Google Earth plugin deprecated. Which alternatives? [closed]

Question

I've got a costumer of mine asking for an integration of the Google Earth Plugin to his website.

From Google earth Plugin site I read this:

Google Earth Plugin API has been deprecated as of December 12th, 2014. The API will continue to work on supported browsers until December 12th, 2015, and will shut down on that date.

What alternative exist?

I know that there are Google Maps API, Google Maps Engine API, Google Street View API, but I'm confused about them and which one can "substitute" Google Earth Plugin.

The features that I need are these, in order of importance:

1. load a KMZ file over a satellite view
2. show balloons with HTML data that is present in KMZ files entities. The html will contain links to street view, and I would like to have street view enabled inside balloons. I managed to do this in Google Earth.
3. satellite images historical imagery selector
4. measure tool
5. get address of a clicked point (geocooding)
6. 3D buildings

Answer 1

Besides Cesium, the following alternatives could be explored for simple globe visualisations:

• D3js. See for example this demo, that other one, and this tutorial.
• Kartograph. See this example.

Neither plugin nor webGL required. Freedom!

Answer 2

The issue of the depreciated Earth API is known, and several have suggested Cesium as an alternative. You can read more about it on Google Earth Blog

Answer 3

I have been using MapRight. It is web based with iOS apps, and it is extremely easy to use. It combines parcel data with powerful mapping and presentation functionalities.

Answer 4

ArcGIS is coming out with ArcGIS Earth in December. They are announcing it this week and I am sure that the beta will be out soon. Since ArcGIS API supports all that you listed (even 3D in the 4.0 Beta API) there shouldn't be any of the criteria mentioned that ArcGIS Earth won't cover. I will update this answer when I get more information.

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ArcGIS Earth has now been released for a while. Its latest release is 1.4.

Its current marketing includes:

Explore any part of the world with ArcGIS Earth. Work with a variety of 3D and 2D map data formats … including KML.

Display data, sketch placemarks, measure distances and areas, and add annotations. ArcGIS Earth has everything you need to easily understand spatial information so you get the full picture.

Answer 5

(http://skylinesoft.com/skylineglobe/corporate/products/terraexplorer.aspx?) for years at my client site and TE is the closest application I've seen as a one-to-one replacement for GE. TE can handle your list of items (except for #3) out of the box and TE's API is also open. Let me know if you have any questions.

Answer 6

Soon you will be able to view 3D Mapping and buildings on the Cesium Globe (www.cesiumjs.com) with 3D Mapping and Buildings created by Cyber City 3D (www.cybercity3d.com).