Redesigned Google Earth brings guided tours and 3D view to Chrome browsers and Android devices

Just in time for Earth Day, Google has redesigned Google Earth for web and Android. The new version adds new features that let users see 3D maps of specific locations, learn about random places around the world, and take guided tours from their Chrome browser or mobile devices.

Those tours are interactive, and are led by scientists, documentarians, and other experts, helping users learn about our world. Google says more than 50 are available already — under the service’s new “Voyager” section — including a tour of the Tanzanian Gombe National Park led by primate expert Jane Goodall and her team. Also available are video journeys to six different habitats produced by BBC Earth, and a kid-friendly jaunt to Mexico with Sesame Street muppet Lola, to learn about Mayan ruins.

The new Google Earth also adds an I’m Feeling Lucky button, as borrowed from its bigger search sibling. Click it and the service will take you somewhere unexpected, from opera houses in Italy to hot springs in Japan, before showing you a “knowledge card” of interesting facts. While you’re there, you’ll also be able to see the location in three dimensions in your browser or on your mobile device, using the service’s new 3D feature. Press the 3D button in the corner of the UI, and you’ll be able to get a movable drone’s-eye view of historical, geographical, or architectural marvels around the world.

The revamped Google Earth — which the company says was two years in the making — is now available in Chrome or on Android, and will be coming to iOS and other browsers in the future.