1. Google Earth: A Powerful Tool For Science, Education, and Outreach
2009 ESIP Federation Winter Meeting
Google Earth: A Powerful Tool For
Science, Education, and Outreach
Alan P. Leonardi, Ph.D.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration*
* On Assignment at Google Earth and Maps, Mountain View, California

2. Introduction
What is Google Earth?
How is it used?
Science
Education
Outreach
What are the limitations?
Where do we go from here?

3. Virtual Globes: Introduction What is Google Earth?
How is it used?
Science
Education
Outreach
What are the limitations?
Where do we go from here?
Virtual Globes:
3D software model or representation of the Earth or another world.
Provide user with ability to freely move around in the virtual environment by changing the viewing angle and position.
Have capability of representing many different views on the surface of the Earth, including:
Geographical features,
Man-made features such as roads and buildings, or
Abstract representations of demographic quantities such as population.
Provide unprecedented opportunity for engagement from the earth science data and information communities.
Carlton College (
Google Earth is a virtual globe browser, arguably the most popular of those available for free on the Internet (NASA's World Wind and ESRI's upcoming ArcGIS Explorer are competitors). Virtual globes allow users to interactively display and investigate geographic data (primarily satellite and aerial images and terrain models, but also 2- and 3-D vector data such as earthquake locations, water bodies, and buildings). One of the most useful aspects of Google Earth from a geoscience education point of view is the availability of a variety of geoscience-related datasets for free on the web.
Google Earth allows users to perform some basic measurements (latitude and longitude, elevation, and size), which has led some users to consider it a variety of GIS software. Geoscience professors should be careful when making this comparison. Alan Glennon, a graduate student in geography at UCSB, wrote two essays on the pros and cons of so-called "naive" GIS (mainly focusing on applications such as Google Earth). The essays (and the comments on them by other geographers) are a good starting point if you are trying to decide whether to use a virtual globe such as Google Earth or a full-featured GIS such as ArcGIS or GRASS in the classroom. (also see Glenn Richard's Google Earth or GIS? section from the SERC Teaching with Google Earth website.
Wikipedia Virtual Globe Information (
A virtual globe is a 3D software model or representation of the Earth or another world. The first widely publicized virtual globe was Google Earth. A virtual globe provides the user with the ability to freely move around in the virtual environment by changing the viewing angle and position. Compared to a conventional globe, virtual globes have the additional capability of representing many different views on the surface of the Earth. These views may be of geographical features, man-made features such as roads and buildings or abstract representations of demographic quantities such as population.
Wikipedia Google Earth Information (
Google Earth is a virtual globe, map and geographic information program that was originally called Earth Viewer, and was created by Keyhole, Inc, a company acquired by Google in It maps the earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite imagery, aerial photography and GIS 3D globe. It is available under three different licenses: Google Earth, a free version with limited functionality; Google Earth Plus (discontinued), which included additional features; and Google Earth Pro ($400 per year), which is intended for commercial use.
The product, renamed Google Earth in 2006, is currently available for use on personal computers running Microsoft Windows 2000, XP, or Vista, Mac OS X and above, Linux (released on June 12, 2006), and FreeBSD. Google Earth is also available as a browser plugin (released on June 2, 2008) for Firefox, IE6, or IE7. It was also made available on the iPhone OS on October 27, 2008, as a free download from the App Store. In addition to releasing an updated Keyhole based client, Google also added the imagery from the Earth database to their web based mapping software. The release of Google Earth in mid 2006 to the public caused a more than tenfold increase in media coverage on virtual globes between 2006 and 2007,[2] driving public interest in geospatial technologies and applications.
Credits:

4. Virtual Globes Examples:
Introduction
What is Google Earth?
How is it used?
Science
Education
Outreach
What are the limitations?
Where do we go from here?
Virtual Globes Examples:
Google Earth
NASA World Wind
TerraExplorer Viewer
GeoPlayer
EarthSLOT
EarthBrowser
Virtual Globes Examples:
Google Earth: originally developed by Keyhole, Inc; Three versions: Google Earth, Google Earth Plus , and Google Earth Pro.
NASA World Wind: NASA Learning Technologies tool developed as an educational tool to explore Earth and Moon.
TerraExplorer Viewer: Part of Skyline Software System's TerraExplorer Suite.
GeoPlayer: Published by GeoFusion, a company that offers The GeoMatrix Software Development Kit (SDK) that enables software developers to build interactive digital Earth and planetary-based applications.
EarthSLOT: Collection of 3D GIS and terrain visualization applications. It hosts or links to applications created using multiple product suites.
EarthBrowser: Lunar Software produced easy to navigate earth simulation program.
Credits:

