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June 30, 2009

NASA Doing Robotic Recon with Google Earth

NASA is conducting research from their Ames Research Center in California with a robot called "K10", located in northern Arizona, to simulate tele-operations for exploring the moon. They are using Google Earth extensively for both planning, visualization, and operations. In other words, Google Earth is a visualization tool for telepresence. NASA uses a black and white higher res image of their target area overlayed in GE (maybe the black and white makes it look more like the moon?). They look at the imagery to determine reconnaissance objectives and plan routes. They have developed a planning tool that works interactively with Google Earth (using network links and overlays) to develop and assign tasks for the robot and put placemarks and routes on the map. Then the task plans are sent to the robot. The robot sends back photos to NASA which are also placed in placemarks in Google Earth, and a track of the robots path is also updated continously. You can read more details and see more screenshots at the Robotic Recon web site. I'd like to get my hands on a sample KML file to see what it looks like. There is a large team of engineers involved in the Robotic Recon project, including folks from different NASA centers and several universities. And, the Robotic Recon blog shows lots of screenshots of Google Earth in use.

By the way, this story is particularly interesting to me because more than 15 years ago I developed similar tele-presence simulation software at NASA Johnson Space Center to visualize remote-operations over the Internet using a Silicon Graphics workstations. I developed the 3D software for the visualization parts, and the Internet client/server communications. In 1992, while at International Space University in Japan, I used a workstation to control a robot arm NASA had back in Houston over an Internet connection using a crude frame-grab camera (single-frame webcam) to verify position. This is so déjà vu! Part of the reason I was instantly attracted to Google Earth when it first came out, was its similarity to the software I had written. Full circle.

Posted by FrankTaylor at 8:10 AM | Comments (0)

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June 26, 2009

Links: Michael Jackson Neverland, Amnesty International, New Placenames, GE Outreach

• Michael Jackson Neverland - Yesterday the King of Pop passed away. People will remember him in many ways, but mostly for his amazing musical and performance talents. Google Sightseeing recalled their post about Michael's Neverland Ranch and updated it with new information. You can see the Neverland Ranch in Google Earth here .

• Amnesty International - Sri Lanka War - Thanks to some help from Stefan Geens of OgleEarth, Amnesty International has produced an excellent Google Earth file which highlights the aftermath of the Sri Lankan War. The file includes more updated aerial imagery, and many placemarks providing details to the human and physical costs to the war. Stefan has more details about the project at his blog.

• New Multi-lingual Placenames - Google has proudly announced improvements to their database of populated places names. This way you can see names in the local language for places, or in the language of your choice used by Google Earth. By default, you'll see both local and your language. In the English version of Google Earth, the names are found under the "Borders and Labels" layer folder. The normal placenames in your language are under Populated Places, and the local language placenames are under Alternative Place Names. Part of the data has come from the Google Map Maker project where people anywhere can contribute map information. They even have names in unusual scripts as well - like Chinese, Arabic, etc. I love the new data, but the naming of the layers is a little strange and somewhat confusing. How about: "Local Placenames", "English Placenames" (replacing "English" with your language)? Also, I still really miss the cool feature the placenames used to have that when you clicked on the label it gave your three links to automatically search Google for that place, images from Google Images, and news from Google News. Google: please bring that back!

• GE Outreach Birthday - Today is the second anniversary of Google announcing their Google Earth Outreach program (see GEB post of the 2007 announcement). I'm expecting Google will roll out a few layers today from Outreach.

