Wow, are those things perfect for research or what?! I’m contemplating a trip abroad in my novel, and since I just can’t jump on a plane to go do some research, I did the next best thing and hopped on to Google Maps, punched in what I want and *poof* there it is, a perfect satellite image of the entire city. Awesome, awesome, awesome.
I love how you can do terrain maps, street maps, or the aerial photo maps.
Anyway, if you haven’t given it a shot, go for it. Even if you don’t use it for research, it’s fun to play with. 