5. Key features of Google Earth include:
Introduction
What is Google Earth?
How is it used?
Science
Education
Outreach
What are the limitations?
Where do we go from here?
Key features of Google Earth include:
Free software download available at
3D buildings in major cities across the United States,
3D terrain showing worlds mountains, valleys, and canyons,
Integrated Google Local search to find local information such as hotels, restaurants, schools, parks, and transportation,
Video playback of driving directions,
Tilt, rotate, and activate 3D terrain and buildings for a different perspective on a location,
Easy creation and sharing of annotations among users.
Google Earth Press Release Information (
Google Earth is a satellite imagery-based mapping product that combines 3D buildings and terrain with mapping capability and Google search.
Based on Keyhole technology, Google Earth enables users to fly from space to street level views to find geographic information and explore places around the world.
Key features of Google Earth include:
* Free software download available at
* 3D buildings in major cities across the United States
* 3D terrain showing mountains, valleys, and canyons around the world
* Integrated Google Local search to find local information such as hotels, restaurants, schools, parks, and transportation
* Fast, dynamic navigation
* Video playback of driving directions
* Tilt, rotate, and activate 3D terrain and buildings for a different perspective on a location
* Easy creation and sharing of annotations among users
"Google Earth utilizes broadband streaming technology and 3D graphics, much like a videogame, enabling users to interactively explore the world-- either their own neighborhood or the far corners of the globe," said John Hanke, general manager, Keyhole, Google Inc. "With many ways to access geographic information, Google provides a very rich local search experience for users worldwide."
Google Earth is the latest innovation within Google's local search product suite, which currently includes Google Local and Google Maps for web users and mobile phone users. With Google Earth, users have the tools to dive deeper into local information, whether they're exploring a vacation destination or researching a new home or apartment. They can combine multiple layers of information, such as cross-referencing school districts with address look-ups of available homes, business listings and public transportation, and save their results for later use.
For users interested in more advanced mapping capabilities, Google Earth Plus ($20/year) offers additional features including GPS compatibility, data import, and annotation. Google Earth Pro ($400/year), for commercial use, offers high-resolution printing and GIS data import capabilities.
Credits:

6. Science Introduction What is Google Earth? How is it used? Science
Education
Outreach
What are the limitations?
Where do we go from here?
Science

7. I. NOAA’s Weather and Climate Toolkit
Introduction
What is Google Earth?
How is it used?
Science
Education
Outreach
What are the limitations?
Where do we go from here?
I. NOAA’s Weather and Climate Toolkit
Credits:
NCDC

8. NOAA’s Weather and Climate Toolkit Provides:
Introduction
What is Google Earth?
How is it used?
Science
Education
Outreach
What are the limitations?
Where do we go from here?
NOAA’s Weather and Climate Toolkit Provides:
Visualization and export of NCDC weather and climatological data,
Access to NCDC (and other orgs) weather/climate web services,
Capability and tools for:
Custom data overlays and Web Map Services (WMS),
Exporting images and movies in multiple formats,
Export Data in vector and raster grid formats.
Credits:
NCDC

9. NOAA’s WCT Supported Data Types:
Introduction
What is Google Earth?
How is it used?
Science
Education
Outreach
What are the limitations?
Where do we go from here?
NOAA’s WCT Supported Data Types:
U.S. Drought Monitor Service (from NDMC)
NEXRAD Radar Data (Level-II and Level-III)
GOES Satellite AREA Files
Planned Data Types:
NOMADS Model Data Web Services (OPeNDAP)
Generic gridded NetCDF support
Station data access via REST Web Services
Credits:
NCDC

10. NOAA’s Weather and Climate Toolkit
Introduction
What is Google Earth?
How is it used?
Science
Education
Outreach
What are the limitations?
Where do we go from here?
NOAA’s Weather and Climate Toolkit
Credits:
NCDC

11. NOAA’s Weather and Climate Toolkit
Introduction
What is Google Earth?
How is it used?
Science
Education
Outreach
What are the limitations?
Where do we go from here?
NOAA’s Weather and Climate Toolkit
Credits:
NCDC

12. II. Alaska Volcano Monitoring
Introduction
What is Google Earth?
How is it used?
Science
Education
Outreach
What are the limitations?
Where do we go from here?
II. Alaska Volcano Monitoring
Credits:

13. Volcanic Ash Dispersion Predictions
Introduction
What is Google Earth?
How is it used?
Science
Education
Outreach
What are the limitations?
Where do we go from here?
Volcanic Ash Dispersion Predictions
Credits:
3D Puff model predictions of Kliuchevskoi volcanic eruptions and ash dispersion. The KML Files contain a network link to the 3D Puff model predictions for sites across the NOPAC and beyond.

14. Volcanic Ash Dispersion Predictions
Introduction
What is Google Earth?
How is it used?
Science
Education
Outreach
What are the limitations?
Where do we go from here?
Volcanic Ash Dispersion Predictions
Credits:
Puff 3D simulation of Ash-Aircraft encounter from December 1989 Mt. Redoubt Volcano Eruption

15. III. In-Situ Ocean Observations
Introduction
What is Google Earth?
How is it used?
Science
Education
Outreach
What are the limitations?
Where do we go from here?
III. In-Situ Ocean Observations
Credits:
Pete Giencke

16. III. In-Situ Ocean Observations
Introduction
What is Google Earth?
How is it used?
Science
Education
Outreach
What are the limitations?
Where do we go from here?
III. In-Situ Ocean Observations
Air Temp
Atm Pressure
Water Temp
Wave Height
Wind Gust
Wind Speed
Credits:
Pete Giencke

