How is it done?
Satellite Pictures
 

Satellite pictures and 3D View of Earth

How to view your town, street and even your house (only in some part of the world) from the satellite.

There are two programs that would give you a 3D view of your town from the satellite

  • Google Earth
  • NASA World Wind

Google Earth
Google Earth puts a planet's worth of imagery and other geographic information right on your desktop. View exotic locales like Maui and Paris as well as points of interest such as local restaurants, hospitals, schools, and more.

How to install Google Earth
1- You need to download the Google Earth Program. It is Free and you can download it by Clicking here.

2- You should select 'Run' (or 'Open') if you are using Internet Explorer. This would automatically download and run the 'GoogleEarthSetup.exe' Program.

3- You may get a Security Warning message reminding you of virus hazards on internet. Click 'Run' (or 'Open') and follow the on-screen setup instructions. You need to click 'Next', and when it is finished it creates an icon called 'Google Earth' on your desktop and you may need to restart your computer.

4- Click on the 'Google Earth' icon on your desktop to open the program.

Google Earth Controls: You can use the above control panel that appears at the buttom of the Google Earth to zoom in and out and also tilt the screen to view in 3D.

You can Use the Mouse Roller to Zoom in and out. Hold down the middle mouse button and move the mouse to tilt the image into a 3D picture.

You can spin the globe by holding it with the mouse and spin it and let go of the mouse. In 3D view it appears as you are flying over the town.
Koohe-Alborz

Pyramids

 San Diego
 

NASA World Wind
This is very similar to Google Earth and in the same way you need to download a program to operate it. The only major difference is that you need Microsoft framework loaded on your PC.

World Wind lets you zoom from satellite altitude into any place on Earth. Leveraging Landsat satellite imagery and Shuttle Radar Topography Mission data, World Wind lets you experience Earth terrain in visually rich 3D.

Download World Wind

Tehran

 Rasht