Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Review: Google Earth 5.0: Explores Ocean w/ BBC & National Geographic
Billions of people have navigated the greatest landscapes and landmarks of the globe with Google Earth, now they can dive into a new dimension: the open sea.
Google Earth 5.0 is here and it's sure to please everyone from environmentalists, to divers, surfers, fishermen and even elementary school teachers. It's just the latest example of Google's effort to couple various multimedia resources and advanced satellite technology.
Once the earth image loads, check out the navigation toolbar on the left side of the screen, where you'll notice a new category: Ocean
Click on Ocean, and you'll see a list of subcategories
National Geographic- Photos, stories and video of marine life.
Magazine quiz- A quiz on marine life.
Ocean atlas- Census research on ocean conditions.
BBC earth - Coral reef photo galleries from Planet earth
Cousteau Ocean World: Video of Jacques Cousteau expeditions.
Ocean Spots: featuring-
Surf spots- images, comments and logs from wannasurf.com and user submitted content from popular beaches. (I.E.Teahupoo, French Polynesia)
Dive spots-Images, comments and logs from wannadive.com and user submitted photos from popular sites: (I.E. The Eagle Wreck in the Florida Keys)
Kite surfing spots- images, comments and logs from wannakitesurf.com. Locations include: Necochea, South America.
Shipwrecks- Video of the H.M.S. Maori from shipwreckcentral.com
Ocean expeditions- Logs the journey of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and the findings from their MOCNESS net.
Marine Protected Areas: Interactive educational games about the Great Barrier Reef from Protect Planet Ocean.
ARKive: Endangered Ocean- Photo galleries and info regarding endangered marine species.
State of the Ocean:
is an overview of man's environmental impact on the ocean, with interactive data and maps. Categories include
Sea Surface Temperature: Chart and analysis.
Human Impacts: National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS)shows the cumulative impact of 17 different stressors associated with human activities (fishing, climate change, land-based pollution, etc.) on 20 marine ecosystems.
Dead Zones: Habitats that have been destroyed by pollution.
MBA: Seafood Watch- Monterey Bay Aquarium recommends choices that are healthy and environmentally friendly
MCS: Fish to Eat- A fisherman's guide to tasty fish in their native areas.
Animal Tracking- Migration patterns of fish
Census of Marine Life- International Census on Marine Microbes.
Marie Tharp Historical Map-The World Ocean Floor Map, created by Marie Tharp and Bruce Heezen and painted by Heinrich Berann.
After my trial run of Google Ocean I have three observations.
1. Google tapped a great variety of resources amassed an amazing amount of information that will be utilized by various people for various purposes.
2. In my humble opinion, many of the subcategories could have been dedicated for more information regarding specific animals, rather than an environmental impact analysis.
3. I can't wait to see the great collections divers, surfers and kite surfers will submit in the months and years to come.
Posted By Matt O'Hern at 11:30 AM
Permanent Link: Review: Google Earth 5.0: Explores Ocean w/ BBC & National Geographic
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