Recently we’ve been seeing some really diverse uses of Google Earth by Aussies. Originally started back in 2005, Earth continues to fascinate and inspire people’s creativity more than ever and we thought we’d share a few examples that have caught our eye.
Heron Island lagoon. Image downloaded from Google Earth 13 Oct. 2010. Image date 2 Aug. 2006. Image copyright 2011 DigitalGlobe and via here.
Marine conservation and preservation
Recently, researchers in Sydney have demonstrated that Google Earth can be used as a scientific tool for discovery. Dr Elizabeth Madin and her colleagues at the University of Technology are using Google Earth satellite images to understand study vegetation patterns to learn more about how small fish and urchins hide from reef predators on Heron Island. As Madin says, "To our knowledge, this is the first time anyone has used freely-available Google Earth images to identify these features, and then actually tested them on the ground to confirm that we're seeing exactly what we think we're seeing from the satellite images”. Studying reefs from Google Earth offers great perspective: scientists have even discovered new reefs in the process!
Google Earth screenshots of some of Professor Kennedy’s finds, via here.
Archaeological Innovation: Discovering treasures from the comfort of your desktop
One of the difficulties of research and discovery in the field of archaeology is the problem of access: it’s not only expensive to travel, but often politically difficult or dangerous to do so.
Professor David Kennedy from the University of Western Australia, is using Google Earth imagery to identify stone-built archaeological sites across Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Kennedy says that aerial reconnaissance is the single most powerful tool for locating and mapping archaeological sites as it can reveal sites that aren’t visible from the ground, just by observing different soil colourations or how vegetation changes. Whether it’s finding an Afghan fortress or a meteorite crater, Google Earth enables a lot of freedom to explore and discover, right from your desktop.
Understanding our own country better
Google Earth allows you to overlay photos and information to satellite pictures, too, as a way of searching and discovering new information visually. For example, Tourism Tasmania have enabled a map of Tasmania on their site using Google Earth, which allows tourists and travellers to get information on everything from visitor information centres, to car hire facilities, tours, accommodation and attractions.
Google Earth lets you fly anywhere on Earth to view satellite imagery, maps, terrain, and 3D buildings -- and from galaxies in outer space to the canyons of the ocean. You can create and save your own “flyovers” and map out your data. (Try it yourself here).
Google Earth isn’t just helping with new discoveries; it’s helping many scientists and non-profit organisations create powerful visualisations of the data that’s important to their cause. The visualisations they create help them collaborate better within their teams and get the word out to the public about what they’re working on.
We’d love to hear any stories you might have about using Google Earth - leave a comment below or contact us on our Twitter account at @googledownunder.
Posted by Kate Mason, Google Communications.
Understanding our own country better
Google Earth allows you to overlay photos and information to satellite pictures, too, as a way of searching and discovering new information visually. For example, Tourism Tasmania have enabled a map of Tasmania on their site using Google Earth, which allows tourists and travellers to get information on everything from visitor information centres, to car hire facilities, tours, accommodation and attractions.
Google Earth lets you fly anywhere on Earth to view satellite imagery, maps, terrain, and 3D buildings -- and from galaxies in outer space to the canyons of the ocean. You can create and save your own “flyovers” and map out your data. (Try it yourself here).
Google Earth isn’t just helping with new discoveries; it’s helping many scientists and non-profit organisations create powerful visualisations of the data that’s important to their cause. The visualisations they create help them collaborate better within their teams and get the word out to the public about what they’re working on.
We’d love to hear any stories you might have about using Google Earth - leave a comment below or contact us on our Twitter account at @googledownunder.
Posted by Kate Mason, Google Communications.
