A good application for GE in Australia is checking to see if parks and conservation areas have been logged by 'mistake'. Ideally that needs a template or overlay on the image to show the park boundaries. However the mosaic pattern created by joining different satellite photos can create false alarms. I disagree strongly that Australia should pay other countries like Indonesia to conserve forest. Instead Indonesia should be slugged carbon debits if they raze the forest. There are some serious issues such as preserving one valley to earn carbon credits and razing the adjoining valley because foreigners don't have a stake in it. Of course it upholds the delusion that we can continue burning millions of tonnes of coal and all is excused. The effect of drought, fire and disease on forests (for which there are no anti-credits) may need infra-red imagery which I believe is outside GE's scope.

The virtues of Google Earth as a tool of democracy become somewhat "clouded" (you'll get the pun if you click the link below), when you realise that they're apparently all too ready to accede to the wishes of the rich and powerful.

http://deceiver.com/2008/06/25/google-to-change-motto-from-dont-be-evil-to-make-it-look-like-an-accident/#hide

Perhaps an article investigating Google Earth and oligarchy might be warranted?

Good article.
This is a step or so in the right direction. if only we could write a program to enforce solutions with equity. I'd subscribe to that.

A small point, Taswegian - the 'close-up' images of houses, streets etc we see on Google earth are aerial photographs not satellite photographs. The aerial pics are seamlessly integrated in the zoom from the upper level satellite images.