Sailing Archives

June 8, 2009

World Oceans Day, 3D Design Competition, Britain Archeological Site, New Imagery Tour Idea

  • World Oceans Day - This is a good thing - the UN has declared today World Oceans Day. I like the idea of "Wear Blue Tell Two" - wear something blue and tell two people something about the oceans they don't know. Google is doing their part at least by releasing a cool collection of Google Earth files telling people about the ocean. I like the one that shows you where plastic trash would end up if you dropped it somewhere in the ocean (based on currents/winds). And, if you haven't loaded Google Earth in a while, Google Earth 5 came out in February with a wealth of information about the oceans and lets you see the oceans like never before.

    Did you know the world's coral reefs are dying? Read more from NASA here.

  • 3D Design Competition - Today is also Frank Lloyd Wright's 142nd birthday. In honor of this, Google and the Guggenheim have announced a new 3D competition called Design It: Shelter Competition. According to Google's announcement: "...the competition is inspired by Wright's assignment for his apprentices at Taliesin: If you wanted to study to be an architect with Wright, you had to design and build a shelter in the desert outside of Phoenix, Arizona. Then you had to live and study in it." Deadline is August 23rd. Watch the video for an overview. Speaking of 3D - Google also featured another modeler who has contributed to the 3D Warehouse.

    By the way, it would be cool if someone created a collection of placemarks of locations where you can see 3D models of Frank Lloyd Wright houses in Google Earth. Here's a thread of placemarks showing locations.

  • Britain Archeological Site - Stefan read about a new archeological find near Stonehenge, and set out to do some sleuthing to discover the location. He found it and explains how at his OgleEarth post.

  • New Imagery Tour Idea - Last week Microsoft came out with a slick tour of some of their latest new imagery for Virtual Earth ... err I mean Live Local Maps... err I mean Bing Maps (the latest name). As soon as I saw it, I realized Google should be doing tours of their new imagery (like the one that came out Saturday). Using the new Tour mode in Google Earth, you could really show off new imagery (and 3D Terrain) in a snazzy way - you could even add some nice background music while you watch GE fly from place to place. It could be even cooler than Microsoft's! :-) Google recently started doing 3D tours for 3D models - so why not the imagery and terrain?

Posted by FrankTaylor at 12:41 PM | Comments (0)

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May 20, 2009

Where 2.0 - Day 1 - Workshops and Ignite

Yesterday was the first day at O'Reilly's Where 2.0 conference in San Jose, California. This is my fourth year of attending Where 2.0, and I've always enjoyed the opportunity to see interesting mapping related technologies, and meet people from around the world interested in this exciting fast-developing field. O'Reilly runs a fun conference for techies with lots of innovative conference extras such as tech fairs, free public fast-paced tech talks (called Ignite), and open to all kinds of techie speakers (not just big companies).

Workshops

The first day was dedicated to workshops. They actually expanded the number of workshops compared to previous years. The workshops are longer sessions (1 hour and 15 minutes), and are intended to be more interactive discussions. There were actually four parallel workshops sessions, so unfortunately I wasn't able to attend but a few. Not only that, but I was running a workshop on "Extending Google Earth".

The goal of my workshop was to try and raise awareness of the multitude of ways you can leverage Google Earth to create more sophisticated content or visualizations. I focused on three main areas: more sophisticated KML, the Google Earth API, and the new GE Tours mode. I also managed to slip in some talk about my upcoming 5-year sailing circumnavigation - the Tahina Expedition - and how I'll be using Google Earth on the trip. Naturally I talked about many great examples of extending Google Earth which have appeared in GEB over the years. But, I was most excited to demonstrate the new Ships simulator by Paul van Dinther which I posted about on Monday. This Ships sim has been a hit in the blogosphere, and the audience enjoyed seeing it in the workshop. There were lots of questions in the workshop, and I have to thank Googler Mano Marks who helped back me up on some of the trickier Google-related questions.

I attended a few other Workshops including:

  • Google Maps workshop which highlighted two case studies of a weather data mapping tool called iMapWeather and the Trulia real estate site's use of Maps. I love weather maps, so I enjoyed that And, I'm selling our house soon, so the Trulia presentation gave me some ideas on how to better promote our house.
  • Workshop on Cartography Design by Cartifact's Bruce Daniels. He had a great talk on the design of online maps. This was more about the aesthetics and design of maps as opposed to technological implementation. Richard Treve's would have enjoyed that one. Cartifact also upgraded their own public experiment with online maps to 1.1. They have that cool "map lens" gadget I mentioned before.
  • KML Techniques Everyone Should Know - the last workshop I attended was by Mano Marks of Google. This session covered some great subjects on creating better Google Earth content (and was a natural follow-up to my workshop - which I should have pointed out). It covered regioning, network links, Tours, dynamic KML, and more.

