Announcing Google Earth Builder
In April, we introduced Google Earth Builder. Organizations and businesses can use Google's cloud technology to easily to store, manage and share geospatial data by creating custom map layers viewable on Google Earth and Google Maps. Discover more information about Google Earth Builder and find out about upcoming informational events.

Explore Redwood Trees in 3D
Over the past few months, Save the Redwoods League and the Google Earth Outreach team have collaborated to create 3D models of the old-growth redwood forest in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park in northern California, so you can now take a virtual hike among the ancient trees and cruise over towering treetops. Download the KML tour or watch the narrated video tour.

Add your Local Knowledge to the Map
Using Google Map Maker, people around the world have built out and edited maps for over 180 countries and regions. Now, users in the United States can add their local knowledge to the map directly with Google Map Maker, and see those contributions in Google Maps to benefit millions of people. See real-time mapping by users from around the world. Get started mapping!

Why Geography Matters
Google is excited to sponsor the National Geographic Bee, which sparks student interest in geography. Over four million students prepare for the 2011 Bee and students who have progressed to the state bee level, will compete for one of the coveted 54 spots at the finals in Washington DC on May 25th. Watch our Geography video to hear from famous explorers.

Better View of the Mountains
We've added a host of new features to the "Mountains" layer in Google Earth, to more easily appreciate their elegance and beauty. To see the layer, make sure "Mountains" is checked in the left layers panel of Google Earth. The green mountains icons are now visible from high up and you can view information about each mountain, including elevation profile, Panoramio photos, articles and KML tours. Learn more in this post.

New and Updated Imagery
This month we added new and updated imagery, including high-resolution aerial updates for the USA, Japan, Norway and Australia. Many countries also received high-resolution satellite updates, including Angola, Brazil, Greece, Zambia, Costa Rica, Russia, Venezuela, Thailand, Uruguay, and more. Take a look at these changes and many more in our update post here, here, here, or view this file directly in Google Earth. Don't forget you can use the View > Historical Imagery option to see imagery choices through the time slider.