Google Oceans: Our blue planet revealed
Tue, 03 Feb 2009 1:50 pm – Posted by Kirstie_Knowles | 2 Comments
Google has just announced a new tool that allows viewers to take a glimpse under the sea, which goes a long way to addressing our “out of sight – out of mind mentality” currently plaguing marine conservation efforts.
Having just rolled out google sky following the ever-popular google earth, google is now giving us a chance to dive into an area that occupies 2/3 of earth’s surface.
Although much of the sea floor surrounding New Zealand is yet unavailable in a high-resolution, it is hoped that with time we will be able to see the mountains, coral reefs and shelves that lie under our sea.
And with many more eyes on our quickly deteriorating coral reefs (a side effect of ocean acidification), this tool may have the power to open people’s eyes to the effects of climate change on our oceans
The media are abuzz with excitement over google oceans, and conservationists too are joining the chorus of cheers. No doubt this is a powerful tool for sharing information about our oceans, and soon it will be populated with tags, notes, photos & videos from scuba divers, scientists, snorkelers and fishers from across the globe.
So have a look for yourself. (http://earth.google.com/ocean/). In what ways do you think that Forest & Bird can use this tool to protect our marine habitats & species?
I saw a piece on the news about google oceans and was really excited about the prospect of peering under the oceans. Unfortunately, I was rather underwhelmed. I checked out one of the eleven ‘hegh resolution’ hotspots - hawaii - and that was marginally better. Hopefullly they’ll roll out more powerful versions in the coming months, but at the moment I just find myself navigating into a blur of blue. That said, it’s a step in the right direction. It’ll mean that there are more watchdogs out there …..
thats true jane. the prospect of being able to look into the oceans wierd and wonderful things really gets me excited. i mean i dont even have to drink caffine in the morning its making me so excited. but i guess for the time being i’ll have to stick to my hand held camera…while we wait for the technology to improve.