Clark
(Meteorologist)
Thu Aug 18 2005 10:19 PM
Re: Google Earth

Try checking the terrain check box and go over to the Grand Canyon, then turn the elevation angle down almost to level with the ground. The way the terrain features look is pretty cool. Even the slight rises here in Tallahassee are noticeable, with the Capitol Bldg. on the highest hill in downtown -- as it actually is here.

They've got the buildings for about 30 cities in total; Denver is another, as is Atlanta. It's got a few mileage checking features in it -- I use that myself to mark the distance between two points on a hill and then hover over both of them to see the difference in terrain, as I like to bike up a lot of hills here in town. There are a few that are up over 10%...one in particular that's 13% or so for 1/4 mile -- that's steep. There's a lot more to it...try going to Washington DC and go into the feature box at the lower left and have it show rail/transit lines -- your own free map of the metro system. The restaurant listing is huge in this, better than I've seen with even the for-pay programs. It's even got some high-res photos of places in other nations...Bermuda looks nice, as does Sydney.

All in all, well worth the time and download. I've been using it for a couple of months now on my laptop...easily can kill two hours with that thing.



Note: This is NOT an official page. It is run by weather hobbyists and should not be used as a replacement for official sources. 
CFHC's main servers are currently located at Hostdime.com in Orlando, FL.
Image Server Network thanks to Mike Potts and Amazon Web Services. If you have static file hosting space that allows dns aliasing contact us to help out! Some Maps Provided by:
Great thanks to all who donated and everyone who uses the site as well. Site designed for 800x600+ resolution
When in doubt, take the word of the National Hurricane Center