You’ve got the whole world on your iPhone- literally. Because coming soon to iPhone users worldwide will be a 3D virtual globe app for the Apple iPhone. It’s not quite Google Earth but undoubtedly modeled after it. Just imagine being able to control Google Earth with a finger tap or swipe on a touch screen!
This new three-dimensional geographic browsing application is being developed by a company called Earthscape, as announced at the recent 2008 Where 2.0 conference, an annual gathering in Burlingame, California of location-related software developers and the businesses interested in buying, funding, selling, and/or otherwise supporting them. The new GoogleEarth-like app is, appropriately, the company’s namesake – in other words, it too is called Earthscape.
The new program even promises to have “social layers” built in, an innovative technology that will allow for an even richer map viewing and searching experience. Social layers will allow users to mark spots of their choosing anywhere on the planet and tag them with photos, stories, and travel tips. Users can then share their world (so to speak) with other users. This makes Earthscape poised to be not only the newest map application but the latest in social networking venues as well.
Other similar content that will be made increasingly available at different spots on the map across the globe will be Wikipedia articles, restaurant reviews, and an assortment of other dynamic content.
With Earthscape, like with GoogleEarth, you’ll be able to zoom in amazingly close to any spots you like, but with Earthscape you’ll also be able to toggle between different views of that spot taken at different seasons. Imagine seeing how your favorite travel destination looks in Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall.
Not only will you be able to toggle between different seasonal views, but you’ll also be able to toggle between views from different eras. Now you can see what your home town looked like in earth 20th century, for example. It seems this makes Earthscape also poised to be the latest in history apps as well.
What’s more, Earthscape gives you aviation maps and topographic maps of your choice spots to view as well.
Earthscape will include a Javascript API that allows the more savvy users to develop their own custom programs for use with Earthscape. For example, you could design an app to track your pets movements, or map your posts on your favorite social bookmarking sites. Any location-specific data you could possibly desire to map could easily be made into a custom application compatible with Earthscape.
All we have to say to this is, “Watch out, GoogleEarth!”