After the workshops, and a quick dinner with Googler Ed Parsons, we attended the Ignite sessions. Brady Forrest runs these great public speaking events where techies get only five minutes to give a talk or demo something. Their presentations slides automatically advance every few seconds, so you have to talk fast or be very succinct.

Some notables from last night's Ignite:

  • Waze - an effort to leverage location-aware mobile phones, crowd-sourced mapping, and mapping technologies to both map a city and get live updates on traffic conditions. In return, participants get re-routing advice in real-time around bad traffic areas. Currently in Alpha in Israel only.
  • TwitterVision update - David Troy - the inventor of TwitterVision, was on hand to discuss his project last fall to leverage his concepts to build an election monitoring process. They monitored crowd experiences with voting and were able to give real-time, and post-analysis of voting conditions around the US. They had open-sourced projects that even produced an iPhone app which let folks make audio annotations of their experiences. The resulting data is now part of the Library of Congress. I spoke to David afterwards and suggested he should look into the GE API for some of his future work - he was receptive.
  • Joker Racer - Probably the night's biggest hit. Two guys from Japan came to show their really cool idea. They have a web site - under development - giving tips on how to build your own remote controlled car which is essentially a mobile Linux web server with a WIFI interface to the Internet. You can control the car over the web or with an iPhone application. The cars have built-in video too, so you can watch the cars. See video example.

That's all for now folks!

Posted by FrankTaylor at 10:22 AM | Comments (1)

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.

Marine Traffic vessel positions in Google Earth

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)

May 4, 2009

Henry Hudson 400th Anniversary in Google Earth/Maps

In honor of the 400th Anniversary of the acquisition of Manhattan by Henry Hudson, the Henry Hudson 400 Foundation has commissioned the creation of an excellent collection of interactive maps using the Google Maps API. The maps not only include a historical perspective on the times of Henry Hudson, but also include the use of the Google Earth Plugin to view 3D models of ships of the time. After just a few minutes of perusing the collection, I'm already impressed with the interface. Check out the Henry Hudson maps here . Here's a brief glimpse:

Google was also impressed with the maps, and featured them on the Lat Long blog.

Posted by FrankTaylor at 9:23 AM | Comments (0)

April 28, 2009

Two Collections: US Coast Guard and Right Whales

Two interesting marine related Google Earth collections came to my attention:

  • US Coast Guard - First, in honor of Earth Day last week, the US Coast Guard worked with Google Earth Outreach to release an excellent collection of Google Earth content which shows how active the US Coast Guard is around the world - especially with helping with the environment. You will find placemarks showing recent environmental safety missions (usually helping control oil spills on sinking ships), and you can even follow a research mission into the Arctic Ice. I really enjoyed viewing the layer you can download here .

  • Right Whales - Yesterday Google posted about a new KML collection showing reported Right Whale sightings . Right Whales are an endangered species which are being closely monitored along the east coast of the North America. The US Coast Guard asks that you report any sightings over radio while at sea. You may recall I actually spotted, reported and photographed my own sighting of these amazing creatures back in February (while sailing to Miami). Unfortunately, the NOAA KML file released does not show reports of whale sightings in the Georgia/Florida area (a prime breeding ground of the Right Whales in the winter). I spoke to Kurt Schwehr of the University of New Hampshire who worked with NOAA to produce the file. NOAA has a sighting advisory system - so I reported my sighting there. Maybe it will show up in the KML file later.

Posted by FrankTaylor at 8:15 AM | Comments (0)

More entries for this category:

