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EC bandwidth requirementsΒΆ

User behavior dramatically influences bandwidth requirements. However, even with a good set of log files, bandwidth usage for Google Earth is difficult to measure. When assessing how much bandwidth you need, keep in mind the following considerations:

  • Google Earth servers use HTTP, which is inherently stateless. This means that it is very difficult to measure concurrent users because it is not clear when users log out of the client or when users move to another application and leave the client running.
  • The Google Earth client has a local cache, so after a user has visited one area on the globe, those tiles are not re-requested from the server. Consequently, bandwidth usage is affected by the size of the local cache and how often users revisit areas.
  • User traffic comes in bursts, not a steady stream. When a client flies to a new location, the new set of tiles are sent to the client, causing a spike in traffic. After the client stops in one place, traffic goes to zero. You should set bandwidth requirements high enough to accommodate spikes in usage.