Google Earth is no longer limited to exploring the world as it currently exists. With the arrival of Nano Banana 2, users can now reimagine real places, reconstruct historical environments and visualise future developments directly inside Google Earth.

Google officially announced the integration on July 30, 2026. The feature combines Nano Banana 2’s generative image capabilities with Google Earth’s satellite, aerial and 3D imagery. After selecting a location, users can enter a text prompt and generate a customised version of the area based on their instructions. update represents a significant change in how people can use Google Earth. Instead of simply observing a location, users can ask what that place might have looked like in the past, how it could be redesigned or what it might become decades from now.

For teachers, architects, property developers, urban planners, students and everyday users, Google Earth is becoming an interactive visualisation platform rather than just a digital globe.

What Is Nano Banana 2?

Nano Banana 2 is the public name for Gemini 3.1 Flash Image, Google’s advanced image-generation and editing model.

Google describes the model as offering professional-level image creation and editing at Flash speed. It is designed to combine high-quality visual generation with faster performance, making it suitable for interactive tools and workflows in which users need results quickly. model can interpret detailed natural-language instructions, apply real-world knowledge and refine generated images through conversational prompts. It can also use real-time information and images from web search to improve the accuracy of certain visual outputs. o Banana 2 was introduced in February 2026 before becoming generally available through Google’s enterprise AI platform in May. Its appearance in Google Earth brings the technology to a much broader consumer audience. How Nano Banana 2 Works in Google Earth

Using the new feature is intentionally straightforward.

Users open the web version of Google Earth, navigate to a location and zoom in until they have the desired satellite, aerial or 3D view. They can then select “Create image” and describe what they want the AI to generate.

The selected Google Earth view provides the geographic foundation for the result. Nano Banana 2 then interprets the prompt and creates a new visual concept based on that real-world location. asic workflow looks like this:

1. Open Google Earth in a web browser.
2. Search for a city, landmark, neighbourhood or specific site.
3. Position the map at the preferred viewing angle.
4. Select “Create image.”
5. Enter a detailed description of the desired result.
6. Generate the image and refine the prompt when necessary.

This differs from a conventional text-to-image generator, which normally begins with a blank canvas. Google Earth supplies an existing geographic setting, giving the model a recognisable location, landscape and spatial context from which to work.

Key AI Features Coming to Google Earth

1. Location-Based AI Image Generation

The biggest new feature is the ability to generate customised images using an actual place as the starting point.

A user could select an undeveloped plot and ask the AI to add a public garden, residential complex, outdoor market or entertainment district. Because the initial image comes from Google Earth, the generated concept can reflect the area’s existing landscape and general layout.

Google says this is the first time users have been able to combine Google Earth’s satellite, aerial and 3D imagery directly with Nano Banana’s image-generation technology. results are visual concepts rather than architectural blueprints or guaranteed representations. Nevertheless, they can make early-stage ideas easier to understand and communicate.

2. Historical Reconstructions

Nano Banana 2 can also be used to visualise how places may have appeared at an earlier point in history.

Google demonstrated the feature with Pompeii. A user can open the modern ruins and ask the AI to render a realistic interpretation of how the area might have looked shortly before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The generated scene can replace the present-day ruins with streets, buildings, people and colours associated with the Roman period. s capability could be especially useful in education. Rather than showing students only photographs of ruins or modern landmarks, teachers can use AI-generated scenes to support discussions about architecture, culture and historical change.

However, these images should be presented as reconstructions, not documentary evidence. Generative AI can create plausible-looking details that are not historically verified. Important facts should still be checked against archaeological research, museum collections and qualified historical sources.

3. AI-Generated Infographics

The integration is not limited to photorealistic scenes. Users can ask Google Earth to create an infographic about the location they are viewing.

Google’s example involves selecting the Statue of Liberty and requesting an easy-to-understand visual containing important historical facts. Gemini retrieves relevant information, while Nano Banana 2 turns that material into a graphical presentation. s could make Google Earth more useful for:

• Classroom presentations
• Travel research
• Landmark guides
• Local-history projects
• Geography assignments
• Visual storytelling
• Tourism content

Nano Banana 2 is designed to produce legible text and supports multilingual text generation, which may make the feature valuable for international audiences. Google recommends placing any required wording inside quotation marks and clearly specifying the preferred typography and language. with historical reconstructions, users should verify dates, names and statistics before publishing an AI-generated infographic.

