Questions

1. What is Google Earth? Is it a Web site? Is it the same thing as Google Maps?
   
   
2. Why did AIA want to partner with Google Earth?
   
   
3. What is Blueprint for America, and how is it shown on Google Earth?
   
   
4. What is the America's Favorite Architecture layer about?
   
   
5. What's in it for Google Earth?
   
   
6. How do I view the AIA layers on Google Earth?

Answers

1. What is Google Earth? Is it a Web site? Is it the same thing as Google Maps?
   
   
Google Earth is a program you download and install on your computer. There are versions for Windows and Mac OS X computers available.

Google Earth allows you to view satellite photos, maps, geographic terrain and 3D models of buildings from around the world. Plus, Google has partnered with several content providers to give users even more information about popular and interesting places, and AIA is now one of those providers.

While the Google Earth program offers some of the same features as the Google Maps Web site, many features, including AIA's content, are only available within Google Earth.



2. Why did AIA want to partner with Google Earth?


In commemoration of its 150th anniversary, the AIA is striving to engage the public in a dialogue about the impact of architecture in our daily lives. By adding AIA Blueprint for America and America's Favorite Architecture layers to Google Earth, we are able to introduce the public to a virtual world of architecture that can put them up close and personal with the buildings and communities that influence the way we live, work and play.

Through Google Earth, we are able to reach the public in a medium that speaks to them and is interactive. More than 200 million Google Earth users will now have access to America's architecture from the comfort of their homes.

The AIA partnership with Google Earth reinforces the message that architects and local citizens are part of a growing global effort to create a better quality of life in their community.



3. What is Blueprint for America, and how is it shown on Google Earth?


Blueprint for America is a series of community service efforts funded by the AIA, in which AIA members donated their time and expertise to collaborate with community leaders and local citizens to address issues such as homelessness, sustainable communities, and downtown revitalization. 

Clicking on the Blueprint for America layer enables users to explore how AIA members and local citizens are working together to resolve real issues in their communities to create a vision for their future. The Blueprint projects are demonstrations of AIA civic engagement and foster an understanding of how citizens can find their voice to address specific issues related to the design and planning of their community to help create a better future for their community.

By following the Blueprint for America projects as they are completed between 2007-2008, local citizens everywhere can find inspiration and insight into how they might become active or more effective in their communities.



4. What is the America's Favorite Architecture layer about?


America's Favorite Architecture layer features the American public's 150 favorite structures, as announced earlier this year through a national poll with Harris Interactive. Google Earth users can now see SketchUp 3-D models of the ballparks, bridges, buildings and memorials that characterize architecture for Americans. By clicking on the America's Favorite Architecture layer, users can view 3-D images of the nation's most popular landmarks, right down to the trees lining the sidewalks and flags flanking the entrances.

In fact, we still want to hear what Google Earth users think about the poll results, so we encourage users to post their own comments on the buildings at www.favoritearchitecture.org.



5. What's in it for Google?


The "Featured" layers in Google Earth serve to educate the public and encourage exploration of the world. By adding AIA's layers, Google Earth is able to help its users better understand and appreciate the built environment through a visual tutorial.

Through the use of the popular 3D modeling tool called SketchUp, Google Earth users can build and modify 3-D models of buildings so that more alternative visions of the future can be explored. SketchUp was used to design the buildings and projects featured on the AIA layers.



6. How do I view the AIA layers on Google Earth?


First, you must have a copy of Google Earth saved to your computer. To download Google Earth, go to http://earth.google.com.

Follow the download instructions and open the Google Earth software. The AIA layers are located under Featured Layers, which you will find in the left navigation pane entitled "Layers." Click Featured Layers and the AIA layer will automatically appear. Click either America"s Favorite Architecture or Blueprint for America to view the icons as they appear on the Google Earth representation of the earth. Click on any icon to view the project or use your mouse to zoom in to the location.