Google Earth is yet another Google product that lets you discover, explore, and interact with the world. One way to do this is to create a Google Earth project. You can create a Google Earth project on just about any subject you can imagine. But sometimes, making up your mind and choosing which projects to make can be difficult.

We get it, that's why we've done the heavy lifting for you and put together this article showing you five creative ways to use Google Earth projects. But first, what are Google Earth projects?

What Is a Google Earth Project?

Google Earth project is a Google Earth feature that allows you to create and share maps and stories about our world. For instance, you can create, annotate, and share a map showing key geological sites across the world.

You can enrich it by adding placemarks, lines, shapes, text, links, images, videos, 3D views, and even Street View. You can equally arrange your maps and stories into a narrative using a timeline of events. This is similar to viewing your archived Instagram stories on a map.

With Google Earth’s imagery and your custom content, you can provide truly immersive experiences for viewers. You can also share your projects via Google Drive.

The best part is that you don’t need coding skills to create a Google Earth project. It’s also free, and you only require a Google Account to start creating your first project.

1. Use Google Earth Project as a Teaching Aid

Say you're a tutor, you can create a Google Earth project covering the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World viz:

  • Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt
  • Statue of Zeus at Olympia
  • Hanging Gardens of Babylon
  • Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
  • Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
  • Lighthouse of Alexandria
  • Colossus of Rhodes

This way, students can learn not just their names, histories, and ancient locations, but also explore their present-day locations or their remains. If there are any of the seven ancient wonders near your location, you can have students physically visit the site, take new photos, upload them to Street View, and share a timeline of where they've been.

Of all the seven wonders of the world, only the Great Pyramid of Giza is still standing. After exploring it, you can use the opportunity to educate your students on the need to preserve historical treasures and our environment.

You can even touch on the works of well-known conservationists like Jane Goodall. To inspire you, here's a Google Earth project showcasing some of Jane's work.

2. Use Google Earth Project to Teach Historical Context

You can also use Google Earth projects to teach your students about an important historic event. For instance, you can create a project highlighting the events leading up to, during, and after World Wars I and II.

british airforce officer in front of fighter jet

For World War I, you can include placemarks, lines, shapes, text, links, images, videos, 3D views, and present-day Street Views of events or locations like:

  • The arms race
  • Conflicts in the Balkans
  • The Sarajevo assassination
  • The escalations in Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • The 100 days offensive
  • The battle of Albert
  • The war crimes
  • The peace treaties and other diplomatic efforts to end the war
  • The legacy and memories of World War I

You can also include before and after photos and videos of the war to highlight the destruction caused by conflict, as well as the progress made by the human race since the formal end of the war and the cessation of all-out hostilities.

This can help your students to appreciate the efforts of soldiers who sacrificed their lives to maintain the peace. It'll also reinforce the importance of protecting global peace at all costs and preventing a re-occurrence of another world war.

3. Use Google Earth Project to Present Your Travel Highlights

If you plan on going for a vacation anytime soon, you can start off by creating a Google Earth project of all the sites you intend to visit before you ever lift a foot.

travel plan showing person map and hat

This can be a fun and rewarding activity to engage in whether you're traveling alone or as a group. You can start by collecting available photos and videos of your intended vacation location.

For example, if you're vacationing in France, you can create a Google Earth project showcasing its medieval cities, alpine villages, wines, sophisticated cuisine, and fashion houses. You can include content showcasing:

  • The Eiffel Tower
  • The Musée du Louvre
  • The Palace of Versailles
  • The Place de la Concorde
  • The ancient cave drawings of Lascaux
  • The Avenue des Champs-Élysées
  • The Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris

4. Use Google Earth Project to Create a Timeline of Your Parents/Grandparents' Life

If your parents' or grandparents' birthday is around the corner, you can make it extra special by creating an exciting Google Earth project showcasing their life's journey.

old couple smiling while watching something on a tablet

For this task, you can start by collecting their childhood photos from birth, their growing-up photos, and their current photos and videos. Ensure to capture special moments of their lives like their graduation, marriage, first job, children, vacations, and so on.

You can even expand this to include:

  • Your family tree
  • A happy birthday song
  • Recorded birthday wishes from your siblings who live abroad
  • A "Why you're the best dad/mom in the world" clip
  • A message from all the grandchildren
  • The announcement of a surprise birthday gift
  • Prayers for longevity

You can also create a project to celebrate the life and times of a loved one who's passed on.

5. Use Google Earth Project to Create a Fictional Presentation for the Setting of a Novel

Writing a fictional novel with fictional characters and locations requires a lot of imagination and creative thinking. You can simplify this process by creating an appropriate Google Earth project.

person typing on a typewriter

If the setting of your novel contains popular geographical locations, beaches, mountains, or other sociocultural elements, you can easily include them in your project. This also applies to fictional books.

You can obtain photos and videos of the locations within your setting, and use the Google Earth project's note-taking feature to write up the draft for your novel. You can find examples of this in the Google Lit Trip project.

When you're done, you can easily share your enriched draft like you would any Google Drive file. Set appropriate editing permissions and shoot it off to the editor or publishers.

Do More with Google Earth Projects

You can create an Earth project mapping world languages, world cup locations, free Wi-Fi locations, crime spots, Latino musicians across the world, etc. When it comes to creating with Google Earth projects, the sky's the limit.

Being a Google product, you can easily integrate it with other core-Google products for a looped experience. As Google Earth and Google Maps continue to develop, you can expect better results with Earth projects.