Other features added to Timelapse today include two more years’ worth of imagery data (reaching up to 2018) and a new toggle feature that lets users easily switch to Google Maps to navigate the map, among other “visual upgrades” based around Google’s Material Design principles. Each of these is themed: forest change, urban growth, warming temperatures, sources of energy and ' our world's fragile beauty.Above: How Australia has changed: Timelapse You can pick your desired location by typing it into the search bar, or if you just want to let Google lead the way, you can go on one of five guided tours. You can watch as a glacier retreats over four decades or see the greenery in the Amazon rainforest give way to roads. Though 2D timelapse videos have existed via Google Earth, these new additions in 3D not only show dimensional scale in some cases but also provide a more immersive experience. That number includes both 2D and 3D videos, and Google Earth's director of Earth Engine and Outreach Rebecca Moore said she's excited to see how governments, researchers, publishers, educators and advocates will 'use Timelapse in Google Earth to shine a light on the issues facing our planet.' Google also uploaded more than 800 of these videos to a directory for the public to download as MP4s for free. You'll find Timelapse by opening Google Earth and clicking on the ship's wheel in the company's Voyager platform. Today, Google is announcing its biggest update to the service since 2017, saying in a blog post that 'you can now see our planet in an entirely new dimension - time.' It's bringing 3D timelapse videos to Google Earth that anyone can watch and download for free.

For many of us, Google Earth has provided that vantage point of looking at the world in almost real time from outer space.

Thanks to satellite imagery, we've been able to get a better sense of how our actions can affect our planet on a larger scale. The effects of climate change and our impact on Earth can be hard to visualize.

Google timelapse earth