I have at least three reasons why we should address this topic:
- Google Maps (and other web-based map services like MapQuest, MapBlast!...may it rest in peace, and of course Microsoft's also-ran Bing Maps and Bing Streetside) is a geospatial tools, obviously! I'd be remiss if we never touched on Google Maps or something in this category.
- As I've mentioned, Google Earth won't be around forever. Google Maps, however, will be...in one form or another. So: In the hopes of not teaching dead technologies, I need to include Google Maps and not just Google Earth.
- Google Earth and Google Maps share a data structure.
- You can flip the Google Maps street map into a satellite image that looks mighty familiar (since it's from the same dataset that Google Earth uses!)
- You can import a KML or KMZ file into Google Maps and get the same data
- You can build a KML or KMZ file in Google Maps, export it, and open it in Google Earth