Today marks the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I, and Erik Hellstedt at Geo-Animate.com has built an excellent visualization of the early stages of the war.
In Erik’s words:
Today marks the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I. Within a week, the world’s great powers had mobilized and begun sending their armies to the frontiers. This GE animation begins August 1st and follows the daily movements of each army’s units through October 31st, by which time a near-continuous belt of trenches along this Western Front prevented any significant movement for nearly four years. At the end of this War of Movement animation, there were already millions of war casualties and countless shattered communities.
He’s continuing to develop the project, but what he has completed so far is extraordinary. Check it out for yourself at www.geo-animate.com/War-of-Movement.
Great work, Erik!
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.