Google Earth's 'creation tools' let you make personalized maps

Google Earth introduced “creation tools” on Wednesday that allow users to produce narrative projects. Users can map out locations around the globe, and Google Earth will present them as an immersive story by jumping viewers from one place to another.

Users can annotate each location with their own text, images, and videos, or draw lines and shapes on maps to indicate paths and highlight areas. A built-in integration with Google Drive allows those with a collaborative spirit to co-author and share projects with others.

Google is basically making tools from Voyager — a program the company launched more than two years ago for scientists, nonprofits and professional storytellers — available to everyone.

“For nearly 15 years, people have turned to Google Earth for a comprehensive view of our planet,” Gopal Shah, a product manager at Google Earth, said in a press release. “Today, we’re taking the next and most significant step forward: turning the power of mapmaking and storytelling over to you.”

Creation tools are now available to use in Google Earth on the web, and to view on phones and tablets with Google's iOS and Android apps.

Sure, Google hopes that this technology will help “celebrate our ancestry, raise awareness about places we care about, and rekindle memories of home.” But let's be honest — you just want to make a map of WTF moments.