Posted by FrankTaylor at 7:00 AM | Comments (1)

May 26, 2009

Google MapMaker - 64 New Countries Google Maps and Google Earth

Google announced today the release of 64 new countries with map data thanks to the efforts of hundreds of people around the world contributing map data for countries which until now had little or no map data online. Last year, Google released Google Map Maker to make it easier for people to contribute, and moderate, the introduction of map data which would ultimately be included in Google Maps and Google Earth. One thing the announcement didn't say is that the new road data is not only visible in Google Maps, but also Google Earth (if you turn on the Roads layer). Other data in the maps (points of interest marks in the new maps such as schools, museums, etc. - don't appear to have been moved to the Google Earth "Places of Interest" layer yet). Here's the list of 64 countries with new roads in Google Earth:

American Samoa, Anguilla, Armenia, Aruba, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belize, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Comoros, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guadeloupe, Guinea, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Madagascar, Malawi, Martinique, Mauritania, Mongolia, Montserrat, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), Nauru, Netherlands Antilles, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Northern Mariana Islands, Pakistan, Reunion, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Togo, Tokelau, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uzbekistan, Wallis and Futuna, Zambia.

Don't forget to try other cool layers in Google Earth such as Street View, Geographic Web, and really cool stuff under the Gallery layer folder.

Posted by FrankTaylor at 8:53 PM | Comments (6)

May 8, 2009

Current Positions of 10,000+ Ships World-wide in Google Earth

In the past few years, commercial shipping vessels have been required to broadcast a vessel position "transponder" similar to those used by aircraft. The system used is called AIS (Automatic Identification System) and uses GPS for position data, but also broadcasts other important data such as ship name, course, speed, and more. The system allows vessels at sea to have a much better awareness of other ships and, in particular, helps avoid the potential of collisions as the seas get increasingly more crowded (especially in ports).

Some academic researchers have been running a web site called MarineTraffic.com that shows the positions of ships around many ports around the world. They rely on a community of data collectors who simply need an AIS receiver and an Internet connection to provide data on ship positions for a given port. A number of similar sites have offered such data on the Internet before (for example, I mentioned VesselTracker.com a couple of years ago). Some of the vessel position report sites are only available on a subscription basis. But, MarineTraffic.com is the largest collection of data I've seen and its available for free.

The current MarineTraffic map shows over 10,000 ships. The positions of the ships may be up to 1 hour old, but are otherwise near real-time. Their primary interface is Google Maps which lets you zoom in to see more detail, but only shows a summary of the position data when zoomed out. Clicking on a region zooms you in to show the vessel positions (and headings). Clicking on a ship placemark can give you all kinds of interesting information including a picture of the ship (if they have it), speed, vessel type, size, draft, destination and more (the amount of data varies per ship).

They also have a Google Earth file that lets you view the entire dataset of vessels at once. Google Earth is better able to handle over 10,000 position placemarks at once - so you can actually view the entire data set. Also, with the Google Earth version you will see a link in the placemark that will let you see the recent GPS track of the vessel so you can see part of the route it took to get to its current position.

Even Google Earth can get slowed down some by this many placemarks. The developers could use some KML tools to improve its efficiency. For example, by de-cluttering the number placemarks when zoomed higher. Read the MarineTraffic.com FAQ for more information on their data, research, maps, and AIS.

Posted by FrankTaylor at 10:14 AM | Comments (9)

February 11, 2009

Rowing Around the World with Google Earth

Google posted yesterday about a guy who is attempting to be the first to row around the world. Oliver Hicks has left his home country of Australia and will be headed down toward Antarctica and attempt his circumnavigation the short, but very hostile, route. His attempt is sponsored prominently by Virgin, and Google is involved because Olly will be using Google products. He is connected to the Internet and able to share his experiences along the way. You can follow his track in Google Earth (a GPS track shows his route, you'll notice he doesn't always go forwards since he can't always overcome currents and winds). It's certainly an admirable goal, and I hope he succeeds.

I am especially interested in Olly's adventure since later this year, my wife and I are also embarking on a circumnavigation. Our attempt will be in a much more comfortable mode of transportation - by sailboat. We plan to make heavy use of Google products as well, and, not surprisingly, in particular Google Earth. We plan to show how to leverage Google Earth to plan our trip, and document our adventures in a unique fashion. And we hope to help raise awareness of some of the issues facing our oceans and sea life. We will not only have GPS tracks, but also a wide range of photography and placemarks documenting our planned five year journey. Google will also be involved in our trip by making use of the Google Earth content we will create. It's cool to see Google is such a big supporter of ocean-going adventures, especially after announcing Google Earth 5's new ocean-oriented content.

