Google opens online window on toll of climate change

SAN FRANCISCO, California — As world leaders gathered in Paris on Monday in the hope to stopping catastrophic climate change, Google Maps provided online views of remote locations where wildlife is struggling for survival.

A “Street View” feature at the free online map service has grown from simply showing scenes outside of business or residential addresses to allowing arm chair adventurers to virtually explore mountains, rain forests, ocean depths and more.

Some settings find creatures in dire straits, such as polar bear in the Canadian Arctic appearing to desperately wait for bay ice that doesn’t form because temperatures are too warm.

“From polar bears in the Canadian Arctic, to communities in the Brazilian Amazon, to blue oak trees in Central California, the impacts of climate change are being felt by plants, animals and people across the planet,” said Google Earth outreach program manager Karin Tuxen-Bettman.

“With Street View, you can get a window into some of our world’s changing ecosystems, and learn how nonprofit and other organizations are working to keep our planet healthy.”

Polar Bears International (PBI) borrowed Street View Trekker 360-degree camera and location-pinpointing gear to enhance maps with scenes of polar bears in Manitoba as the sea ice on which they depend vanishes.

PBI incorporated the Street View scenes into its website and a lesson plan for schools to help children learn about the habitat.

Brazilian nonprofit Amazonas Sustainable Foundation (FAS) used Trekker Gear to capture scenes in the Amazon forest and put isolated local communities on the map.

FAS captured imagery from three reserves in the Amazon and uses it for education about rain forest protection and sustainable ecosystem management, according to Google.

- Visualizing climate change -The initiatives aims to make climate change more real for people and inspire them to act by allowing them to virtually explore remote areas, and see beauty lost or under threat due to climate change.

Street View imagery also allows for comparisons over time to show how environments are changing along with the climate.

“Street View is great for visualizing the impacts of climate change, but we’re also using our Street View platform to measure climate data, which can be used by scientists, policymakers, businesses and citizens to drive better decisions,” Tuxen-Bettman said.

Google Earth has worked for several years with the Environmental Defense Fund to map methane leaks from natural gas lines under an array of US cities by equipping Street View cars with special gear, according to Tuxen-Bettman.

Street View cars will begin measuring more pollutants, such as climate change culprit carbon dioxide, in an alliance with environmental sensor network specialty firm Aclima, according to California-based Google.

“Essentially, we’re turning Street View cars into environmental sensing platforms,” Tuxen-Bettman said, noting that they will first be put to work in California communities.

source: interaksyon.com

Google releases crisis map to monitor disaster-prone areas

MANILA - Google on Tuesday said it has released a crisis map to help Pinoys monitor disaster-prone areas in Metro Manila and other parts of Luzon.

Google's announcement comes as half the Philippine capita is submerged in flood water because of heavy rains spawned by Typhoon "Maring."

Google Map, which Pinoys can access on their desktops and mobile browsers, provides information about the tropical storm’s path, the rainfall warning, and the 24-hour forecast of accumulated rainfall across the country. The map also shows clouds imagery, landslide and flood-prone areas, as well as rainfall and flooding forecast

“Coming from our experience during recent typhoons, we realize that we are in a unique position to help our fellow Pinoys through technology. We will continue to assist in disseminating information to the public," said Aileen Apolo, head of outreach at Google Southeast Asia.

"This crisis map is made possible with the help of the government, first responders and our volunteer mappers, and we hope it will be useful to those who want to help out," Apolo added.

Anyone can share the maps or embed them in websites. “Simply hit the ‘Share’ button at the top of the map to get the HTML code,” Apolo said. “We will continue to update the maps as more information becomes available.”


For data on typhoons and other crises, go to www.google.org/crisisresponse.

Luzon has been battered by the southwest monsoon brought by Maring since Saturday, displacing 600,000 families. Seven have been reported dead due to the torrential rains.

source: interaksyon.com

Google maps make virtual Grand Canyon trek

SAN FRANCISCO — Google Maps opened a virtual path to the wonders of the Grand Canyon on Thursday by adding panoramic images gathered by hikers with Android-powered camera systems strapped to their backs.

“These beautiful, interactive images cover more than 75 miles (120 kilometers) of trails and surrounding roads,” Google Maps product manager Ryan Falor said in a blog post.

“Take a walk down the narrow trails and exposed paths of the Grand Canyon: hike down the famous Bright Angel Trail, gaze out at the mighty Colorado River, and explore scenic overlooks in full 360- degrees.”
The pictures were gathered by Google Maps team members who hiked the rocky terrain with 40-pound (18-kilogram) backpacks holding a camera system, “enduring temperature swings and a few muscle cramps along the way,” Falor said.

People can view the photos when visiting online maps of the Grand Canyon.

Google’s Street View team has been increasingly going off-road to gather pictures to show real scenes from places on maps.

Last year, Google Maps added pictures from Cambridge Bay in the Canadian Arctic and images from the Amazon rainforest in Brazil.

source: interaksyon.com

About The New Apple Maps

At the WWDC 2012 keynote, Apple presented the new Map app for iOS 6.0. This new Maps will replace the default iOS Map from Google. In what appears to be the last step of cleansing ritual, Apple completely rids itself of its dependence on Google technologies. Don’t get it wrong, Google apps are still available on the iOS platform, but as third party downloads, and not as a first class citizen that comes bundled with the OS!

How does the new Maps compare with Google’s iOS Maps? Well, it is unfortunate that I cannot provide full details of the new Maps due to Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA), I can, however, provide you with my comments based on information about the Maps that are available on the internet.

First, the way maps are presented is quite different. In Google Maps, you are immediately provided with a full detailed map at the default zoom level. Zooming in enhances those details more. In contrast, Apple’s Maps provides a clean map with details that are relevant at a particular zoom level. Zooming in provides more detail. Frankly, I prefer the way Apple did it -- it is simple, clean and makes more sense. You don’t need that much detail when you are zoomed out, right?

Second, accuracy is ruled by Google. Google is miles ahead of Apple in mapping technology. The map databases of Apple probably pales in comparison with Google. However, Apple’s Maps is still in beta, so we do not know how much it will improve in the next three months, but it will surely improve. I hope that Apple also gives importance to maps outside of the USA.

Google Maps on iOS does not have Turn-by-Turn navigation. I am not sure if this is a Google decision or an Apple limitation. However, Apple’s Maps is designed to have this feature. I have used Turn-by-Turn on Google Maps on Android and comparing it against Apple’s Maps, Apple’s Maps has better presentation. The large signs and arrows are easier to read, even at a distance, which is important specially when you are driving. In addition, Apple’s Maps has Siri (only for iPhone 4S and new iPad) that speaks each twist and turn to you.

Google Maps has Street View, which Apple Maps doesn’t have, but Apple Maps has Flyover (3D rendering), which Google Maps is rapidly adding to its arsenal. Google and Apple are trying to provide the best Maps for the consumers. Google, however, has a huge advantage of being in the business longer than Apple. However, with Google Maps getting booted out of iOS 6 (with no standalone Google Maps iOS app available on iTunes App Store), Apple Maps has an upper-hand here. Considering how fast iOS users take in new iOS versions, it will not take long before Google Maps will be reduced to a memory on the iOS platform (though I am sure that Google will be releasing a Google Maps app soon). And oh, did I tell you that Apple is also leveraging technologies from other mapping companies such as TomTom and Waze? Pretty cool, eh?

So - wait around 3-4 months and we will see iOS 6 out (along with the new iPhone). Only then can we determine if Apple Maps is as useful to us outside of the USA as Google Maps.

source: mb.com.ph