Since then, it’s undergone several iterations with varying feature sets.Ĭurrently, there are four active versions of Google Earth: the desktop app Google Earth Pro, open-source Google Earth Enterprise, browser-based Google Earth 9, and Google Earth VR.įrom the perspective of its loyal user-base, Google Earth's history has been tumultuous, and ultimately disappointing. Prior to acquisition, Keyhole had received significant funding from the CIA’s venture capital branch, In-Q-Tel. Originally known as Keyhole, the product was renamed Google Earth after the start-up was purchased by Google. With its multipurpose design and expansive toolset, the software targets a diverse user-base spanning education, government, real estate, media, insurance, and construction, as well as a loyal set of private consumers. It enables individuals to create, store, view, and interact with data as it relates to location. Google Earth is arguably the most well-known and widely used geographic information system (GIS) software available.