For many years, I used to rely on Mapquest to help me find places for my genealogical research. I would get a small square of a map that was good enough to find places.
Then came a fantastic software, Microsoft MapPoint, that allowed me to put a town in perspective with surrounding towns, and better understand interactions between villages. I even loved the tool that helped calculate distances between places.
I have been playing now for a few days with TWO pieces of software, and I have to confess that I'm completely blown away. I now can fly over the place, see in 3D mountains and cities:
I had never imagined that for instance that Contulmo - a town founded by my ancestors in the South of Chile (on the link, it's my grandmother sitting on the lap of her grandfather) - was in a small valley surrounded by mountains. Of course, I had heard that they arrived there by boat crossing the Lake Lanalhue: but indeed there is no other way there, excerpt crossing mountains!
Waow: these software allow you to navigate around the world in a few clicks: I have found my house in Paris, the place I grew up in in Thailand, etc. A fantastic treat.
It's now up to you: pay a 30$ yearly subscription to Google's Keyhole (faster search interface), or NASA's World Wind (great 3D rendering) for free. I'm going to be using both from now on.
Google's Keyhole:
NASA's World Wind:
