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March 2008 Issue |
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What's New in Google Earth?
Each month we highlight the newest additions to Google Earth content. If you haven't been subscribing to Sightseer for long, check the forum for previous editions.
New and Updated Imagery
 On February 19th, we released our first imagery update for 2008. The update includes a broad range of new and updated imagery around the globe. Some highlights include new or updated imagery for: US states of Connecticut, Deleware, Ohio, Louisiana, Hawaii, New Jersey, and Virginia; many cities throughout the US and Spain; large portions of British Columbia and Ontario, Canada; western half of South Africa; new and updated imagery in and around Sydney, Australia; and cities in many other countries. See the full details on the new imagery.
Google Earth Outreach Updates
Google Earth Outreach is a program designed to help give non-profits and public benefit organizations the knowledge and resources they need to develop Google Earth content to reach a world audience. In February we released a number of updates to the Outreach web site:
Getting Started guide: Since launching the Google Earth Outreach program last June, we've seen a growing interest from nonprofits in using Google's mapping products. So we've created this step-by-step guide to help organizations get started using Google Earth, Maps, or both.
Case studies: Several new case studies added. The "Ecology of the Ancient Bristlecone Pines" looks at how researchers use Google Earth in their fieldwork studying bristlecone pines in the White Mountains of California. The "EDGE of Existence" case study describes the making of a KML showing the 100 most endangered mammals on earth. (The KML code was generated from a spreadsheet by our new Spreadsheet Mapper 2.0 tool - continue reading for more on that!) We've included an update to the Neighbors Against Irresponsible Logging (NAIL) case study describing how Google Earth helped them win their environmental battle to save a redwood forest. Finally, we're pleased to publish an update from Appalachian Voices, describing their new and innovative "MyConnection" site, which shows individuals how they are personally connected to mountaintop removal coal mining in Appalachia. Read what Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has to say about this initiative.
Tutorials: In addition to the new Spreadsheet Mapper tool and tutorial, we want to let you know about our new Collaborate on Your Maps tutorial that highlights the collaborative mapping capability introduced recently to MyMaps -- potentially very useful for volunteer groups and nonprofits.
Spreadsheet Mapper Tool 2.0
 One great way to spread your message is by creating a layer for Google Earth or Maps. You probably know by now that placemarks can be created using something called KML. Some people think this file format is really hard to use, but with the help of Google Spreadsheets and a little imagination, you too can create your own layers. And to make creating placemarks in Maps and Earth even easier, we've released our new and improved Spreadsheet Mapper 2.0 tool. Instead of getting bogged down maintaining a bunch of KML code, this tool lets you:
- Create up to 400 placemarks.
- Use our six ready-made balloon designs to create great-looking placemarks.
- Create and share your own balloon designs by using a simple HTML templating system.
Ready to dive in? Check out the tutorial, which includes a YouTube video to help you follow along. For added inspiration, see how the folks from Edge of Existence used this tool to showcase their top 100 most Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) mammalian  and amphibian species.
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Model Your Campus Competition
 The Google 2008 International Model Your Campus Competition is now live! Here's another opportunity for you to show off your 3D modeling skills, and this time students around the world can compete. You can team up with other students, or take the project on yourself. Just model your school's campus buildings in Google SketchUp, geo-reference them in Google Earth and submit them by uploading to the Google 3D Warehouse to earn lasting online glory and, for the winners, an Apple iPod Touch, a Nintendo Wii Console, and a Google t-shirt and hat. You may enter this competition if you're a student at a higher education institution almost anywhere in the world.
Entries are due by June 1st, 2008. Check out what last year's winners modeled to get inspired (turn on the 3D Buildings layer and zoom into each campus), then visit the competition site to register. Good luck and happy modeling.
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Google Earth Skywatching
 The Sky feature in Google Earth was introduced last August as part of Google Earth 4.2 (download here). Sky is a mode of Google Earth that lets you look up at the night sky in the same way you can view the Earth in the normal mode. Instead of satellite imagery, the sky is covered with high resolution telescope imagery both from ground and space-based observatories. Select the menu View->Switch to Sky, or the button in the top center, and you can check out the heavens yourself.
Just like with Google Earth, you can search for named objects in space. Here are some examples of notable objects you can search: "Horsehead nebula", "Orion's Belt", "Orion Nebula", "Big Dipper", "Andromeda Galaxy", "Crab Nebula", and "Ring Nebula". Try your favorite object. Zoom in and out (with the mousewheel, or the slider in the upper right) to get a sense of the depth of space. You can also search for objects with astronomical catalog numbers like: "M13", "M31", or "NGC 3034". Or, you can even search with astronomical coordinates like this: 9:55:52.7, 69:40:50.3 or 9h 55m 52.7s, +69 40' 50.3"
To view the planets, turn on the Our Solar System layer. You can watch the motion of the planets over a 3 month period by using the time slider at the top of Google Earth's window. James Stafford in the UK developed an excellent add-on which shows you a top-down view of the planet positions to help you understand their motions. You have your choice of seeing all the planets (not-to-scale), just the inner planets, or the outer-planets. See his post for more information.
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Dinosaurs Walk The Earth
 Did you know you can see dinosaurs in Google Earth? Just a few months after Google Earth first came out, someone spotted a satellite photo showing dinosaurs walking our modern-day planet right next to a manufacturing plant near Alpha, New Jersey! And, now someone has started a collection of placemarks showing dinosaurs known to be visible on the planet Earth. There are already about 3 dozen locations in the US and Europe, and in many of the locations you can actually see the dinosaurs in the satellite/aerial imagery. Make sure you turn on the Geographic Web layer while looking at some of the dinosaur locations. You will sometimes find links to ground-level photos of the dinosaurs and more information about the location.
Not too surprisingly, most of the locations are near science museums. And of course, these dinosaurs are all pretty much fixed in position - since most are made of steel, concrete, plastic, or wood. Check out Google Street View for some photos showing dinosaurs breaking out of a building in Indiana! By the way, if you know of a dinosaur visible in Google Earth which isn't in the above collection, you should tell 'Felippo' at the Google Earth Community by posting the location to this thread. Surely there are some dinosaurs in other parts of the world than the US and Europe?
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Tips & Tricks: Terrain Quality
The Terrain Quality setting allows you to determine how coarse or fine the Earth's terrain appears in Google Earth. This setting does not affect imagery quality, but instead affects how accurately Google Earth displays the elevation of areas in the 3D viewer.
To access these settings, click Tools > Options > 3D viewer tab (on the Mac, click Google Earth Preferences > 3D View tab). Under Terrain Quality, use the slider to choose the appropriate level of detail. Using a Lower (faster) settings improves performance of Google Earth, but terrain appears less detailed. Using a Higher (slower) setting improves the depiction of terrain, but at the cost of performance.
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