Since its launch 12 years ago, Google Earth has captivated billions of users around the world. Through virtual exploration, we've had front-row seats to the most far-flung corners of our planet. And now, after two years of planning, Google has relaunched the platform with a host of new features, including guided tours of buildings designed by such starchitects as Frank Gehry and Zaha Hadid .

Among the many exciting elements of the new Google Earth is a section dubbed Voyager, where users can travel—in 2D or 3D—through a curated list of museums around the world, tour buildings designed by famous architects, step inside bars that Ernest Hemingway frequented, and more. "We think of Voyager as a storytelling platform," says Gopal Shah, a product manager for Google Earth. "In the past we've done that in a more rudimentary way with the classic versions of Google Earth. But now we wanted to really take this to the next level. And that involves working with partners in creating beautiful, thoughtful content."

Yet it's not just the Voyager experience that makes Google Earth's relaunch so exciting. Other elements in which users can tour the world's most remote islands or the national parks of North America have also been added. "The world is a big place, with a lot of gems," says Shah. "So we wanted to not only allow people to find them with a click of the button but also contextualize them by learning about where they're located, what makes them seem so beautiful and why they're culturally relevant."

A look at the Tokyo Tower, with a brief description of the structure.

Users can click through a deck of "Knowledge Cards," which provide short paragraphs about any given location. Furthermore, Google has included a section called "I'm Feeling Lucky," in which a click will send you to a random corner of the globe. "We wanted to create a very curated experienced," Shah says. "'I'm Feeling Lucky,' for example, will allow you to discover places that would otherwise be unbeknown to you."

A colorful image of cargo containers on the newly revamped Google Earth.

And as far as what Google hopes to contribute culturally with this new technology? "We want people to explore the richness of the world, to get off the beaten path," Shah says. "We want users to discover that, over in Bhutan for example, the architecture is very different than ours in the U.S., but everyone has a kitchen and bedroom, and so despite our cultural differences, we are still all the same."