Google Earth gets a new home on the Web, fancy “guided tour” section

Earth Day is coming up this weekend, and to celebrate, Google Earth received a major update today to version 9. This version is again designed to run in a Web browser (just Chrome for now), but there's now a standalone home for Google Earth at earth.google.com/web. The Android app has been updated, too (iOS is coming soon).

Version 9 puts a big focus on guided tours via the "Voyager" section, which serves as a jumping off point for YouTube videos, 360 content, Street View, and Google Earth landmarks. The tours are led by scientists and documentarians, with some content produced by well-known groups like the BBC's Planet Earth team. For kids, there's a Sesame Street muppet section. Engadget reports that this curated content section will be continually updated. Currently, there are about 40 stories.

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