17. Education Introduction What is Google Earth? How is it used? Science
Outreach
What are the limitations?
Where do we go from here?
Education

18. I. Literary Adventures Introduction What is Google Earth?
How is it used?
Science
Education
Outreach
What are the limitations?
Where do we go from here?
I. Literary Adventures
Follows the main character (Sal Paradise) of Kerouac’s novel On the Road as he travels across America;
Placemarks link to chapter in novel and contain information about places visited.
Credits:
Michael Hess
Follows the main character (Sal Paradise) of Kerouac’s novel On the Road as he travels across America

19. II. Exploration 1: Portuguese Chronology
Introduction
What is Google Earth?
How is it used?
Science
Education
Outreach
What are the limitations?
Where do we go from here?
II. Exploration 1: Portuguese Chronology
Credits:
Smithsonian
KML provides information, photographs and graphical depiction of routes taken by Portugal's sailors and explorers in the 16th and 17th centuries.

20. III. Exploration 2: Shackleton’s Endurance
Introduction
What is Google Earth?
How is it used?
Science
Education
Outreach
What are the limitations?
Where do we go from here?
III. Exploration 2: Shackleton’s Endurance
Credits:
Smithsonian

21. IV. Wind Energy Siting Lesson
Introduction
What is Google Earth?
How is it used?
Science
Education
Outreach
What are the limitations?
Where do we go from here?
IV. Wind Energy Siting Lesson
Credits:
Noel Jenkins

22. Outreach Introduction What is Google Earth? How is it used? Science
Education
Outreach
What are the limitations?
Where do we go from here?
Outreach

23. I. UNEP Changing Environment Atlas
Introduction
What is Google Earth?
How is it used?
Science
Education
Outreach
What are the limitations?
Where do we go from here?
I. UNEP Changing Environment Atlas
Includes both Google Map and Google Earth Options
KML layers include 120 sites around the world where UNEP has researched and studied environmental changes.
For each site (geographic point), the KML includes the story associated with the environmental change, thumbnail images of the imagery, and links to UNEP web site for more information.
Google Map and Google Earth Options
120 UNEP research and study sites around the world.
Includes story associated with the environmental change, thumbnail images of the imagery, and links to UNEP web site for more information.
Credits:
UNEP
Ashbindu Singh,
Michelle L. Anthony,

24. What are the limitations?
Introduction
What is Google Earth?
How is it used?
Science
Education
Outreach
What are the limitations?
Where do we go from here?
Credits:
UNEP
Ashbindu Singh,
Michelle L. Anthony,

25. II. Oil Spills of the World
Introduction
What is Google Earth?
How is it used?
Science
Education
Outreach
What are the limitations?
Where do we go from here?
II. Oil Spills of the World
Credits:
David Tryse
Major oil spills from the 1960's onwards including description, photographs and additional information.

26. III. John Muir: American Naturalist
Introduction
What is Google Earth?
How is it used?
Science
Education
Outreach
What are the limitations?
Where do we go from here?
III. John Muir: American Naturalist
Credits:
Sierra Club
Sierra Club created KML file paying homage to the life of Sierra Club founder John Muir.

27. IV. World Glaciers Introduction What is Google Earth? How is it used?
Science
Education
Outreach
What are the limitations?
Where do we go from here?
IV. World Glaciers
Credits:
NSIDC

28. Limitations Introduction What is Google Earth? How is it used? Science
Education
Outreach
What are the limitations?
Where do we go from here?
Limitations

29. Advantages Introduction What is Google Earth? How is it used? Science
Education
Outreach
What are the limitations?
Where do we go from here?
Advantages
Freely available
Easy and varied map development
Stand-alone desktop application
Existing high quality imagery
Imagery quality constantly improving
KML files are easy to share and convert to GIS shapefiles
Large user community with online technical support
Credits:
Conroy, et al (2008)
doi: /j.jhevol
Lozano-Fuentes, et al (2008)
doi: /BLT

30. Disadvantages Introduction What is Google Earth? How is it used?
Science
Education
Outreach
What are the limitations?
Where do we go from here?
Disadvantages
Requires internet access to capture satellite images
Imagery quality in rural areas of developing countries
Age of imagery can constrain some applications
limited set of editing and data management tools
lack of spatial analysis and modeling capability
Uses the world geodetic system (WGS) 84 - best suited for country-wide or continent-wide scales
Credits:
Conroy, et al (2008)
doi: /j.jhevol
Lozano-Fuentes, et al (2008)
doi: /BLT

31. What’s Next? Introduction What is Google Earth? How is it used?
Science
Education
Outreach
What are the limitations?
Where do we go from here?
What’s Next?
KML, Google Earth, etc. are powerful tools to bring scientific information to non-traditional audiences
Need to determine how far the scientific data community wants to go to support KML as a standard
Need to engage Google (and others) in the discussion

32. Questions? Introduction What is Google Earth? How is it used? Science
Education
Outreach
What are the limitations?
Where do we go from here?
Questions?