When people think about Google Earth, they often think satellite imagery.  Yet, since the early days of Google Earth, we've been working with local governments and other public sector organizations to add their aerial imagery as well.  Thanks to this data sharing, we're able to offer our users a more current representation of thousands of communities and a higher resolution view of countless geographic features.  With this week's launch of the historical imagery feature in Google Earth, we're now able to partner with public sector organizations and other imagery content providers to present users a view of their community or geographic features, such as mountains or lakes, evolving over time.

For organizations that would like to share their aerial imagery, we’ve just put out the welcome mat  — a new website for our Imagery Partner Program where you can learn the ins and outs of adding your organization’s imagery to Google's services.  As you'll see, we've learned from our partnerships with many governments and have structured this program to make it as easy as possible for your organization to license and deliver your data to Google.  Wondering what aerial imagery formats we welcome or how we handle data transfer or other details?  Visit the site and check out the FAQ.

Now that we've expanded the number of partner programs we offer, which already include the Cities in 3D Program and Google Transit Partner Program, we want to make it easier for you and your colleagues to learn and stay informed about all the ways you can add your map content to Google's services.  Check out our new site for Map Content Partners, with the easy to remember URL, google.com/mapcontent, and spread the word.

Posted by Scott Ciabattari, Content Partnerships