The article is a good reading for software people.
"...After reading an article called "How Google Earth Works" on the great site HowStuffWorks.com, it became apparent that the article was more of a "how cool it is" and "here’s how to use it" than a "how Google Earth [really] works."
...
http://www.realityprime.com/articles/how-google-earth-really-works
