Powered by a network of well over 500 people, the SWOT (State of the World’s Sea Turtles) database is one of the most comprehensive global databases of sea turtle nesting sites around. You’re able to view all of the data on a customizable Google Map, and as you’d expect, you can download a KML file
to view all of the data inside of Google Earth.
The map is highly detailed and customizable, allowing you to filter by location, and it highlights both the species and colony size with various colored shaped icons.
The depth of data on the map is quite impressive as well, containing data for over 120 countries around the world. If you’re familiar with the WIDECAST Atlas, the SWOT database includes their dataset in there and displays them together. All of the SWOT reports and non-interactive map data can be found over at www.seaturtlestatus.org.
If you’re looking for more ocean conservation tools in Google Earth, you can check out these ocean biographic maps from a few years ago, or simply dive in and explore the ocean itself, a feature available since Google Earth 5 was released a few years ago.
About Mickey Mellen
Mickey has been using Google Earth since it was released in 2005, and has created a variety of geo-related sites including Google Earth Hacks. He runs a web design firm in Marietta, GA, where he lives with his wife and two kids.