When Microsoft first launched Virtual Earth in 2005, some bloggers joked that a more apt name would have been "Virtual USA" due to the lack of detailed mapping outside of the United States. However, since then, Microsoft has steadily been building on their application by increasing the image resolution, functionality and usability considerably.
The most recent and exciting development for Virtual Earth is the introduction and subsequent improvements of 3D city modelling. Microsoft has been collecting aerial imagery by flying over cities and capturing video from the ground to create a real world experience of major urban conurbations. This has allowed them to model cities in graphic 3D detail which is currently seen by many as superior to any of the city imagery in Google Earth. Using the Virtual World 3D function, users can fly over complete cities and in between photo-realistic buildings, in a similar way to other fictional virtual words, like Second Life.
The competition between Google and Microsoft has undoubtedly spurred both companies to continually improve their application in an attempt to outdo the other. Microsoft are now looking into the idea of using Virtual Earth for entertainment, gaming and commerce, and may even open up the Virtual Earth software to game developers for the Xbox 360, encouraging them to utilise the Virtual Earth framework for gaming.
Microsoft has also hinted at the possibility of merging MSN instant messenger with Virtual Earth, allowing users to chat in a virtual setting and travel about the virtual world. They have also spoken of the huge commercial scope of taking advertising to the 3D world, and we've already seen a pilot programme where giant billboards are positioned to float over buildings in certain areas of selected cities.
The virtual billboard technology also allows designers to render a graphic on top of any surface in a 3D environment - for example, a stadium roof or a golf course - and they hope to eventually be able to incorporate video into the virtual billboards. Additionally, Virtual Earth boasts the advantage of being able to run straight from the browser, rather than having to be downloaded to the user's hard drive.
Fans of virtual globe software have welcomed the competition between Microsoft Virtual Earth and Google Earth, as it is continually urging each company to create a more refined, entertaining and useful product for end users.