Posted by FrankTaylor at 9:25 AM | Comments (2)

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More entries for this category:

6. News: Gibraltar Terrain, Earth Surfer Code, Naval Observatory, Dutch Geography Animation, Earthpoint, Eclipse - January 27, 2009
7. New View of Ocean Floor in Google Earth - January 17, 2009
8. Urban Tick - Research Results in Google Earth - January 8, 2009
9. Links: Santa Tracker Popular, Volvo Ocean Race, Lost World Discovered, Cold War KML - December 26, 2008
10. Watch Santa Claus Make his Deliveries - December 24, 2008
11. Vendee Globe in Google Earth - December 2, 2008
12. Norad Tracks Santa 2008 - With Google's Help - November 30, 2008
13. Links: Location OS, GeoEye, Super Tour Mashup - November 10, 2008
14. Google Street View Italy Released - October 29th - October 30, 2008
15. Links: Planet Search, Interactive KML, FlightSim, iPhone GPS - October 21, 2008
16. More Street View Imagery for France in Google Earth/Maps - October 14, 2008
17. Links: Panoramio Heat Maps, See Russia?, 1m LiDAR, Airship - October 13, 2008
18. Fire Hydrants in Google Earth - September 29, 2008
19. The Boat Story Continues - Boatyard, Name, Moving - September 21, 2008
20. Update on Using GPS for Tracking in Google Earth - September 19, 2008
21. WikiLoc Now A Google Earth Layer - August 28, 2008
22. Sailing Passage From Exuma to North Carolina - August 25, 2008
23. Circumnavigation: The Boat - Part I - August 24, 2008
24. 3D Driving Directions and Driving Simulator - August 12, 2008
25. New Layers and Photos for Google Earth - August 7, 2008
26. Links: Joshua Slocum, Chemical Brothers, Other Links - August 6, 2008
27. Follow a Book, Check Aeronautical Charts in Google Earth Plugin - July 31, 2008
28. More Add-ons for Google Earth Flight Simulator - July 28, 2008
29. Links: Walking, Havana, Eclipse, Oil, Follow the Boat - July 23, 2008
30. Notes from the Bahamas: GE in Education, AGE More KML, Disney 3D - June 26, 2008
31. Google Releases More Map Crowdsourcing Tools - June 24, 2008
32. Links: New StreetView Stuff, WorldWide Telescope, Yahoo WOE, Dishpointer, GPSAnimator - May 13, 2008
33. New Rumsey Historical Maps for Google Earth - May 12, 2008
34. Links: NBA Destination, EarthNC 2.0, Geo Education - May 7, 2008
35. Rumor-mill: Google Ocean in the Works - April 30, 2008
36. Google Earth for Pilots - April 29, 2008
37. Links: Science Uses, Compass, GM vs VE, Healthy Planet, and more - April 28, 2008
38. How to Get 3D Buildings in Google Earth 4.3 Flight Simulator - April 24, 2008
39. New Contour Lines in Google Maps - April 3, 2008
40. Iditarod 2008 Dog Sled Race Live in Google Earth - March 10, 2008
41. Live Orbit Tracker in Google Earth - March 3, 2008
42. Links: SpaceNavigator Contest, Excel to KML, Google Geo Talk, Crysis - February 5, 2008
43. Real-Time Google Earth GPS Tracking - via Bus - February 2, 2008
44. Wrong Turn Down Google StreetView - January 27, 2008
45. New Layer Goodness for Google Earth - January 2008 - January 25, 2008
46. Navigation Gadget Tricks with Google Earth 4 - January 8, 2008
47. Top 10 New Google Earth Features 2007 - December 31, 2007
48. Top 25 Stories of Google Earth 2007 - December 27, 2007
49. Headed to San Francisco This Week - December 9, 2007
50. Earth at Night from Rosetta - November 21, 2007
51. Google Offers New Mapping Data for Switzerland - November 14, 2007
52. Links: Google at the Pump, Sigdoarjo Mud Flow, Boxing Champs, California Fire Costs, New Trees - November 9, 2007
