What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
NVIDIA Keyhole EarthViewer 3D was a 3D mapping and terrain-viewing program designed by Keyhole Inc. It was distributed as a subscription product before Google acquired Keyhole in 2004 and launched Google Earth in 2005. NVIDIA’s role needs a qualification: the Science Museum Group catalogs a Keyhole-designed CD manufactured by NVIDIA, while a later Keyhole edition called Keyhole 2 NV was specifically described as requiring an NVIDIA graphics card.
What was NVIDIA Keyhole EarthViewer 3D?
EarthViewer 3D was software for exploring maps and terrain on a three-dimensional globe. It was a Keyhole Inc. product, not a mapping application designed solely by NVIDIA. The Science Museum Group preserves a physical software CD cataloged as “Earthview 3D software, 2001–2004” (object L2014-4234). Its collection record describes the disc as designed by Keyhole and manufactured by NVIDIA, and identifies it as a one-year-subscription CD.
The museum dates its example to 2001–2004 and says the software first appeared on a subscription basis in 2002. The date range describes that collection object; it should not be read as a precise release date for every edition.
What could the software do?
Keyhole’s later product material described streamed imagery, location searches, distance measurement, and geographic overlays. It also distinguished editions with different intended users and capabilities. These are historical descriptions from preserved vendor material, not evidence that the service or its features remain available today.
Keyhole 2 NV
A preserved Keyhole product page described Keyhole 2 NV as a download for users with NVIDIA graphics cards, with imagery access offered through monthly or annual subscriptions. That hardware requirement applies to the NV edition described on that page; it does not mean every Keyhole or Google Earth product was NVIDIA-exclusive.
Keyhole 2 LT and Pro
The preserved material described LT and Pro editions as supporting features such as importing geographic overlays and sharing locations. The available record does not establish a current edition comparison or present-day service specifications, so these details belong to the product’s historical context.
Rank #2
How did Keyhole EarthViewer become Google Earth?
Keyhole’s history predates Google Earth. A 2017 USGIF retrospective in Trajectory traces the company’s roots to a 2000 spinout from Intrinsic Graphics led by John Hanke. It reports that Sony Digital Media Ventures and NVIDIA participated in Keyhole’s first funding round in 2001, followed by EarthViewer 1.0. The retrospective also notes an In-Q-Tel investment in 2003 and CNN as an early media customer.
Google acquired Keyhole in 2004. Google Earth launched in June 2005, succeeding the Keyhole product line. The Science Museum Group’s object record likewise identifies Google Earth as the successor. This is a product lineage: it does not mean that the original subscription service and the later Google product are the same edition.
Can you still download or use the original software?
The available records confirm historical software and physical media, but do not verify a current retail listing, a functioning Keyhole subscription service, or compatibility of the original discs with current computers. A preserved Keyhole page reproduces a notice that the classic application was being discontinued as Google focused on Google Earth. A surviving CD is therefore evidence of the product’s history, not proof that it can be activated or run today.
Google Earth is the successor product; the historical material does not establish that the original Keyhole application remains downloadable or usable. Do not assume a used disc includes a valid subscription or works on a modern system.
Rank #4
Was EarthViewer made for NVIDIA graphics cards?
Not as a blanket description. Keyhole designed EarthViewer, and the museum’s documented CD was manufactured by NVIDIA. Separately, preserved product copy identifies Keyhole 2 NV as an edition intended for NVIDIA graphics-card users. Those facts support a connection between NVIDIA and particular products or editions, but not a claim that all EarthViewer versions required NVIDIA hardware.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
