Rivals Microsoft and Google are racing to bring competing digital versions of planet earth onto the Internet, reports the Washington Post.

While traditional 2D maps are already available online, Google and Microsoft are planning to introduce interactive 3D versions of city maps.

Scheduled for release this summer, MSN Virtual Earth will let users view images 50 - 100 feet above the tops of buildings in many urban areas. Rural areas will not be included at the time of the launch.

There is no release date as yet for Google Earth, which uses technology developed by Keyhole Corp that gives users a bird's eye view of their search areas, allowing them to zoom in to a selected spot.

Microsoft and Google are entering into territory dominated by MapQuest, who had a reported 43 million unique users last month - about 76% of online map users, says the Washington Post.

However, the two companies aren't technically entering MapQuest's territory; they've been in it for a while.

MSN MapPoint has been helping drivers find their way around and delivering real-time traffic updates via Carpoint, albeit by phone, since 2002. [Refer MSN MapPoint Offers Automated Driving Directions by Telephone]

And although Microsoft and Google are rivals, both companies are in bed with Tele Atlas, incorporating TA's data products into their traditional internet offerings.

"As the navigation market continues to rapidly expand, there are certainly great opportunities for technology leaders such as these companies and content leaders such as Tele Atlas," said Richard Pearlman, Tele Atlas' vice president of navigation & telematics sales. "In fact, there are already many navigation applications in the market running on Microsoft operating systems and using Tele Atlas data."

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