53. X PRIZE Cup Photos Mapped - November 1, 2007
54. Trip Status, Links: PhotoOverlay tool, CIA World Factbook, Another BMNG - October 29, 2007
55. Links: Chinese Cop Catches Crook, Malibu Fire, EveryTrail Update, CIA WorldFactbook, Hungary Weather - October 22, 2007
56. Microsoft Virtual Earth Supports Basic KML and KML Searching - October 15, 2007
57. 2007 Wirefly X PRIZE Cup - October 8, 2007
58. Links: GE for scientists, Human body, Burma, Census Explorer, Virtual Earth, Cleanup Weekend - October 2, 2007
59. News Roundup: Poles Overlays, Rocket Garden, Army Topos, Astronomy, Roads - September 20, 2007
60. New Google Maps Moon Update - September 13, 2007
61. Back to School - Educational Uses with Google Earth - September 11, 2007
62. Flight Simulator HUD Display Guide, and an Advanced Tip - September 6, 2007
63. New Real-Time Traffic Layer in Google Earth - August 21, 2007
64. Virtual London Project Dead in the Water - August 8, 2007
65. Sailing with Google Earth for Navigation - August 6, 2007
66. India Maps - Local Knowledge Power - July 24, 2007
67. Encompassing the Globe - July 16, 2007
68. News Roundup: GE Design, Live Tour de France, PhotoSketch, Iran Nuclear Project - July 13, 2007
69. News Roundup - New GeoSearch, GeoWeb 2007, Traffic Gadget, Earthplot, Environmental Data - July 9, 2007
70. Google Maps New Additions for India and UAE - July 1, 2007
71. Google Maps Click and Drag Directions - Google Earth Tip - June 28, 2007
72. New Picasa Web Albums Integration with Google Earth/Maps - June 27, 2007
73. Google Earth Layer Changes - Geographic Web, Roads Layers - June 26, 2007
74. Google Adds Mapping to YouTube - What does it mean? - June 25, 2007
75. Tour de France 2007 in Google Earth - June 20, 2007
76. Google Transit in Google Earth - June 5, 2007
77. US Township and Range Land Survey Info for Google Earth - May 22, 2007
78. New Google Earth Layers Update: Amsterdam 3D, Forest Service, Taiwan Roads - May 17, 2007
79. Google Earth Umbrella - May 16, 2007
80. Having Fun with Google Earth and SpaceNavigator - May 10, 2007
81. Microsoft's Virtual Earth 3D - Video Demos - May 9, 2007
82. Possible "LOST" Island Locations in Google Earth - May 8, 2007
83. News Roundup 2 - Science Visualization, Netherlands GIS, Flu Map, Nokia SportsTracker - May 6, 2007
84. "If I Go in a Straight Line Around the Earth, Where do I Pass?" - May 3, 2007
85. Globe Glider Video Demonstration - May 2, 2007
86. News Roundup - Chile Border Crisis, Caribou, Gumball Rally, Emotions - April 30, 2007
87. New Google Maps: Russia, Turkey, Taiwan, Thailand, Croatia, Slovenia, Lithuania, Estonia - April 26, 2007
88. News Roundup: My Maps/YouTube, Nokia N95, Census, Arc2Earth, Show-n-Tell - April 13, 2007
89. More Roads, POI, 3D Buildings in Google Earth - April 12, 2007
90. My Maps - New Google Maps Update Supports Google Earth Features - April 5, 2007
91. 677 US Marine Charts for Google Earth on 1 CD - March 31, 2007
92. Dig a Hole Through Google Earth - March 16, 2007
93. News Roundup - Version stats, KML Editors, GooPs, Hey What's That? - March 15, 2007
94. US Migration Patterns in Google Earth - March 12, 2007
95. News Roundup: Google Earth Resume/CV, Google Maps Interface to BMW cars - March 7, 2007
96. New Video Demos of Latest 3D Buildings for Google Earth - February 26, 2007
97. Guatemala City Sinkhole Location Found in Google Earth - February 24, 2007
98. FedEx Pilots "Smart" Tracking with Google Earth - February 23, 2007
