Royal wedding route graces 3D Google map

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Westminster Abbey on Google Earth

Google Earth, the company's interactive mapping program, has conjured up 3D representations of London landmarks in time for the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton on Friday.

After the royal couple has tied the knot, they will set off by coach for a procession through the streets of London. People around the world can check out the wedding route in 3D from the comfort of their own armchairs, using the Google Maps add-on.

The route begins at Westminster Abbey in Parliament Square, the traditional venue for royal weddings and coronations.

See more photo galleries on ZDNet UK.

Published: April 28, 2011 -- 11:03 GMT (04:03 PDT)
Photo by: Google

Caption by: Jon Yeomans
Big Ben on Google Earth

Along the way, Google Earth's 3D imagery offers a bird's-eye view of familiar landmarks, such as Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.

Users can spin around major buildings, zoom in and out, and fly above the streets of London.

See more photo galleries on ZDNet UK.

Published: April 28, 2011 -- 11:03 GMT (04:03 PDT)
Photo by: Google

Caption by: Jon Yeomans
Whitehall on Google Earth

The latest version of the program, Google Earth version 6, is available for download from Google's site, and offers a combination of worldwide satellite imagery, 3D graphics and street-level pictures via Google Street View.

Alternatively, people can view Google Earth via a browser by installing a plug-in.

Above, the royal procession will proceed up Whitehall, past the Cenotaph and Downing Street.

See more photo galleries on ZDNet UK.

Published: April 28, 2011 -- 11:03 GMT (04:03 PDT)
Photo by: Google

Caption by: Jon Yeomans
Horse Guards Parade

Pictured above is Horse Guards Parade, St James's Park and, in the distance, Buckingham Palace.

Google Earth is available in free, Pro and Enterprise editions. The Pro version adds 3D measurements, a film-making function, and the ability to import image files and addresses, while the Enterprise software is designed to help companies build globes and imagery from their own geographical data.

See more photo galleries on ZDNet UK.

Published: April 28, 2011 -- 11:03 GMT (04:03 PDT)
Photo by: Google

Caption by: Jon Yeomans
Buckingham Palace on Google Earth

Buckingham Palace is the end point of the royal procession. According to Google, the 3D images of St James's Park have been modelled to include five different species of tree, and contain more than 12,000 individual trees.

See more photo galleries on ZDNet UK.

Published: April 28, 2011 -- 11:03 GMT (04:03 PDT)
Photo by: Google

Caption by: Jon Yeomans
The Shard on Google Earth

Google Earth 3D includes an array of other buildings in central London, such as the yet-to-be-completed Shard building in London Bridge (above). With 72 floors, the Shard will be the tallest building in Europe when it is completed in 2012.

See more photo galleries on ZDNet UK.

Published: April 28, 2011 -- 11:03 GMT (04:03 PDT)
Photo by: Google

Caption by: Jon Yeomans

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People can follow the wedding procession route of Prince William and Kate Middleton in a virtual 3D world, courtesy of Google Earth

Westminster Abbey on Google Earth

Google Earth, the company's interactive mapping program, has conjured up 3D representations of London landmarks in time for the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton on Friday.

After the royal couple has tied the knot, they will set off by coach for a procession through the streets of London. People around the world can check out the wedding route in 3D from the comfort of their own armchairs, using the Google Maps add-on.

The route begins at Westminster Abbey in Parliament Square, the traditional venue for royal weddings and coronations.

See more photo galleries on ZDNet UK.

Published: April 28, 2011 -- 11:03 GMT (04:03 PDT)

Caption by: Jon Yeomans

1 of 6 NEXT PREV