14 DAY TRIAL // Google has plenty of reasons not to be satisfied with this world, the recent issues in China, all the people criticizing Google Books, Street View, the increasing government scrutiny, you name it. Maybe that's why it's working on creating a new one, or at least recreating this one on its own terms, in Google Earth. Google's mapping services are constantly evolving and with the influx of new, high-quality photography coming from the one of the most advanced imaging satellite in the world, the GeoEye-1, in which Google put a lot of money, they're about to get a lot better. But two dimensions will only get you so far, adding a third can make a huge difference and Google has been working hard on that front as well.
It's efforts, or rather the efforts of the volunteers building all the 3D models Google has been adding to Earth, are paying off and Google has just introduced a new city to the 3D Buildings layer, the city of Madrid, Spain. Google does this when it's satisfied with the quality and the number of 3D models for a particular location.
"The City of Madrid contains scores of beautiful structures ranging from art museums and classical monuments to palatial government buildings. The prevalence of architectural wonders may explain why passionate geo-modelers have created thousands of models there (using both Google SketchUp and Google Building Maker) -- the largest concentration of 3D models anywhere the world!," Bruce Polderman, product manager for Google Earth, writes.
Much of the city is now modeled in 3D, but you may not know where to start if you haven't visited before. Luckily, Google suggests some of the most interesting locations.
"I recommend you fly-to El Palacio real de Madrid (Royal Palace of Madrid), the official residence of the King of Spain. From there I'd fly over to the Puerta de Alcalá, a famous classical monument located in the Plaza de la Independencia (Independence Square), and then over to the Monumento a Alfonso XII en el Parque del Buen Retiro, a beautiful monument that is among the greatest in Europe," Polderman adds. There are plenty of other landmarks to visit, Google lists several more, and all you have to do is fire up Google Earth and make sure the 3D Buildings layer is enabled. And if you're aching for your own city to be included, don't forget the Model Your Town competition Google is currently running.