99. SpaceNavigator News: Fly Inside Demo, Security Checkpoints - February 22, 2007
100. More Details on New Layers/Updates - February 18, 2007
101. Australia Has Detailed Roads in Google Earth - February 17, 2007
102. Navigation Tricks with Google Earth 4 - January 31, 2007
103. Track Cruise Ships in 3D in Google Earth - January 22, 2007
104. Sundance Film Festival Map in Google Earth - January 17, 2007
105. Google Earth Blog World Headquarters - January 16, 2007
106. NOAA Voluntary Observing Ship (VOS) Weather Feed for Google Earth - January 13, 2007
107. Google Earth Layers - January 11, 2007
108. Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race in Google Earth - December 27, 2006
109. Amazing Implementation of Marine Charts for Google Earth - December 21, 2006
110. Interesting Satellite Visualizations for Google Earth - December 15, 2006
111. Santa's Toy Hunt and Santa Tracker in Google Earth - December 13, 2006
112. Historical Maps - Now Viewable in Other Language Versions of Google Earth - December 11, 2006
113. Shipwreck - A Historical Documentary Including 3D in Google Earth - December 8, 2006
114. Trulia Adds Google Earth for Real Estate Searches - December 5, 2006
115. YouTube Demo of SpaceNavigator with Google Earth - November 28, 2006
116. Exciting New "3D Mouse" for Google Earth - The SpaceNavigator - November 27, 2006
117. Historical Maps for Denmark - November 26, 2006
118. Google Supports Geography Awareness Week - November 13, 2006
119. Nuclear Bombs in Google Earth - November 10, 2006
120. Route du Rhum - Live Sailing Race in Google Earth - November 1, 2006
121. Trip Report and News Roundup: Flight to Las Cruces, Sensors, BBC on Maps, New blog - October 18, 2006
122. US Forest Service Creates Google Earth Air Traffic Control - October 12, 2006
123. Plane Crashed into Building in New York - See Location in Google Earth - October 11, 2006
124. Flickr Geotagged Photo Statistics in Google Earth - September 28, 2006
125. GPSVisualizer Supports New Google Earth 4 Time Support - September 15, 2006
126. Google Earth 4 Time Feature Example - September 14, 2006
127. News Roundup: Tides, Scientific visualization, Geody, Movie Times - August 24, 2006
128. Ramses II Move Planned with Google Earth - August 23, 2006
129. Goggles - Google Maps Flight Simulator, Also: Google Earth Flying - August 8, 2006
130. Ping Pong Ball Interface to Google Earth - Cool! - July 30, 2006
131. My Backpacking Trip and the Lost Couple Found After Three Days - July 24, 2006
132. Battleship Google Earth - July 19, 2006
133. Bus Live Tracking at USC - Research Project - July 14, 2006
134. FSEarth 3.0 - MS Flight Simulator and Google Earth - July 8, 2006
135. Magnalox Provides Live Tracking Interface for Google Earth - July 7, 2006
136. Sailing Adventures and Anchorages of the Caribbean - July 1, 2006
137. Pete Goss in 2006 Shetland Round Britain and Ireland Race - June 18, 2006
138. Watch a GPS Phone Being Delivered via UPS Live! - June 7, 2006
139. Pin in the Map - Keep it Simple - May 30, 2006
140. Unicycling for College Money - Track Max in Google Earth - May 28, 2006
141. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Points of Interest in Google Earth - May 26, 2006
142. Tour de France 2006 in Google Earth - May 25, 2006
143. Volvo Ocean Race Leg 7 in Google Earth - May 18, 2006
144. Juicy Geography Lesson on GPS - May 3, 2006
145. Tagzania - Powerful Google Maps/Google Earth Mashup - April 26, 2006
