Google Maps is probably the most widely used of the GIS platforms. In either case, this will ONLY be available on your personal computer, not Brooklyn College library or lab computers. You can either download the free software to your personal computer, or you download the free browser plugin. Whether you have a particular destination in mind, or you just want to poke around and see what it's like to live in different areas, this app has tons to offer. Google Earth lets you take a virtual trip to anywhere in the world, with tons of photos, information, and other types of interactive displays you can explore. Google Earth, in contrast, has been a program that you download and save on your computer, though now it does have a web browser plugin functionality. The main difference between the two is that Google Maps is accessed through a Web browser and an Internet connection. This is largely due to the addition of new features to Google Maps, such as support for 3D Imagery and other features that used to only be available in Google Earth. Google Earth and Google Maps used to be very different products, but over the past few years they’ve become much more similar.

Google earth pro app