In what began as a new tool to give veterans a way to record the places they have visited while on duty, Google has created a unique new service called Tour Builder, which allows users to pick locations on a map and add in photos, text and video. The “tours” created through the Google Earth interface can then be shared across the web and via social networks.
By personalizing destinations that users have visited on Google Earth, this new service brings the concept of dynamic geospatial intelligence to the masses.
This new tool essentially allows anyone to tell his or her stories in a spatial way. The average consumer can highlight everything from a recent European tour to tracking and showcasing their child’s soccer season. Rather than tracking points on a map, this service allows each of these destinations to fully come to life through the use of photos, video and text. The uses are virtually limitless.
Some users have taken to documenting historic timelines and tours. For example, timelines of the War for Independence as well as music tours have been created and shared. This adds another dimension to Tour Builder that opens up possibilities for education, research, fan communities, and much more.
To use Google Tour Builder, all you need is a Google Earth Browser Plug-in, which allows 3D imagery to happen right in your browser. In addition, if you wanted to chronicle your journey on a personalized blog, it is possible to embed the Google Earth plug-in.
It is always exciting to see new mapping innovations that allow anyone to share their stories in unique ways. This new service has the potential to fundamentally change how we share information. By using mapping as the foundation, it also reinforces just how spatially aware we are all becoming, and further advances the power of Google Earth.
