Visit the “happiest place on [Google] Earth” from home
By Joyce Chang
Google and Walt Disney World recently partnered to launch a 3-D interactive map layer of the Orlando, Fla., attraction on Google Earth.
Google Earth has offered virtual re-creations of places or cities before, but the virtual Disney World is considered one of the most intricate models produced, and Disney executives have called it the largest corporate initiative on Google Earth.
The new map layer is mostly aimed at tourists, allowing them to plan their trips and view the rides, hotels, streets, souvenir shops, building exteriors, etc., before they go on vacation at the resort.
“Visitors can walk or fly around the park as they wish. Information on the park’s 1,500 attractions pops up on the side of the screen, along with photos, videos and booking details,” the Telegraph wrote.
The map layer even includes seemingly ordinary or insignificant items, such as the monorail, restrooms, picnic tables, benches, streetlights, signs and trees. But including those items in the map could be useful and takes the concept a step further, even more closely tying the physical and virtual worlds.
The map also includes photos, videos and reviews to help people maximize their time and decide which rides they want to go on the most, according to Popular Science.
Using Google Earth is more labor-intensive than using Google Maps. Users must download software and figure out how to use the program. A previous LoJo blog post about who really uses Google Earth included a Lifehacker poll that found the majority of people occasionally use the program for its gee whiz factor and a smaller, loyal group uses it regularly.
The new Disney World map layer may work because the people who would use it, most likely tourists or other occasional visitors, would also tend to want it for its flashy features, and are less likely to rely on it for professional or regular use.
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