useless to me and i continue to use google earth till then.

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