Google Earth relaunches with breathtaking bird’s eye view

The free mapping service of the world has relaunched with breathtaking detail, giving you a bird’s eye view of everywhere in the world.

After checking out your house and office (this obviously will be the first step), spend a while appreciating all the incredible landscapes our planet has to offer.

The new version has been in development for two years, using satellite photos to let you zoom in with incredible detail to see cities, mountain ranges and deserts.

It includes several new features, including guided nature tours from Sir David Attenborough.

There’s also exclusive content from Planet Earth II, the BBC series presented and narrated by Sir David.

The update has been made available for the Chrome web browser and Android versions of the app, and also includes improved and more detailed satellite imagery.

Google Earth’s Gopal Shah said: ‘With the new Earth, we want to open up different lenses for you to see the world and learn a bit about how it all fits together; to open your mind with new stories while giving you a new perspective on the locations and experiences you cherish.

‘It’s everything you love about Google Earth, plus new ways for you to explore, learn and share. Zoom in and see what adventures await you in the new Google Earth.’

A new 3D button has also been introduced to the app, which adds the ability to see any place on the map in 3D, a feature only previously available in specially designated locations.

The ‘I’m feeling lucky’ button, which first appeared on Google’s search engine and carried out a random search for users has also been added to Earth, now automatically jumping to a random location and offering users information about it.

‘You might discover the lush green Pemba Island off the Swahili coast, the historic La Scala opera house in Milan, Italy, or the Zao Hot Spring in Yamagata, Japan,’ Mr Shah said.

“We’ve curated 20,000 different places, so roll the dice and see where the world takes you.”

Google said the new version of the app will be made available for Apple iOS users ‘in the near future’.