Google Earth is a cool way to explore and travel around the earth, except you can’t access the map immediately by using web browser such as Firefox or Internet Explorer. You have to download and install Google Earth application in your computer, which currently only support Windows 2000, Windows XP, Mac OS X 10.3.9 and above or Linux. Flash Earth is an experimental mapping service that allows you to access Google Earth satellite and aerial imagery without any downloading and installing of Google Earth software by using Flash. Best of all, Flash Earth can retrieve and load imagery maps from various online mapping websites such as Google Maps, Yahoo Maps, Windows Live Local, Microsoft Virtual Earth, Ask.com Maps, OpenLayers, NASA Terra and more, allowing users to compare the imagery of the location specified.

Flash Earth gives the users ability to move the map, rotate the map and zoom in or zoom out the map. You can also search for a location or point. The functionality is quite limited, if compared with full fledged Google Earth program, however it should appeal to users who like simplicity or those who can’t install Google Earth, or users who want the ability to easily view multiple imagery from various source with just a click. Latitude and longitude are always displayed, and users can click on Link to this location that generate a URL (link location) in address bar that will always locate and point back to the location pointed by the focus currently, when loaded or clicked by another users, allowing easy sharing of interesting map finding with other users.

Flash Earth

Update: Flash Earth no longer includes Google Earth as source. Besides, Google Earth now supports viewing on web browser via a plugin.

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