Science Archives

June 18, 2007

Gallery Update

Apparently Google plans to be updating their new Google Earth Gallery each week. This week we have another six entries. Three have previously been featured here at GEB, but three have not. Here's the list this week, with some extra information:

• World Oil Consumption - a globe-wide 3D bar chart showing countries with the most oil consumption. Gallery link. More details from GEB. KML Link

• Biography of Phillis Wheatley - Phillis Wheatley was the first African American woman to have her books published in the U.S. Gallery Link. Original GEC post. KML Link

• Real-time Earthquakes - From the US Geological Survey. Gallery Link. More detail from GEB. KML link

• Jeneau Ice Field Research - Photos, overlays and descriptions of Jeneau's ice fields. Gallery Link. More details by Nichols College. KML Link

• Night Lights of the World - Global light pollution. Gallery Link. More details at GE Library by Matt Fox. KML Link

• King Tut - Tutankhamun's Tomb in 3D in Google Earth. Gallery Link. More details from GEB. Original GEC post. KML Link

Check out the GE Gallery Gadget you can add to your iGoogle page.

Posted by FrankTaylor at 08:21 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

June 12, 2007

News RoundUp: Football Game, VesselTracker, Antarctic Bases, Egyptian Digs, 3D Cities Help, Chimps, Gallery

• Football Game - Google Earth Hacks has developed an American-style football game you can play within Google Earth. The game is played within a football stadium inside GE, and you interact through radio buttons in the Places pane. You either choose Offensive or Defensive plays depending on who has the ball. You see the position of the ball at the end of each play, and get feedback on statistics for each play including scores. Pretty fun to play, and an interesting application of GE technology.

• VesselTracker - The VesselTracker.com site is dedicated to providing ship vessel tracking data (right now for north of Europe) using maps and Google Earth using the Automated Identification System (AIS). Interestingly, VesselTracker are using Virtual Earth for the 2D maps, but Google Earth for the 3D maps. Thanks to a tip from GmapsMania. Try a free version in GE (24 hour delay).

• Antarctic Bases - Google's recent imagery update includes some high resolution photos of portion of Antarctica. Stefan Geens found a KML collection of placemarks for all antarctic bases (via this site). Many, but not all, appear in the new high res photos.

• Egyptian Digs - OgleEarth reports about a LiveScience article on how satellite photos are helping Egyptian archaeologists to find new dig sites. OgleEarth notes that satellite photos are helping make many kinds of scientific discoveries.

• 3D Cities Help - The Google Lat Long blog has posted about a new 3D Warehouse "Help Model a City" feature. The intent is to help foster a community based approach to creating 3D models of buildings in cities around the world.

• Chimps - Jane Goodall's Gombe Chimpanzee blog has released a new site design. It's appropriate that the first blog which used Google Earth initially as the only way to view blog entries is now supporting GeoRSS (geotagged RSS). They are also now supporting Google Maps for viewing entries, and are using a new blogging tool called EarthWatchr. via OgleEarth.

• Gallery - The new Google Earth Gallery has been updated with new entries. You can also install a Gallery Gadget for your iGoogle page. My favorite new entry is the collection of placemarks showing the life of Neil Armstrong (first man to walk on the moon).

Posted by FrankTaylor at 07:42 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

June 08, 2007

ISDE Day 3 Summary

Read my overview of ISDE5 here, or visit their web site ISDE5.org for more details. Also, read my summary from ISDE5 Day 1, and my summary from ISDE 5 Day 2. So, after nearly two weeks of attending conferences, I'm getting a bit tired. But, I'm valiantly attempting to still summarize highlights. I will follow up later (maybe next week?) with more details for some of the things I liked most. Here are some of my notes from Day 3 - my apologies, but I missed several of the talks during the morning session due to other obligations, and the ones I did see had little to do with Google Earth.

• International Polar Year - Technical session. Matt Nolan presented the IPY Google Earth network link. He appealed to other IPY scientists to start developing more KML content to be included in the network link. They are also working to get the network link included as a Google Earth layer. Although it is a bit unique in form, I think Google should make an effort to highlight the IPY content. Several suggestions were made to help improve the process (writing a manual to help scientists understand how best to submit the KML content, doing some user testing to improve the design, and using more features of GE - like 3D - to grab the attention of the general public). Download the IPY network link . Stefan Geens also demonstrated that he was implementing GeoRSS tags for IPY news and will be publishing a network link allowing people to visualize IPY news in Google Maps or Earth.

• Sensor Webs in Digital Earth - Matt Heavner talked about the importance of sensor webs to gather and collect data from different types of sensors to scientific research. He then discussed why KML is an important vehicle for sharing and visualizing the data from sensor webs. KML enables scientists to not only collect data in real-time, but also show different forms of data (placemarks, tables, photos, graphs, 3D shapes, and web cam photos) all tied to location. By using KML you also can use either Google Earth or the browser-based Google Maps. Although Stefan Geens (who was attending) pointed out Maps doesn't handle areas around the poles very well.

• Volcanic Ash Dispersion Modeling in Google Earth - Peter Webley of the Alaska Volcano Observatory presented his research visualizations which use a very innovative application of Google Earth technology to show ash plumes which are thrown into the atmosphere by volcanoes. I first saw this at the AGU conference last fall. But, I never wrote about it because there was no available KML file. It turns out their model outputs 2000 placemarks with graphical icons to model the plume as particles. The icons are designed to look like gray ash from a distance and it works quite well. They also use time animation to show how the plumes drift. They also have the ability to predict how the ash plumes will drift based on atmospheric models. The airlines use this to avoid flight plans which might take them into these dangerous clouds of ash. You can read more about this at their web site - which includes several GIF animations. I can't resist, so here is one example showing ash coming from Mt. St. Helens' eruption in 1980 in Google Earth:

  

• NASA Earth Observatory (NEO) - David Herring presented the efforts of NASA to provide a valuable educational tool designed to not only educate the public, but also to attract young people into the field of science. Not only that, but the data is very valuable for illustrating climatic change, how humans are effecting the environment, and for analyzing our planet. The NEO web site has recently been re-designed to be even more effective. What I like is their support for showing the data in Google Earth. If you click on "Ocean->Sea Surface Temperature" you not only see a flat 2D map showing the data, but also a link for a Google Earth version like this . Although, I was disappointed to note the data came from 1985. But, I liked David's approach to designing better ways to view data.

  
  

• Spot Image Announced Planet Action - The president of Spot Image US announced a new initiative called Planet Action. My hat is off to any company which takes on the noble goal of trying to organize a call to action to help take care of our planet. And, a satellite imagery company certainly has a good perspective to understand what is happening on Earth. So far they have enlisted the aid of partners: ESRI, Unesco, and Infoterra. They should definitely talk to Google if they want to get maximum exposure.

  
  

• After these sessions, there was a Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony. During the cocktails I managed to grab Stefan Geens for a photo. Look for a separate post on that. One of the winners of the visualization challenge was UNEP for their Google Earth layer which shows 120 locations around the Earth where noticeable problems demonstrating natural climatic change and human destruction of the environment have occurred. See my earlier post on the UNEP layer which is now under the new "Global Awareness" layer in GE.

  
  

Posted by FrankTaylor at 01:29 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 05, 2007

International Symposium on Digital Earth - Day 1, Part 1

Today I'm attending the Fifth International Symposium on Digital Earth (ISDE5.org) at the University of California at Berkeley. The ISDE is an opportunity to discuss how digital information about the Earth can be gathered, provided, and disseminated to help us all better understand the planet. This year's event is significant in the face of increasing concerns about global climatic change. It's particularly interesting that Vice President Al Gore is partially responsible for the efforts surrounding the concepts of the Digital Earth based on a speech he gave in 1998.

There will be a number of presentations during the next few days of the symposium which will talk about Google Earth, both in terms of its role in the Digital Earth - and in terms of environmental and scientific data and projects involving Google Earth. I'm expecting to hear this week about how virtual globes like Google Earth, Virtual Earth, and World Wind will help (and are helping) everyone learn more about our planet and gain access to Digital Earth information. This afternoon we'll hear from Michael Jones, CTO of Google Earth (look for a post about this later).

Posted by FrankTaylor at 02:53 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

May 25, 2007

Rising Water Effects for NYC in Google Earth - Part III

Last week I shared some data created by Leszek of FreeGeoGraphyTools.com where he had created a more accurate result showing how water would rise around Manhattan based on a more detailed terrain model available from the USGS. At the time, I suggested he do an animation using the time animation capability of Google Earth. Yesterday he posted his animation and details on how to create it using the same tools he used. He had to generate 61 frames of rising water calculations to get the smooth animation effect. You can view the animation in Google Earth. Once it loads, click on the "Play" button on the right of the time slider in the top-right-center of GE. You can turn on the 3D Buildings and the Terrain layers to see the effect of the water relative to buildings, ground, and the satellite / aerial photos. Or just watch a video of the GE animation here:

Related:

• Rising water effects - Part II
• Rising water effects - Part I

Posted by FrankTaylor at 07:44 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

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More entries for this category:

6. News Roundup - Nokia N95, gCensus US, Greensburg Radar Animation - May 14, 2007
7. News Roundup 2 - Science Visualization, Netherlands GIS, Flu Map, Nokia SportsTracker - May 06, 2007
8. News Roundup - Chile Border Crisis, Caribou, Gumball Rally, Emotions - April 30, 2007
9. Stephen Hawking Flies in Zero G - April 27, 2007
10. Maverick Waves Explained - Illustration in Google Earth - April 23, 2007
11. New California Marine Protected Areas in Google Earth - April 20, 2007
12. News Roundup: My Maps/YouTube, Nokia N95, Census, Arc2Earth, Show-n-Tell - April 13, 2007
13. New Blog - Google Earth Library; Moon and Mars Overlays - April 09, 2007
14. Utah Geo Sightseeing in Google Earth - April 04, 2007
15. NSF Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge - March 27, 2007
16. New Snow and Ice Data for Google Earth - March 05, 2007
17. Happy International Polar Year! Google Earth Presentation - March 02, 2007
18. NASA Releases More Earth Data for Google Earth - February 22, 2007
19. News Roundup - FreeGeoTools, Sprol, Subsurface, conferences, Magnalox - February 12, 2007
20. Underwater Roman Village? - February 08, 2007
21. Google Earth Critical Tool in Fight Against Logging Plan - February 06, 2007
22. News roundup: Google vs. Microsoft, 3D San Jose, Endurance, Weather, Off the Map - January 23, 2007
23. Daily NASA MODIS Satellite Imagery for Google Earth - January 20, 2007
24. NOAA Releases Estuarine Bathymetric Data for Google Earth - January 12, 2007
25. Upper Green Valley Environmental Issues Illustrated with Google Earth - January 10, 2007
26. News Roundup: GlobeXplorer Acquired by Digital Globe, Conferences, Google Telescope - January 08, 2007
27. Update on NASA/Google Press Briefing - December 18, 2006
28. Interesting Satellite Visualizations for Google Earth - December 15, 2006
29. Virtual Globes Sessions at AGU - Day 1 - December 13, 2006
30. Avian Flu Tracker Updated - December 12, 2006
31. NASA Goddard Publishes Huge Google Earth Time Animations - December 10, 2006
32. NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab Publishes Google Earth Content - December 08, 2006
33. The Malaria Map Project in Google Earth - December 06, 2006
34. View Melting Glaciers in Google Earth - December 03, 2006
35. Maplecroft Risk Analsysis Global Maps in Google Earth - November 22, 2006
36. Protecting Rainforests in Victoria, Australia Using Google Earth - November 21, 2006
37. Blue Marble Time Animation in Google Earth - November 15, 2006
38. NY Times on New Theory of Higher Frequency of Large Meteor Impacts - November 14, 2006
39. Google Supports Geography Awareness Week - November 13, 2006
40. Jupiter Clouds in Motion in Google Earth - November 12, 2006
41. Earth on Fire - November 04, 2006
42. News Roundup - Animated 3D, EmerGeo, Altered Oceans, Virtual Airlines - October 29, 2006
43. National Weather Service Releases Radar Loops for Google Earth - October 26, 2006
44. Hawaii Earthquake Data in Google Earth - October 23, 2006
45. Armchair Archeology with Google Earth - October 17, 2006
46. Global Paleogeographic Time Animation - October 16, 2006
47. Flight of Space Ship One Depicted in Google Earth - October 12, 2006
48. Space Atlas for Google Earth - October 10, 2006