  1. Links: Ocean Now, Michigan Earth Day, Goldman Prize, Convention Center, Queen Mary - April 21, 2009
  2. 3D Tour of Tahina Expedition Catamaran - April 20, 2009
  3. Submarine Sim for Google Ocean - April 14, 2009
  4. Announcing TahinaExpedition.com - April 9, 2009
  5. Endangered Right Whales Off Florida - February 20, 2009
  6. Rowing Around the World with Google Earth - February 11, 2009
  7. Google Earth 5 Released - 3D Ocean and More! - February 2, 2009
  8. New View of Ocean Floor in Google Earth - January 17, 2009
  9. Les Saintes Got Some Terrain in Google Earth - January 14, 2009
  10. December Sailing Passage in Google Earth - December 30, 2008
  11. Links: Santa Tracker Popular, Volvo Ocean Race, Lost World Discovered, Cold War KML - December 26, 2008
  12. Links: Going Sailing, Mumbai Attacks, Street View, South Africa Award - December 11, 2008
  13. Vendee Globe in Google Earth - December 2, 2008
  14. Somalia Piracy Map in Google Earth - November 20, 2008
  15. Links: Where 2.0, Weather Buoys, Argentina, Earthscape, MapMyPage, and more - November 19, 2008
  16. Carolina Beach Inlet in Google Earth - November 4, 2008
  17. WikiSailing - Flying/Sailing Sightseeing Tours in Google Earth - October 29, 2008
  18. Using Google Earth at 90 MPH on a Boat - October 14, 2008
  19. Introducing Our First Sailing Partner: Google - October 2, 2008
  20. The Boat Story Continues - Boatyard, Name, Moving - September 21, 2008
  21. Sailing Update - Arrgh! - September 19, 2008
  22. Storm Preparations - September 4, 2008
  23. Sailing Passage From Exuma to North Carolina - August 25, 2008
  24. Circumnavigation: The Boat - Part I - August 24, 2008
  25. Spinning the Globe - August 21, 2008
  26. Links: Joshua Slocum, Chemical Brothers, Other Links - August 6, 2008
  27. Links: Talks, boat slips, Trails.com, Featured - July 28, 2008
  28. Links: Walking, Havana, Eclipse, Oil, Follow the Boat - July 23, 2008
  29. Notes from the Bahamas: GE in Education, AGE More KML, Disney 3D - June 26, 2008
  30. Clipper Yacht Race in Google Earth - June 1, 2008
  31. Links: NBA Destination, EarthNC 2.0, Geo Education - May 7, 2008
  32. Links: Games, KML, Data, and more - March 4, 2008
  33. Miami Post - Links: Mapper Tool, GE Game, KML Wishlist - February 15, 2008
  34. Top 25 Stories of Google Earth 2007 - December 27, 2007
  35. Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2007 - December 26, 2007
  36. Links: GE on Phones?, PhotoOverlay Tutorial, EarthNC Update, Time Embedder Tool - November 6, 2007
  37. Caribbean 1500 Sailing Cup in Google Earth - November 5, 2007
  38. Links: Ohio Class Sub, Galactic Delight, Constellation Drawings - October 5, 2007
  39. News Roundup: Flight Simulator Goodies, PhotoViewer Stuff, Video tourism - September 4, 2007
  40. Scientific Ocean Drilling Database in Google Earth - August 14, 2007
  41. Our Sailing Holiday in Google Earth - August 10, 2007
  42. Sailing with Google Earth for Navigation - August 6, 2007
  43. Sailing in the Virgin Islands - with Google Earth - July 23, 2007
  44. Encompassing the Globe - July 16, 2007
  45. OgleEarth Roundup: Illegal Fishing Caught, Picasa Web Albums Review, Geo-Ads Patent, HeyWhatsThat - June 28, 2007
  46. Watch Weekend Boating Live in Google Earth - May 18, 2007
  47. EarthNC Releases Browser-based Google Earth Content - April 26, 2007
  48. 677 US Marine Charts for Google Earth on 1 CD - March 31, 2007
  49. Majesty of the Seas - February 9, 2007
  50. Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race in Google Earth - December 27, 2006
  51. Route du Rhum - Live Sailing Race in Google Earth - November 1, 2006
  52. Shipwrecks Around the Google Earth - September 2, 2006
  53. Sailing Adventures and Anchorages of the Caribbean - July 1, 2006
  54. Pete Goss in 2006 Shetland Round Britain and Ireland Race - June 18, 2006
  55. Volvo Ocean Race Leg 7 in Google Earth - May 18, 2006
  56. Multicup 60 - Live Sailboat Race in Google Earth - May 10, 2006
  57. The Aviva Challenge - Sailing Record Attempt - May 3, 2006
  58. Mini-news Roundup - April 10, 2006
  59. Sailblogs.com Supports Google Earth - April 8, 2006
  60. Follow Volvo Ocean Race Leg 5 - April 3, 2006
  61. Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race in Google Earth - March 29, 2006
  62. Maldives Island Group in High Res - March 24, 2006
  63. Bermuda Treasure Shipwrecks Map - March 7, 2006
  64. Follow Volvo Ocean Race Leg 4 in Google Earth - February 19, 2006
  65. Follow Volvo Ocean Race Leg 3 in Google Earth - February 12, 2006
  66. Transatlantic Sailing Adventure Using Google Earth - January 18, 2006
  67. Volvo Ocean Race Leg 2 - January 6, 2006
  68. Back on Land - December 19, 2005
  69. Gone Sailing! Passage Plan in Google Earth - December 13, 2005
  70. Transat Jacques Vabre 2005 Race in Google Earth - November 16, 2005
  71. And They're Off! - November 13, 2005
  72. Volvo Ocean Race in Google Earth - November 11, 2005
  73. Another Sailor Documents Trips Using Google Earth - November 9, 2005
  74. Watching Sports with Google Earth - September 27, 2005
  75. Sailing the Seven Seas - September 10, 2005
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