Internet Mapping Goes 3D

Microsoft unveiled a new, download-able browser application that brings the photorealism and maneuverability of gaming into its online mapping and local search service. In Virtual Earth 3D, which is part of Microsoft’s Live Search, users can “fly” over cities and in between buildings just like they do in virtual-reality environments.

To generate cash, Microsoft has installed “virtual billboards” with advertisements that float above buildings as part of a pilot advertising program.

Three-dimensional models are built for 15 U.S. cities, with more to come. The cities are San Francisco; San Jose, Calif.; Seattle; Boston; Philadelphia; Los Angeles; Las Vegas; Detroit; Phoenix; Houston; Baltimore; Atlanta; Denver; Dallas; and Fort Worth, Texas.              SEO software