49. News Roundup - October 09, 2006
50. Wirefly X PRIZE Cup Showcases 3D Space Models for Google Earth - October 05, 2006
51. Maps for Global Hunger / Poverty in Google Earth - October 04, 2006
52. UNEP's New Environment Layer in Google Earth - September 21, 2006
53. More Innovative Time Animation Examples for Google Earth - September 19, 2006
54. Anousheh Ansari Blasts off to Space - September 18, 2006
55. Google Earth 4 Time Feature Example - September 14, 2006
56. Huge New Layers Update in Google Earth - September 13 - September 13, 2006
57. Back to School - Educational Uses with Google Earth - August 29, 2006
58. News Roundup: Tides, Scientific visualization, Geody, Movie Times - August 24, 2006
59. Jane Goodall Gombe Chimpanzee GeoBlog V2.0 - August 21, 2006
60. Moon Trees in Google Earth - August 10, 2006
61. Homemade Network of Real-time Lightning Data - See it in Google Earth - August 09, 2006
62. News Roundup - New GE Book, GE and Science, 3D Model, GIS Day, Another Chance - August 02, 2006
63. Google Saturn - July 30, 2006
64. Lava Flows in Google Earth - July 27, 2006
65. ReefBase - Status of the World's Coral Reefs - July 25, 2006
66. Weather Symbols in Google Earth - July 18, 2006
67. New Tsunami Hits Southern Java Indonesia - July 17 - July 17, 2006
68. Bus Live Tracking at USC - Research Project - July 14, 2006
69. News Roundup - July 04, 2006
70. New Volcano Layer in Google Earth - June 20, 2006
71. FCC Data Visualization in Google Earth - June 06, 2006
72. Avian Flu Outbreak Map Update - Human Cases in Indonesia - June 01, 2006
73. Global Volcanoes by Smithsonian Institution for Google Earth - May 20, 2006
74. Decrease in Avian Flu Spread During Last Month - May 19, 2006
75. Mount Merapi Volcano in Google Earth - May 15, 2006
76. Real-time Stream Flow Sensor Net in Google Earth - May 14, 2006
77. Kennedy Space Center Placemarks and Webcams - May 11, 2006
78. Gulf Impact - Analysis of Damage to Oil/Gas Industry from Hurricanes - May 09, 2006
79. Map of Projected Sea Level Rise Effects on Vancouver - May 08, 2006
80. Chernobyl Radiation Visualization in Google Earth - April 29, 2006
81. Near Real-time Ocean/Weather Data - April 28, 2006
82. USGS Releases Geologic Maps for Google Earth - April 25, 2006
83. Earth Day - Google Earth Style - April 22, 2006
84. Glacier Melt in Google Earth - April 20, 2006
85. Space Elevator in Google Earth - April 17, 2006
86. NOAA's Coral Reef Watch Adds Google Earth Data - April 13, 2006
87. State of Our Ecology in Google Earth - April 12, 2006
88. Discovery Channel Releases Video Links for Google Earth - April 07, 2006
89. USGS Releases Awesome 1906 Earthquake Documentary Using Google Earth - April 06, 2006
90. USGS Using Google Earth for Historic Documentary on 1906 Quake - April 05, 2006
91. Google Jupiter - April 03, 2006
92. Enhanced Avian Flu Outbreak Tracker - March 27, 2006
93. User Develops Mars Add-on for Google Earth - March 13, 2006
94. USGS Virtual Tour of Hayward Fault in California - March 11, 2006
95. Jane Goodall Chimpanzee GeoBlog - March 09, 2006
96. Marine-related Google Earth Files - March 08, 2006
97. New Crater Discovery Using Google Earth? - March 06, 2006
98. Huge Crater Discovered in Saharan Desert - March 05, 2006
99. Avian Flu Preparedness Using Google Earth - February 23, 2006
100. Update on Nature Magazine Google Earth Stories - February 16, 2006
101. Earthquake Monitoring - February 07, 2006
102. More Satellite Environmental Data in Google Earth - January 31, 2006
103. NASA Annual Day Land Temperatures of the Earth - January 30, 2006
104. Global Fire Data in Google Earth - January 26, 2006
105. Arctic and Antarctic Ice Floes in Google Earth - January 25, 2006
106. Environmental Groups Leveraging Google Earth - January 16, 2006
107. Solar Eclipse Paths in Google Earth - January 12, 2006
108. Aurora Viewing Map in Google Earth - January 05, 2006
109. Tracking Birds with Google Earth - November 25, 2005
110. Nature Magazine's Avian Flu Outbreak Map - November 16, 2005
111. Avian Flu Outbreak Map in Google Earth - November 03, 2005
112. Impact Structures (Craters) in Google Earth Continued - October 26, 2005
113. Hidden Logging in Tropical Forests Revealed - October 22, 2005
114. Storm Tracking Tools - Hurricane Wilma - October 19, 2005
115. Meteor Craters on Earth - October 18, 2005
116. The Ants Go Marching One by One - October 01, 2005
117. Asteroid Occultations - September 15, 2005

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