4. Real Estate and Urban-Planning Concepts

One of the most practical applications is early-stage property visualisation.

Architects, urban planners and property developers can select a site and describe the type of development they are considering. Google’s announcement demonstrates this by transforming an empty lot in Tokyo into a vibrant retail district with open public spaces. s will not replace professional computer-aided design software, engineering analysis or planning documents. It can, however, help stakeholders understand a concept before detailed plans are prepared.

For example, a developer might ask:

Reimagine this empty site as a mixed-use neighbourhood with mid-rise apartments, pedestrian streets, trees, cafés and a central public square.

The resulting image could support an initial conversation with investors, community representatives or design teams.

The strongest use case is therefore conceptual communication. People who struggle to interpret technical drawings may find it easier to respond to a realistic visual showing the general intention of a project.

5. Home and Landscape Visualisation

Individual users can apply the same technology to smaller projects.

Someone considering a house, cabin, garden studio or landscaping project could select the relevant land and ask Google Earth to visualise the idea. Google demonstrated this by adding a modern cabin made from sustainably sourced materials to a lakeside site. sible prompts include:

• Add a small contemporary garden office behind the house.
• Transform this unused field into a community sports area.
• Create a native woodland garden around this property.
• Add a modern lake house without removing the existing trees.
• Show this rooftop with solar panels and a planted terrace.

The technology may help users explore different ideas before contacting a designer or contractor. Generated images should not be used to estimate construction feasibility, cost, boundaries, planning permission or environmental impact.

6. Futuristic and Creative Transformations

Google is also positioning the feature as a creative tool.

Users can imagine how a familiar area might look in a different era or fictional world. Google’s example transforms its Mountain View campus into a futuristic environment with glass biodomes, illuminated walkways, aerial transport and vegetation integrated into the buildings. er creative possibilities include turning a city into:

• A solar-powered eco-metropolis
• A cyberpunk entertainment district
• A medieval settlement
• A car-free urban centre
• A flooded science-fiction landscape
• A city designed for extreme heat
• A wildlife-friendly community
• A film or video-game environment

These transformations may appeal to artists, filmmakers, game designers and writers who need fast visual references based on recognisable places.

Why This Google Earth Update Matters

Google Earth has traditionally helped people understand geography by showing what exists. Nano Banana 2 introduces a second layer: visualising what could exist.

That change matters because visual communication often makes an abstract proposal easier to understand. A description of a redesigned public square may be difficult to picture, while a generated concept can communicate the broad idea immediately.

The integration also reduces the number of steps traditionally required to create location-based concept art. Previously, a user might capture an image from a mapping platform, export it to a design program and manually edit the scene. Google Earth can now perform the initial transformation through a natural-language request.

This does not eliminate the need for professional design tools. Instead, it shortens the distance between an idea and its first visual representation.

The update also reflects Google’s wider investment in geospatial artificial intelligence. In 2025, the company introduced Google Earth AI, a collection of models and datasets designed for areas including weather forecasting, flood prediction, wildfire detection, population analysis and urban mobility. The Nano Banana integration is more creative in nature, but it demonstrates how AI is becoming increasingly connected to geographic information. Who Could Benefit from the New Feature?

Teachers and Students

Educators can create visual reconstructions, geographical explanations and customised infographics. These materials may help make history and geography lessons more engaging, provided that AI-generated details are clearly labelled and independently verified.

Architects and Property Developers

Professionals can produce quick visual concepts for sites before investing time in detailed modelling. The feature may be most valuable during brainstorming, client discussions and early design reviews.

Urban Planners and Community Organisations

Planners can illustrate possible changes to parks, roads, public spaces and undeveloped sites. Community groups could also use it to communicate alternative ideas for their neighbourhoods.

Travel and Tourism Publishers

Travel writers can create educational graphics about landmarks or conceptual visuals showing historical periods. Publications should avoid presenting generated scenes as authentic photographs.

Content Creators

YouTubers, bloggers and social-media creators can generate location-based visuals for explainers, documentaries and fictional stories. The ability to begin with a real location may produce more geographically recognisable results than a generic AI prompt.

Homeowners

Homeowners can explore broad ideas for gardens, extensions and outdoor structures. Professional advice remains necessary before making construction, legal or financial decisions.

