Google Earth API and Google Earth COM API

Question

I want to use Google Earth in a desktop application.

My question is which of the two google-provided APIs do you think has more functionality and / or better support?

Many thanks

Answer 1

The Google Earth API is a Javascript API for use with the Google Earth browser plugin.

This API is currently much more developed and offers features that are not currently found in the Google Earth COM API, but it is limited to the Google Earth browser plugin.

Here are some neat examples here .

If you are creating a web application, this is your choice.

The Google Earth COM API can be used to retrieve information and send commands to Google Earth (standalone application).

This API seems to be younger, or at least there are very few examples.

If you are building a desktop application, this is probably the natural choice. (I say this probably because you can embed a browser object of some variety in a desktop application, and then implement the Google Earth browser plugin.)

So this is more a matter of the web application vs Not , rather than functionality.

Answer 2

I will not repeat the good information that ak1123578 gave. However, the COM API is actually older than the JS API and comes out of it. See here history and announcement: Sunset for the Google Earth COM API

Today it was announced that Google Earth 5.2 Client would be the latest version to support the COM API. Planet Earth 5.2 and older clients continue to support the COM API while these versions are supported. Future releases will no longer have COM API bindings. We believe that the JavaScript API provides the best mechanism for reaching the greatest developers.

Please note that you can use the JS API for the desktop application by embedding a web browser component in your application. See these two threads for some tips on this.

Answer 3

The Google Earth API has more features and support. In addition, the COM api is now depreciating.

You can take a look at this management library that I have compiled, which helps to work with the Google Earth plugin in managed code.

http://code.google.com/p/winforms-geplugin-control-library/

It makes extensive use of C # type dynamics when accessing objects in the Google Earth API. Essentially, this means that you can use Earth Api in managed code just as you would with JavaScript.

http://code.google.com/p/winforms-geplugin-control-library/wiki/ExampleForm

Answer 4

The problem is that only the COM API seems to support offline mode, such as the GE Standalone application. For the GE-API, you must have a working Internet connection, which is not a suitable prerequisite for all situations.