Aerial photos of Earth are becoming more widespread and much more available on the internet. A primary provider of this aerial imaging service of Earth is, of course, Google Earth which offers basic access for free on your own home computer.

You can take virtual tours to all places around the world and one's computer can become his travel vehicle. It is possible to choose any place on Earth and Google Earth will rapidly focus in on that point. Valleys, rivers, cities, oceans, and mountains are only a select few of the millions of things that can be seen from the above-ground views available with the help of satellite imaging.

Basic information is also provided about the place that has been chosen for focus. There are myriad uses for this service, although the most basic can simply be that it is fascinating to travel the world without leaving home.

Information about local attractions, information on planning trips, or finding interesting places to travel are only some of the advantages that are offered by aerial photos of Earth. People can easily access information about local places to visit or about businesses and they can print out exact directions, using their home as their starting place. The images available on the screen will show exactly how the route should be traveled and one can clearly use the aerial views to plan out the trip.

Some websites such as Google Earth that offer images of Earth from above the ground may also offer tools to help track the places that were visited. There are tools for taking notes and venues for sharing information and for learning from others about places they've seen and interesting things they've learned from using these satellite images of Earth.

There are countless industries that use aerial images of the Earth to perform their businesses, to obtain further information, and to become more productive. For example, insurance companies use Google Earth to find property information so that more precise and well-informed decisions can be made before underwriting an agreement. Locations and properties can be seen clearly with aerial imaging and contracts no longer have to be signed blindly.

Some issues that may previously have arisen are whether or not a property or a commercial development is in a location that is likely to get flooded? Is a property or building located near an area that is prone to earthquakes? This information and much more can be determined now first hand- by looking at above-ground images of Earth. In addition to the insurance industry, many other businesses have already benefited and continue to profit from the assistance offered from aerial photos of Earth.

Aerial Maps