How Digital Earth Has Changed Our Lives

Where are you now?

“Where are you now?”

We used to describe our location by naming nearby buildings, scanning for familiar signs, or pointing out the landmark or the nearest subway exit.

But now, things are different. We simply send a URL link to our location on the map.

One click, and the map opens. Our location appears as a single blinking dot.

We need a Digital Earth.

“I believe we need a ‘Digital Earth’ —
a multi-resolution, three-dimensional representation of the planet
into which we can embed vast quantities of geo-referenced data.”
— Al Gore, 1998

Al Gore’s words were not just hopeful speculation.

Today, Digital Earth is a reality—an essential part of our everyday lives.

The Birth of Digital Earth

In 2001, NASA developed World Wind, and in 2005, Google Earth was launched.

Now, we can rotate the planet with a mouse. 

Street View is aligned to human eye level. Satellite-view, rail-view, aerial-view — we can move through Digital Earth in multiple ways.

We no longer say 'we look at' the Digital Earth. We say 'we move through' it.

Digital Earth is no longer a background. It is an Interface.

How Digital Earth has reshaped our lives

Everything is now analyzed and predicted through Digital Earth.

COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters, climate change, logistics networks, public transit planning—all are built on top of digital geo-spatial platforms.

We can hardly imagine moving around without navigation anymore. Sharing a map link to set a meeting point has become second nature.

The Metaverse is next internet.

Now, another shift is underway.

We are leaving the web browser behind and stepping into the internet as a space — not just as a link.

This is what we call the Metaverse.

But the Metaverse isn’t just about graphics or avatars. It requires a foundation — 
a 1:1 scale Digital Earth grounded in reality.

Only a digital space that includes coordinates, distance, and direction can support a true Metaverse.

What comes next?

Digital Earth has already changed how we perceive the world and how we connect to it.

And now, a new kind of world is being built on top of it.

What will Digital Earth change next?