Google Earth is a program for viewing the globe of the earth in a semi 3D fashion. In addition one can search for place names or landmarks. Google Earth used to be a desktop software package, but the focus is now on browser technology.
The geographical information is pulled from a Google server. Google Earth basically shares the same data as Google Maps. For further information, visit http://earth.google.com.
iDelft created a sample animation with Google Earth (inner city of Delft).
Contact our office if you are interested in a similar animation.