Google Earth is a great way to pass time and learn a thing or two along the way. We have to hand it to Google, as innovation has was always been a concern since they acquired Keyhole (developers of Earth Viewer, before it was renamed to Google Earth) despite a couple of setbacks they might have had in recent times.

Just yesterday Google announced two new layers for their mapping project. The first will make architecture fans happy because now you can explore architecture’s most popular structures. The second layer is blueprints, which has been developed along side The American Institute of Architects (AIA).

"... the second layer, Blueprint for America. Blueprint is a community service effort funded by the AIA, in which AIA members donating their time and expertise are collaborating with community leaders and local citizens to enhance the quality of life in their community. You’ll be able to track the progress of these projects on Google Earth as they unfold over the next year and, we hope, become inspired to take action where you live."
As you can tell from the quote there is a social background to these new initiatives. Hopefully, Google will work with other communities outside the U.S. and follow this example. There’s a video over at YouTube which explains in more detail what the project is about.