Posted in Tech Tagged: EARTH, google, Tech

Building a comprehensive 3-D model of the world is definitely not going to be a top-down task. So Google Earth is taking a page from the company’s crowdsourced success with Map Maker and is asking people to help create 3-D versions of buildings around the world.They’ve kept the program fairly simple. You don’t have to create a building from scratch: instead you make it from photos that already exist within Google Earth and give them a three-dimensional structure.Once you’re finished, the models go to Google’s 3-D Warehouse and require approval before going live in Google Earth. The company’s launched the project in about 50 cities.The search giant’s crowdsourced data for maps has become so comprehensive that it’s allowed the company to move away using TeleAtlas and enabled it to expand in developing countries like Vietnam and India, where many roads aren’t even officially documented.

Google is launching their version of Sim City today, Google Building Maker. The tool lets you create buildings for Google Earth. Building Maker lets you pick any building and construct a 3D version of it using photos and building blocks provided by Google. Google says that buildings are relatively fast to construct using their tool, taking only a matter of minutes. Building Maker runs within your web browser and connect with your Google Account so you can get credit for your building. You can also use Google SketchUp to edit or modify your creation.