146. magnalox - New Features for Google Earth - April 25, 2006
147. Directions for Europe Now in Google Maps/Google Earth - April 24, 2006
148. Bowdoin College Campus - A Google Earth Map - April 22, 2006
149. Seattle 911 Live in Google Earth - April 18, 2006
150. Mini-News Roundup - April 17, 2006
151. Honda Releases Traffic System in Japan for Google Earth - April 4, 2006
152. Follow Volvo Ocean Race Leg 5 - April 3, 2006
153. GlobalFlyer Attempting Third World Record - March 15, 2006
154. Melbourne Commonwealth Games 2006 in Google Earth - March 10, 2006
155. Best Topo Map Interface for Google Earth - March 9, 2006
156. Bermuda Treasure Shipwrecks Map - March 7, 2006
157. FSPilot Connects FS2004 to Google Earth - February 26, 2006
158. Follow Volvo Ocean Race Leg 4 in Google Earth - February 19, 2006
159. Maps of Torino, Italy - Winter Olympics Site - in Google Earth - February 5, 2006
160. Arctic and Antarctic Ice Floes in Google Earth - January 25, 2006
161. Sundance Film Festival "Event Map" in Google Earth - January 24, 2006
162. Enhancement to GPSVisualizer for Google Earth - January 23, 2006
163. Endangered Frigatebird "Lydia" Tracked in Google Earth - January 21, 2006
164. Enhanced Road Layers for Google Earth - January 19, 2006
165. Transatlantic Sailing Adventure Using Google Earth - January 18, 2006
166. CIA World FactBook in Google Earth - January 13, 2006
167. Google Earth for Cars - January 7, 2006
168. Volvo Ocean Race Leg 2 - January 6, 2006
169. Globe Glider - Integrated Maps within Google Earth - January 3, 2006
170. Official Google Earth Santa Tracker - December 23, 2005
171. Santa's Route in Google Earth - December 21, 2005
172. Wilco Database of Concert Tours - December 14, 2005
173. Gone Sailing! Passage Plan in Google Earth - December 13, 2005
174. More GIS Data for Google Earth - December 1, 2005
175. Tracking Birds with Google Earth - November 25, 2005
176. Transat Jacques Vabre 2005 Race in Google Earth - November 16, 2005
177. Fantastic Google Earth Documentary on Sir Ernest Shackleton - November 14, 2005
178. Everything You Wanted to Know About Singapore - November 12, 2005
179. Another Sailor Documents Trips Using Google Earth - November 9, 2005
180. Lewis and Clark Expedition in Google Earth - November 8, 2005
181. MapLandia - Unique International Google Maps/Earth Website - November 2, 2005
182. GPS/Photo Tracks - RoboGEO v2.1 Supports Google Earth - October 31, 2005
183. New Satellite Photos for Pakistan - Kathryn Cramer - October 25, 2005
184. Hidden Logging in Tropical Forests Revealed - October 22, 2005
185. Magnalox - GPS Story Telling for Google Earth - October 19, 2005
186. View All the World Heritage Sites - October 13, 2005
187. Documenting a Recent Flying Trip - October 9, 2005
188. Aussie Crag Climbing - October 7, 2005
189. Garmin Buys MotionBased - October 4, 2005
190. Watching Sports with Google Earth - September 27, 2005
191. Tracking a Whale Shark in the Indian Ocean - September 24, 2005
192. Sailing the Seven Seas - September 10, 2005
193. Google Earth/Maps Helps with Archeological Discovery - September 7, 2005
194. City of Portland GIS - August 25, 2005
195. Geocaching Google Earth - August 15, 2005
196. Arizona Hiking Trip - August 10, 2005
197. Earth at Night - August 9, 2005
198. Flying - Keeping a Flight Log - August 5, 2005
199. Geotagged Flickr photos on the fly... - August 3, 2005

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