How to Write Better Nano Banana 2 Prompts

The quality of the generated image will depend heavily on the clarity of the prompt.

Google recommends being specific about the subject, lighting and composition. It also advises users to describe what they want rather than concentrating on negative instructions. Camera terminology such as “aerial view,” “wide angle” or “low angle” can provide additional control. seful Google Earth prompt can include five elements:

1. The primary action

Begin with a direct verb such as “transform,” “reconstruct,” “redesign,” “add” or “visualise.”

2. The intended purpose

Explain whether the result should be a historical reconstruction, planning concept, infographic or imaginative artwork.

3. Physical details

Describe buildings, materials, vegetation, roads, people and other important elements.

4. Visual style

Specify photorealistic, architectural rendering, hand-drawn illustration, educational infographic or cinematic concept art.

5. Constraints

Tell the model which existing features should remain unchanged.

For example:

Redesign this empty urban lot as a realistic, pedestrian-friendly community park. Add native trees, shaded seating, a children’s play area, accessible paths and a small café. Preserve the surrounding roads and buildings. Use a professional architectural-visualisation style in natural afternoon light.

A detailed prompt like this gives the model clearer instructions than a general request such as “make this area look better.”

Accuracy, Transparency and Responsible Use

AI-generated images can appear convincing even when they contain inaccurate, impractical or invented elements. Users should therefore distinguish between creative visualisation and factual representation.

Historical scenes may contain details unsupported by evidence. Proposed buildings may ignore property boundaries, structural requirements or planning regulations. Infographics may include text or data that needs correction.

For professional projects, Nano Banana 2 should be treated as an ideation tool—not a substitute for surveys, architectural drawings, engineering studies, environmental assessments or legal advice.

Transparency is equally important when sharing the results. Audiences should be told that an image was generated or substantially modified by AI, particularly when it depicts a real location.

Google says images generated by Nano Banana models include C2PA Content Credentials and a SynthID watermark. These systems are intended to help identify AI-generated content and preserve information about its origin. Is Nano Banana 2 Available to Everyone in Google Earth?

Google says Nano Banana image generation became available globally for Google Earth web users on July 30, 2026. Users can access it by opening Google Earth in a browser, choosing a location and selecting the image-creation option. initial announcement specifically refers to Google Earth on the web. It does not provide a date for equivalent availability in the mobile applications.

Access, usage limits and interface details may vary as Google continues rolling out and refining the feature.

FAQs

What is Nano Banana 2 in Google Earth?

Nano Banana 2 is Google’s Gemini 3.1 Flash Image model. Its integration with Google Earth lets users generate customised images based on real satellite, aerial and 3D views. Can Nano Banana 2 recreate historical locations?

It can generate visual interpretations of how a place might have appeared in the past. These results should be considered AI-generated reconstructions rather than verified historical records.

Can architects use Google Earth’s AI image generator?

Architects and planners can use it for brainstorming and early concept visualisation. It does not replace professional architectural, engineering or planning software.

Can it add buildings to an empty site?

Yes. Users can select a site and prompt Nano Banana 2 to generate a visual showing proposed buildings, landscaping or public spaces.

Can Google Earth generate infographics?

Google says the feature can create location-based infographics. Gemini can retrieve relevant information, while Nano Banana 2 converts it into a visual format. Is the feature available on mobile?

Google’s launch announcement confirms global availability for Google Earth on the web. It does not specify when the same image-generation experience will arrive in the mobile apps. Are Nano Banana 2 images labelled as AI-generated?

Google states that images generated with its Nano Banana models include SynthID watermarking and C2PA Content Credentials. Final Thoughts

Nano Banana 2 is one of the most substantial creative updates Google Earth has received in recent years.

By combining generative AI with real geographic imagery, Google is allowing users to move beyond exploring existing locations. They can now reconstruct the past, communicate development ideas, create educational graphics and imagine possible futures without leaving the map.

The feature will likely be most useful during the earliest stage of a project, when someone has an idea but needs a visual to explain it. Teachers can illustrate historical environments, architects can communicate broad concepts and ordinary users can experiment with possible changes to familiar places.

Its outputs still require responsible handling. AI-generated scenes are not historical evidence, technical designs or guaranteed predictions. When used transparently and verified appropriately, however, Nano Banana 2 could turn Google Earth into a powerful platform for learning, planning and visual imagination.

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