Territories photographing from different heights are crucial in solving highways design and surveys problems. Photographing from the space that is massively used now for this purpose has replaced the aerial photography. The object of our research is the possibility to use Google Earth for these purposes. This article presents a brief analysis of a database of thousands of bridges in different parts of the world. We have created this database based on the Google Earth information search system at Gagarin Saratov State Technical University (Chair "Bridges and Transport Installations") and at the Perm National Research Polytechnic University (Chair "Cars and Processing Machines"). We analyzed how software modules Google Earth Pro and Google Earth Solutions for Busines allow customers and designers to evaluate real objects efficiently and effectively. We feel it is a productive way to form continuous virtual photographic layers: by superimposing of images taken from different satellites at different times and from different heights. When operating in this software module with the Google server, you can view the image of an object in any part of the world, virtually change the spatial position and orientation of point of view. It is possible to change height, coordinate, and inclination angle relative to the horizon. This module also allows estimating the correlation between real landscape and specific engineering solutions, for example, in the planning of bridges. In particular, we could not create database section for extra-class bridges in South America. This is because large cities are located on the shores of the oceans, and width of rivers estuaries reaches tens of kilometers, therefore database represented mainly overpasses. As a conclusion, we offer officially recommend to designers and builders of roads and engineering transportation structures to use such resources of information in their activities.

Рассматриваются возможности информационного ресурса «Google Планета Земля», который позволяет осуществлять поиск объектов и изображений для получения географической информации на основе фотографий со спутников, электронных или обычных карт, моделей ландшафтов и трехмерных зданий. На его основе собрана обширная база данных фотографий из космоса с интереснейшими архитектурно-планировочным решениями мостовых сооружений и других объектов транспортного строительства.