GulfImpact.com was just released today by the Timoney Group. Gulf Impact is a powerful demonstration of how Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita affected the Oil and Gas Industry assets in the Gulf of Mexico. Brian Timoney is a GIS professional who really believes in the power of 3D visualization and provides consulting services to businesses interested in reaching the public using Google Earth.
The Timoney Group conducted tests to determine how best to present the data. There are over a dozen layers of data including oil pipelines, oil platforms, gas pipelines, hurricane paths, before/after production rates, and analysis tools. They chose a dedicated web site with an entry choice based on the type of person entering (general audience, energy professional, geospatial professional, or you can see the entire list of layers). The bar graphs showing the 2004/2005 production rates help illustrate just how serious the damage affected the industry. Try turning on hurricane paths 
and the bar graphs for oil production (’04/’05) for example. I highly recommend visiting the site for the full effect though.
The most interesting tool is the “Buffer Hurricane Paths” tool. This allows you as a user to input how large an area the hurricane paths cut. And another tool lets you input your own path. You simply enter a radius and colors. The server uses GIS tools to generate a new visualization for you and immediately place it back in your GE view. Make sure you read the “Preview” which provides instructions for using this tool. It involves looking at the Places folder after you download the buffer tool, and making a change in the browser window, but is actually quite simple to use. [Note: the Timoney Group reports there are some issues with the buffer tool and the Mac Beta version of Google Earth which they are working on fixing.]
This is a yet another powerful example of how a professional can make dramatic, and useful, visualizations with Google Earth. The Timoney group also produced a visualization for Jonah Gas and a South American Trade demonstration. OgleEarth has conducted an interview with Brian Timoney which is worth reading.
About Frank Taylor
Frank Taylor started the Google Earth Blog in July, 2005 shortly after Google Earth was first released. He has worked with 3D computer graphics and VR for many years and was very impressed with this exciting product. Frank completed a 5.5 year circumnavigation of the earth by sailboat in June 2015 which you can read about at Tahina Expedition, and is a licensed pilot, backpacker, diver, and photographer.
Because I am concerned that America is to a large extent funding the Terrorists war against the West by buying so much oil from the East, I was very pleased with the news of last weeks oil discovery in the Gulf of Mexico (Chevron’s Jack 2 Well).
Now this mornings news of a magnitude 6 earthquake in the Gulf got me to wondering if and how it might effect the Jack 2 well.
Using the available data from two different articles, I put the JACK 2 well and the M6 quake about 200 miles apart. I think this is pretty darned close!
I would sure be interested in any information and/or thoughts on this matter.
Conrad Driussi
Ridgecrest, CA
I was thinking how strange it is that the quake even happened. First I saw that the quake happened 250 miles off the coast of Tampa Bay. Then I remembered how at the end of June, The government released a 25 year ban on oil drilling in the Gulf.
Want to know how far away the oil companies can drill? That’s right… 250 miles west of Tampa Bay.
Do your own searches. The truth is being hidden by Big Oil.
When you google info on Chevron’s big find… You’ll start to realize it’s not just Jack #2 that’s out there. There is another called the Tahiti Project…. and more coming.
There is no doubt that this rare and unusual gulf quake was caused by tampering with the earth’s crust. Chevron drilled almost 30,000 feet into the ocean floor. That’s about 5.5 miles down.
It was an earthquake sponsored by Chevron.
Phillip Clark
St Petersburg, Florida
We have to stop the drilling we have to use green energy in the future!