So let's say you're doing a story on exotic tropical island travel, but towards the beginning of the story, you want to show viewers where the destination is with a zoom shot of a sort of map or satellite style image, either of which can be zoomed in all the way.

So using the U.S. as an example, We see maybe the west coast, then it zooms in quickly to San Francisco...

Now where would one get something like that?

Dave,

you might want to read this thread:
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/documentary-techniques/135543-google-earth-dilema-please-help.html

Best

Vasco

Vasco, you rock....