Smarter Navigation in Street View
Google Earth 6 brings some major improvements to navigating through the streets in Street View. Though Street View has been available in Google Earth for a while, it was somewhat awkward to navigate through the streets with it. I found it easier to use Street View in Google Maps and even then it was a bit choppy to use. Mind you, I’m not complaining! That I can get these kind of views of much of the world at all, is amazing. Still I’m happy with the improvements.
Zoom in on a view in Google Earth and when you get close enough to the earth, your view should tilt right down to street level. If it doesn’t, grab PegMan off the navigation tools on the right and plop him down on a blue-highlighted street.
Use your mouse scroll button to move forward or use your keyboard’s arrow keys. Thin yellow lines “overhead” will tell you where you can go forward and streets you can turn down. It’s not totally seamless, but pretty amazing. I just took a long ‘walk’ through the streets of Hesinki, revisiting places I saw last summer. This felt far more immersive than looking at photos.
This video has a nice overview of how to move around in 3D and Street View.
For more detailed tips on navigating, read this terrific post on the Google Earth Blog. Note that navigating in Street View in Google Maps is also simpler now.
