Google has assembled a wealth of information about the upcoming U.S. general election and will display links to it on its Google Earth mapping application.After Google turns on the links Sunday night, Google Earth users will see stars on the U.S. map wherever there is a race in the Nov. 7 election. A number of congressional seats and state governorships are up for grabs. Google Screenshot Clicking on a star opens up a bubble with information about races in that area and links to a variety of information resources, like the websites for the U.S. Federal Election Commission and the Center for Responsive Politics’ OpenSecrets.org, which gathers information about campaign contributions. Below each candidate are links that trigger Google Web, image and news searches about them.“People can easily learn a whole lot about the candidates in their particular area just by browsing this layer on Google Earth,” said John Hanke, director of Google Earth and Maps. This is the first time Google has created an overlay of election-related links on Google Earth, and the company hasn’t decided whether it will do this for every major election in the future, Hanke said.Google Earth, one of the company’s most popular products, is a free, downloadable application that taps into a massive database of satellite images and related information. Its video game-like interface lets users “fly” around the globe, zooming in and out of cities. Google provides a variety of information overlays for the application, so users can display roads, borders, geographic features, restaurants, parks and hotels, to mention just a few of the options.Google acquired the software in 2004 when it bought Keyhole. The Google Earth product family also includes more advanced, fee-based versions of the application designed for commercial uses. -Juan Carlos Perez, IDG News Service (Miami Bureau)Related Links: Google Earth Software Gets Enhancements Google Earth Adds Images, Other Features Google Opens New NYC Office Google Buys Calif. Garage in Which It Was Born 6 Years On, Google Enters Japan Web Top 10 Google Writely, Spreadsheets Get Common PlatformCheck out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content feature 10 most popular IT certifications for 2023 Certifications are a great way to show employers you have the right IT skills and specializations for the job. These 10 certs are the ones IT pros are most likely to pursue, according to data from Dice. By Sarah K. White May 26, 2023 8 mins Certifications Careers interview Stepping up to the challenge of a global conglomerate CIO role Dr. Amrut Urkude became CIO of Reliance Polyester after his company was acquired by Reliance Industries. He discusses challenges IT leaders face while transitioning from a small company to a large multinational enterprise, and how to overcome them. By Yashvendra Singh May 26, 2023 7 mins Digital Transformation Careers brandpost With the new financial year looming, now is a good time to review your Microsoft 365 licenses By Veronica Lew May 25, 2023 5 mins Lenovo news Alteryx works in generative AI for speedy analytics results OpenAI integration and AI wizardry for report generation are aimed at making Alteryx’s analytics products more accessible. By Jon Gold May 25, 2023 3 mins Analytics Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe