Mapping creates jobs and drives global economic growth

(Cross posted to Official Google Blog) 

Twenty years ago, we used paper maps and printed guides to help us navigate the world. Today, the most advanced digital mapping technologies—satellite imagery, GPS devices, location data and of course Google Maps—are much more accessible. This sea change in mapping technology is improving our lives and helping businesses realize untold efficiencies.

The transformation of the maps we use everyday is driven by a growing industry that creates jobs and economic growth globally. To present a clearer picture of the importance of the geo services industry, we commissioned studies from Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Oxera. What we found is that maps make a big economic splash around the world.

In summary, the global geo services industry is valued at up to $270 billion per year and pays out $90 billion in wages. In the U.S., it employs more than 500,000 people and is worth $73 billion. The infographic below illustrates some examples of the many benefits of maps, whether it’s improving agriculture irrigation systems or helping emergency response teams save lives.

Click the image for a larger version

1.1 billion hours of travel time saved each year? That’s a lot of time. Also, consider UPS, which uses map technology to optimize delivery routes—saving 5.3 million miles and more than 650,000 gallons of fuel in 2011. And every eight seconds, a user hails a taxi with Hailo, which used maps and GPS to deliver more than 1 million journeys in London alone last year. Finally, Zipcar uses maps to connect more than 760,000 customers to a growing fleet of cars in locations around the world.

Because maps are such an integral part of how we live and do business, the list of examples goes on and on. That’s why it’s important we all understand the need to invest in the geo services industry so it continues to grow and drive the global economy. Investments can come from the public and private sectors in many forms—product innovation, support of open data policies, more geography education programs in schools and more.

We’re proud of the contributions that Google Maps and Earth, the Google Maps APIs and our Enterprise solutions have made to the geo services industry and to making maps more widely available, but there’s a long way to go. To learn more about the impact of the maps industry, see the full reports.

Posted by Brian McClendon, VP Google Geo

Google + Audi: Enhancing Navigation

(Cross posted from the Google Enterprise Blog)

Editors Note: Our guest blogger is Anupam (Pom) Malhotra, Senior Manager, Connected Vehicle, Audi of America. With a company-wide focus on the latest in-car technologies, Pom talks about teaming up with Google to help drivers enhance the driving experience with Audi connect™.

"Progress through technology" is at the core of every Audi vehicle. For a driver, in-car technology brings several benefits, including safety, access to local map content and more efficient ways to reach a destination. When developing Audi connect™, we wanted to present our drivers with something that was functional, yet elegant. We were able to deliver this by enhancing our navigation system with Google Maps and Google Earth.

By integrating Google features, we are creating a familiar user experience for our drivers, who already use Google Maps on their computers, smartphones and tablets. As a result, Audi connect makes it easy for drivers to search for a local point of interest or verify a route from Google Earth or Street View. With real-life images, combined with Google local search and voice search, Audi connect allows drivers and their passengers to safely explore and discover local destinations.

The main thing drivers want to do, of course, is get to their destination. But with Audi connect now enhanced by Google Maps and Earth features, we think our drivers will enjoy the journey a whole lot more.

Posted by Anupam (Pom) Malhotra, Senior Manager, Connected Vehicle, Audi of America

Count down to Christmas Eve with Google Santa Tracker

(Cross posted on the Official Google Blog)

While millions of people eagerly await Christmas Day, Santa and his elves are keeping busy at the North Pole. They’re preparing presents, tuning up the sleigh, feeding the reindeer and, of course, checking the list (twice!) before they take flight on their trip around the world.

While we’ve been tracking Santa since 2004 with Google Earth, this year a team of dedicated Google Maps engineers built a new route algorithm to chart Santa’s journey around the world on Christmas Eve. On his sleigh, arguably the fastest airborne vehicle in the world, Santa whips from city to city delivering presents to millions of homes. You’ll be able to follow him on Google Maps and Google Earth, and get his stats starting at 2:00 a.m. PST Christmas Eve at google.com/santatracker.

Simulating Santa's path across the world—see it live Dec 24

In addition, with some help from developer elves, we’ve built a few other tools to help you track Santa from wherever you may be. Add the new Chrome extension or download the Android app to keep up with Santa from your smartphone or tablet. And to get the latest updates on his trip, follow Google Maps on Google+, Facebook and Twitter.

Get a dashboard view of Santa's journey on Google Maps

The Google Santa Tracker will launch on December 24, but the countdown to the journey starts now! Visit Santa’s Village today to watch the countdown clock and join the elves and reindeer in their preparations. You can even ask Santa to call a friend or family member.

We hope you enjoy tracking Santa with us this year. And on behalf of everyone at Google—happy holidays!

Posted by Brian McClendon, VP of Google Maps and Google Earth

Imagery Update: Tour sites around the world with high-resolution imagery

As part of our ongoing commitment to provide you with comprehensive and accurate maps, we continue to steadily release new and updated imagery of places around the world as it becomes available. Here, we’ll take you on a short tour of some of our favorite locations that were included in the most recently published batch of aerial, satellite and 45-degree imagery.

New high resolution aerial and satellite imagery:

The aerial and satellite imagery in Google Maps and Google Earth has now been updated for 164 cities and 108 countries/regions. Below are a few highlights from Washington state and Austria.

The Emerald City is bucking its nickname to celebrate the Space Needle’s 50th anniversary. Check out the image below, where you can see Seattle’s iconic landmark repainted to it’s original “Galaxy Orange” color scheme.

Space Needle, Seattle

From towering above the clouds in Seattle to a celebration of rooftop art in Austria, below we find an art installation where visitors are encouraged to ascend to the top of a rooftop and travel a set of wooden bridges to see the city from a new perspective.

Bridges in the Sky, Linz, Austria

New 45° imagery available for 60 cities:

Our collection of 45° imagery in Google Maps has also recently expanded to include 40 more U.S. cities and 20 more international cities, including Luxembourg and Romania for the first time. Below are some fantastic sites from Luxembourg and Switzerland.

Though one of the smallest countries in the world by size, this European Grand Duchy plays an important role in politics because it’s the site of several institutions and agencies of the European Union. Below is one of the administrative and conference buildings.

Centre de Conférence, Luxembourg - View Larger Map

Settlements near the Swiss pre-alpine town of Thun can be dated back as far as Neolithic times around 2500 B.C. The city’s name derives from the Celtic term “Dunum” which translates to “fortified city.” Below is Thun Castle, which was erected by the Zaehringer dynasty around 1190 A.D. and which serves as the home of the district court of the Bernese Oberland until 2009.

Thun Castle, Switzerland - View Larger Map

Below is the full list of places where we’ve recently shared new or updated imagery. Enjoy!

Cities with new high resolution 45° imagery:

United States: Baltimore, MD; Bangor, ME; Battle Creek, MI; Bay City, MI; Bowling Green, KY; Burbank, WA; Burlington, VT; Charleston, WV; Cheyenne, WY; Decatur, IL; Duluth, MN; Eau Claire, WI; Fargo, ND; Farmington Hills, MI; Fort Wayne, IN; Hagerstown, MD; Holland, MI; Huntington, WV; Iowa City, IA; Kalamazoo, MI; Kelso, WA; Kenosha, WI; La Crosse, WI; Lancaster, CA; Lawrence, MA; Lewiston, ME; Lima, OH; Loveland, OH; Madison, WI; Mansfield, OH; Morgantown, WV; Portland, ME; Queensbury, NY; Rockford, IL; St. Cloud, MN; Toledo, OH; Urbana, OH; Waterloo, IA; Wausau, WI; Youngstown, OH.

International: Arcachon, FR; Brno, CZ; Charleroi, BE; Ferrara, IT; Fribourg, CH; Gijon, ES; Leeds/Huddersfield, UK; Leipzig, DE; Luxembourg, LU; Nantes, FR; Oviedo, ES; Parma, IT; Perugia, IT; Regina, CA; Reims, FR; Rouen, FR; Saskatoon, CA; Siena, IT; Sighisoara, RO; Thun, CH.

Areas with new high resolution aerial updates:

United States: Seattle WA, Mt Rainier WA, Mt St Helens WA, Ritzville WA, Chewalah WA, Pomeroy WA, Astoria OR, Portland OR, Eugene OR, Medford OR, Drewsey OR, Silver Lake OR, Sprague River OR, Pendleton OR, Bend OR, Mt Hood OR, Sandpoint ID, Idaho Falls ID, Redway CA, Redding CA, Bishop CA, Hayfork CA, Honeylake CA, Fresno CA, San Luis Obispo CA, Joshua Tree CA, Flagstaff AZ, Holbrook AZ, Arches UT, Cherry Creek NV, Hayden NM, Winnemucca NM, Wellington NV, Libby MT, Whitefish MT, Butler MT, Glacier MT, Great Falls MT, Missoula MT, Three Forks MT, Harlem MT, Lewiston MT, Montrose CO, Lamar CO, Ft Collins CO, Limon CO, Crested Butte CO, Sheridan Lake CO, Sheridan WY, Laramie WY, Bryce Canyon UT, Pueblo Peintado NM, San Patricio NM, Petersburg ND, North Platte ND, Medina ND, Ellendale ND, Devils Lake ND, Eagle Butte SD, Gettysburg SD, Swan Creek SD, Mitchell SD, Miller SD, Edgemont SD, Spooner WI, Ladysmith WI, Hayward WI, Atkinson NE, Ord NE, Holdrege NE, Beatrice NE, Nebraska City NE, Norton KS, Junction City KS, Topeka KS, Ellsworth KS, Wakeeney KS, Goodland KS, Scott City KS, Ottawa KS, Manhattan KS, Ottawa KS, Manhattan KS, El Reno OK, Shawnee OK, Oklahoma City OK, Tulsa OK, McAlester OK, Dallas TX, Greenville TX, Palestine TX, Montevideo MN, Owatonna MN, Litchfield MN, Willmar MN, Worthington MN, Creston IA, Des Moines IA, Cedar Rapids IA, Emmetsburg IA, Algona IA, Knoxville IA, Kirksville MO, Milan MO, Sedalia MO, St Joseph MO, Willow Springs MO, Butler MO, Warrensburg MO, Kansas City MO, Clinton MO, St Louis MO, Bloomington IL, Jacksonville IL, Freeport IL, Carrollton IL, Effingham IL, Mount Vernon IL, Sterling IL, Litchfield IL, Indianapolis IN, Corinth MS, Montgomery AL, Charlotte NC, Cincinnati OH, State College PA, Gettysburg PA, New Castle PA, Saint Marys PA, Lancaster PA, Hazleton PA, Scranton PA, Pittsburgh PA, Port Jervis NY, Rockland ME
Japan: Osaka, Hiroshima, Nakama, Fukuoka, Asahikawa, Choshi, Sendai, Okazaki, Edogawa
Canada: Winnipeg
Portugal: Coimbra
Spain: Oviedo
France: Reims
Belgium: Charleroi
Luxembourg: Luxembourg
Italy: Siena, Ferrara
United Kingdom: Huddersfield
Switzerland: Zurich, Geneva
Germany: Berlin, Munich, Leipzig, Wuppertal
Austria: Linz, Mistelbach, Pinkafeld
Czech Republic: Brno
Slovenia: entire country

Areas new high resolution satellite updates:

Canada, United States, Mexico, Cuba, Jamaica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Belize, Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Suriname, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, South Africa, Madagascar, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia, Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, South Sudan, Chad, Nigeria, Benin, Niger, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Togo, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Senegal, Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Yemen, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Iran, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, United Kingdom, Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, Finland, Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, China, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Korea, Japan, Mongolia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica

Posted by Eric Kolb, Geo Data Specialist

Google Earth Outreach launches in Australia and New Zealand

(Cross posted from Google Australia Blog)

Great Barrier Reef coral health, fire management, and depleting forest cover are some of our nation’s greatest environmental challenges. But up until now it has been a challenge to bring large-scale environmental issues (that might affect hundreds of thousands of acres) to life in a meaningful way. To help address this, we’re bringing Google Earth Outreach to Australia and New Zealand.

With Google Earth Outreach, nonprofit organisations can use Google mapping tools to visualise their causes and tell their stories to millions of people around the world.

See how nonprofits and researchers are using Google mapping tools.

Across the globe, nonprofits have used Google Earth Outreach to help clear landmines in Cambodia and Angola, and to demonstrate forest and wildlife loss in Sumatra, Indonesia. At last night’s official launch event at Macquarie University, we announced new projects with three Australian partners.

Dr. Elizabeth Madin from Macquarie University demonstrated how her team is using Google Earth to further her work in investigating coral reef landscapes; they integrate ecological theory and the high-resolution satellite imagery available in Google Earth to identify “grazing halos”, which may be able to tell us more about coral reef health.

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority launched an interactive map, which will shows how their Reef HQ Aquarium is bringing the Great Barrier Reef to students around the world. They also launched a Google Earth narrated tour following the track of Torres the Green Turtle as he swims along the Great Barrier Reef and meets incredible marine life along the way.

The Australian Wildlife Conservancy also unveiled two Google Earth tours. The first tour flies through their 23 sanctuaries which cover more than 3 million hectares to bring to life their fight to save Australia’s unique wildlife from extinction. The second tour overlays AWC geospatial data on top of Google Earth to demonstrate the impact of their EcoFire Project in the Kimberleys over the last six years.

Take the new Google Earth tour from AWC

If you’re a nonprofit interested in learning more about the Google Earth Outreach program, check out our website. There you’ll find tutorials and a showcase of nonprofit success stories, and you can also apply for grants for Google Earth Pro, Google Maps Engine, Google Maps API for Business, and Google Maps Coordinate.

We hope that by bringing this program to Australia and New Zealand, many more organisations will be able to tell powerful visual stories about the important work they do, to both help them raise awareness and funds and further their scientific goals.

Posted by Raleigh Seamster, Program Manager for Google Earth Outreach

Explore the world with tour guide and 3D imagery in Google Earth 7

A few months ago, we announced Google Earth for mobile, which offered new ways to see cities in 3D and a new tour guide feature to help you discover places of interest on the go. Starting today, you can get both of those features on a bigger screen that makes it even easier to explore by downloading Google Earth 7 on your desktop. Check out the comprehensive and accurate tours of more than 11,000 popular sites around the world, including our growing list of cities where new 3D imagery is available.

The new tour guide feature in Google Earth 7

The tour guide feature serves as a local expert, suggesting nearby places you might want to explore and helping you learn about those locations. For whichever area you’re viewing in Google Earth, thumbnails highlighting pre-created tours in the same area will dynamically update at the bottom of the screen. Simply click on one of the tours, and you’ll embark on a virtual flyover of famous, historical and cultural sites close by. Educational and fun facts from Wikipedia will also appear on the screen as you fly in and around locations like the Great Wall of China, Stonehenge, and more.

New 3D imagery of Munich, Germany

In addition, Google Earth 7 now includes the comprehensive, accurate 3D imagery we’ve already made available on Android and iOS for Boulder, Boston, Charlotte, Denver, Lawrence, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Portland, San Antonio, San Diego, Santa Cruz, Seattle, Tampa, Tucson, Rome and the San Francisco Bay Area (including the Peninsula and East Bay). And today, we’re adding more 3D imagery for a handful of metropolitan regions including Avignon, France; Austin, Texas; Munich, Germany; Phoenix, Arizona; and Mannheim, Germany. The experience of flying through these areas and seeing the buildings, terrain and even the trees rendered in 3D is now consistent across both mobile and desktop devices -- making all of your virtual travels more realistic than ever.

Download Google Earth 7 and be sure to check out the Google Earth website for more tips and tricks.

Posted by Peter Birch, Google Earth Product Manager

Imagery Update: Virtually visit more places in high-resolution

Our quest to create the most comprehensive and accurate map of the world is ongoing, but we’re happy to take a pause and share some impressive progress that our Google Maps and Earth imagery teams have recently made. We’ve refreshed the high resolution aerial and satellite imagery for many places around the world, and released some new 45 degree imagery as well.


New 45° imagery available for 51 cities:

In addition, 45° imagery is now available in Google Maps for 37 U.S. and 14 international locations. Below are some examples of the beautiful new views from Pisa, Italy and Winnipeg, Canada.

Probably one of the most famous landmarks in the world is the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Its construction started back in 1173 and extended over a period of almost 350 years. Due to increasing incline during the last Century, a stabilization effort was performed that took almost two decades to complete. Today the tower is said to be safe from collapsing for at least 200 more years.

Leaning Tower of Pisa - Can you detect the angle?

In the language of the native Cree people, the city’s name of Winnipeg means “muddy waters.” The first European settlements in the area were several fur trading posts started around 1738. Today Winnipeg’s economic and educational significance within Canada is undoubted. Below is an image of The Forks which designates the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers.

The Forks in Winnipeg, Canada - View Larger Map

New high resolution aerial and satellite imagery:

The aerial and satellite imagery in Google Maps and Earth has now been updated for 17 cities and 112 countries/regions. Below are a few highlights from our latest release:

The aerial image below shows the pentagon-shaped Citadel of Lille, in Lille, France. It was built in 1668 and designed by the great military engineer of the time, Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban.

Citadel of Lille, France - View Larger Map

The next aerial imagery shown below was taken earlier this month of the Texas State Capitol and adjoining grounds in Austin, Texas. The building is recognized as a National Historic Landmark.

Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas - View Larger Map

Below is the full list of places with new or updated imagery. Have fun exploring the new sites!

Cities with new high resolution 45° imagery:
United States: Ames, IA; Anderson, IN; Billings, MT; Bloomington, IL; Carmel Valley, CA; Cedar Rapids, IA; Coeur d'Alene, ID; Corvallis, OR; Danville, IL; Dayton, OH; Detroit, MI; Dubuque, IA; Elizabethtown, KY; Enid, OK; Florence, SC; Grand Forks, ND; Great Falls, MT; Gulfport, MS; Hartford, CT; Kankakee, IL; Kenosha, WI; Lafayette, IN; Lancaster, CA; Lansing, MI; Lewiston, ID; Los Banos, CA; Sun Prairie, WI; Medford, OR; Michigan City, IN; Olympia, WA; Pocatello, ID; Sheboygan, WI; Sioux City, IA; Sioux Falls, SD; South Bend, IN; Terre Haute, IN; Utica, NY.

International: Angers, France; Clermont-Ferrand, France; Coimbra, Portugal; Dijon, France; Grenoble, France; Livorno, Italy; Lyon, France; Newcastle, United Kingdom; Oberhausen, Germany; Palermo, Italy; Pisa, Italy; Toulouse, France; Troyes, France; Winnipeg, Canada.

Areas with new high resolution aerial updates:
Florence OR, Kellogg ID, Casper WY, North Platte NE, Concordia KS, Alva OK, Austin TX, Nevada MO, Chilicothe MO, Toulouse FR, Clermont-Ferrand FR, Angers FR, Nantes FR, Troyes FR, Lille FR, Thun CH, Lucca IT

Areas new high resolution satellite updates:
Canada, United States, Mexico, Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, Antarctica, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, Zambia, Angola, Malawi, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda, Central African Republic, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Benin, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Mali, The Gambia, Senegal, Mauritania, Western Sahara, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Turkey, Iran, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Poland, Lithuania, Finland, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Hungary, Austria, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzebekistan, Turkmenistan, China, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Mongolia, The Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand

Posted by Bernd Steinert, Geo Data Specialist

Elephants in Peril

Editor’s note: Today’s guest authors are Rob Heittman from Solertium, Inc., a technical development company and Iain Douglas-Hamilton, founder of Save the Elephants, based in Kenya. Save the Elephants was the recipient of a Google Earth Outreach Developer Grant, funded through the Google Inc. Charitable Giving Fund at the Tides Foundation. We’re hoping that mapping data patterns over time will shed much-needed light on the recent dramatic increase in poaching of elephants in Africa.

History is currently repeating itself in a quite unpleasant way.

Once again, as we did in the 1970s and 1980s, we are seeing previously tranquil elephants affected by huge surges in the illegal killing of elephants for ivory. We know, from past experience, that this ivory rush is fueled by a sudden increase in demand: new prosperity in Asian markets, where ordinary people can suddenly afford to buy ivory. After a relative respite since the 1989 ivory trade ban, I am sad to report that elephants are once again in peril.

Murembo, a bull elephant, from Tsavo National Park, Kenya

Photo Credit: Johan Marais

Save The Elephants operates a research camp in Samburu, Kenya; a very special place. The elephants there are protected by law, the ceaseless efforts of the Kenya Wildlife Service, local stakeholders, and amazing technology that helps secure their future. Within Samburu -- and other places in Africa -- we provide a tracking system which uses GPS radio collars to monitor the movements of elephants in near real time. Using Google Earth and our new, lightweight mobile apps, our team can be deeply knowledgeable about the Samburu elephants, and share data with the guardians to come to their aid if needed. Alerts tell us when unusual conditions occur. The most serious alert concerns immobility. This too often means another poaching incident, and another elephant's life lost to runaway demand for ivory.

Save the Elephants’ private Android and iOS apps allow for real-time elephant tracking, alerting rangers to elephants movements and poaching incidents.

We believe the ivory poaching we're seeing is a microcosm of what is going on across Africa. This past year, especially, there have been a series of massacres, for example, one in Cameroon in which almost an entire population was wiped out with automatic weapons.

Just 10 years ago, the areas in red, where illegal elephant killing is peaking, were showing healthy or stable elephant populations in green. Explore the changes over time in the timelapse feature.  Since 2008, major deterioration set in.

The other necessary part of the solution is to reduce the demand. Here, technology can also be a powerful ally. We are now using new Google technologies to bring the same level of awareness to anyone with a Web browser. With our most recent initiative, the Elephants in Peril site (http://www.elephantsinperil.org), we have turned to Fusion Tables and Google Maps Engine to do two important things. First, we are working to bring together public data sets, often buried in boring official reports, to reveal the complete story of elephant populations over time, map them out, and understand what trends can be seen. Second, we aim to share the real, unvarnished scientific data from whatever sources in a citable, and highly usable form.

As long as elephants continue to be threatened by surging ivory demand, we want Elephants in Peril to become a reliable source, whether a visitor wants to learn about the problem, write, tell about it, or take steps to help solve it. Google's simple data publishing and visualization tools make it possible for us to undertake this effort and reach a larger audience than would otherwise be possible.

elephantsinperil.org map shows main populations left in Africa with green being high density and red being low density.

We are in a race with the poachers; a race we have to win. Google Earth, Google Maps Engine, and Fusion Tables give us the advantage of speed. Already, we have used the system to share results with the media, and save weeks or months in achieving publicity. Later this year, we will publish original research that helps to tie our findings in Samburu to the challenges across the African continent, using the site to engage concerned individuals, NGOs and governments. In future, we look forward to translating the site into Chinese to improve its utility as a resource in Asia.

Google Earth Outreach and the Tides Foundation have made our mobile apps and Elephants in Peril possible. We welcome the assistance of any concerned Google developers or users. Please visit our website; even better, visit us in Africa if you can, and give us your ideas to help us win this race.

Posted by Dr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton, Founder of Save the Elephants, and Rob Heittman, CTO of Solertium, Inc.

Making exploration easier for people around the world with Google Maps

Maps keep our spirit of adventure alive by making it easier for us to explore the world around us. That’s why today, we’re making Google Maps even better with new turn-by-turn navigation with traffic conditions, biking directions, Map Maker and new Street View imagery in more locations globally. These improvements are part of our ongoing effort to build the best map we can -- one that’s comprehensive, accurate and easy for you to use.

First, we’re expanding Google Maps Navigation (Beta) with voice guided, turn-by-turn directions in thousands of towns across India. Navigation is one of the most frequently requested features in this region and can be especially helpful when driving in densely populated cities like Delhi or Bangalore. We’re also adding live traffic conditions for major roads with estimated travel times to help you save time and to reduce stress on the road.

Turn-by-turn voice navigation in New Delhi, India
Biking directions and Map Maker are also now rolling out to New Zealanders. Local cyclists can access biking directions directly on Google Maps, and use Map Maker to add bike lanes and trails if their favorite route is missing or they discover a new one. Beyond biking trails, Map Maker can also be used to make the New Zealand map more accurate with details such as new road names, building footprints and more.

Biking directions from Remuera in Auckland to the local Google office
Later today, we’ll also release new Street View imagery for more than 150 university campuses globally. With classes just getting started, freshman students, transfers and even empty-nesting parents can now familiarize themselves with college campuses around the world, including UCLA in the U.S., Pembroke College in the U.K., McGill University in Canada and Sophia University in Japan. These new panoramic views join our growing list of universities whose campuses are already available in Google Maps.


View Larger MapRoyce Hall at the University of California, Los Angeles
Finally, to celebrate all the places you can reach with Google Maps—all seven continents, the sky, the moon and even the depths of the ocean—we made a video that we hope will inspire you to keep exploring.


Keep exploring at maps.google.com/helloworld. Here’s to many new adventures.

Posted by Brian McClendon, VP of Google Maps and Earth

Map Maker updates for Lesotho, Oman and Trinidad & Tobago

Since 2008, Google Map Maker has enabled anyone with an interest in cartography to update the maps of the areas they know, and improve their level of detail and accuracy. Whether adding new businesses, outlining building footprints, fixing road geometries or even tracing a favorite cycling route, citizen cartographers have joined together to create the most comprehensive maps of the world as seen on Google Maps and Google Earth.

Just last week, top mappers across Africa attended the Map Maker Africa Regional Conference in Lagos, Nigeria where we proudly announced the release of Map Maker in Lesotho. This marks an important milestone, as the Map Maker tool now enables volunteer mappers to update and edit the entire continent of Africa. At the event, attendees shared learnings from past MapUps and ideas for future ones, told inspiring user stories, discussed product features with engineers, and closed out the conference with a sing-along led by users who wrote an original song about mapping!

A group photo of attendees at the Map Maker Africa Regional Conference in Lagos, Nigeria.
People’s enthusiasm for making maps more comprehensive and adding their local knowledge also continues to gain momentum in other parts of the world. Starting today, map data for Oman and Trinidad and Tobago, which has been added by people through Map Maker, will now appear as the base maps for these countries in Google Maps.

Below is a time-lapse video demonstrating how the map of Trinidad has evolved and changed over time—the result of many contributions people have made via Map Maker. Other time-lapse videos from around the world can be found here.


A big thank you to the passionate communities of volunteer mappers who made both the regional conference and Map Maker graduation possible. More mapping activity across the globe can be seen right as it happens via Map Maker Pulse. And remember, the maps of more than 200 countries and regions are now open for updates and edits, and awaiting your local expertise.

Posted by Evans Arabu, Map Maker community team

Fly through Seattle and Denver with new 3D imagery on Google Earth for mobile

Less than two months ago, we announced a new way to fly through full metropolitan areas in 3D with Google Earth as a step in our quest to build the most comprehensive and accurate maps. We’ve recently expanded this new imagery to the latest iPads and iPhones, and today we’ve released new 3D imagery of Denver, Colorado and Seattle, Washington to help you better explore and tour both cities via your iOS and Android devices.

Having grown up in Colorado and visited Seattle several times, this is particularly exciting for me. Now I can head on over to Safeco Field, home of the Seattle Mariners, to revisit the diamond where I’ve watched games in the past.

Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington
Another great way to spend a day when visiting Seattle is walking along the shoreline, home of many iconic Seattle landmarks. Three of my favorite spots to visit are the Pike Place, the Seattle Public Library and of course, the Space Needle.

Downtown Seattle, Washington
A bit closer to home, it’s now possible to get a unique perspective on some local landmarks. For example, the amazing Denver Art Museum, with its seemingly impossible angles.

Denver Art Museum in Denver, Colorado
You can also head north to visit the Wells Fargo Center, which has inspired debate about what shape it presents. Is it a mailbox or a cash register? My vote is for mailbox.

Wells Fargo Center (left) in downtown Denver, Colorado
We hope you enjoy these new additions to Google Earth for mobile. Being able to provide you with this comprehensive 3D experience is possible because of advanced image processing and the use of 45-degree aerial imagery. If you don’t have the latest version of the Google Earth app for iOS or Android, be sure to update so you can check out this spectacular new 3D imagery!

Posted by Adam Hecht, Geo Program Manager

Add your knowledge to the Poland and Ukraine maps

Digital maps reflect our real world. As the places around us evolve and change, so should our maps. With Google Map Maker - a product that enables people to add to and update the map for locations around the world - you can help ensure the accuracy of the places you care about most as seen by millions on Google Maps. Today, Google Map Maker has become available in Ukraine and Poland. They join the 200 countries and regions already available, and bring us two steps closer to building the most comprehensive world map possible.


From the peaks of Ukraine’s Hoverla mountains to Poland’s cheerful Baltic coastline, you can now contribute your local knowledge to help create a more complete and accurate map of Europe. Whether you want to add a place, provide details for a driving route, outline a building footprint, or make corrections based on recent changes, you can make sure your community is up to date on Google Maps.

Begin in your neighborhood by updating the cycling paths through your local park, or adding recreational sites along the way. Try mapping the local soccer stadium or add details to the architectural or historic destinations throughout your city. Once approved, your contributions will appear on Google Maps, Google Earth and Google Maps for mobile within minutes. You can also join with other local mappers to share your regional expertise and review one another’s contributions to the map.

The area around the Olympic Stadium in Wroclaw comes to life in Google Maps.
We welcome both residents and folks who are familiar with Poland and Ukraine to the team of citizen cartographers across the globe who are continuing to build the map of the world. To learn more, subscribe to the Map Maker YouTube Channel or watch others map in real-time for ideas on the types of details and additions you can make to the map. Happy mapping!

Posted by Anand Srinivasan, Tech Lead, Google Map Maker

Calling all Aussie Mappers! Google Map Maker is now available in Australia

G’day mappers — at last it’s time to share the treasures of the Great Southern Land. Today, Google Map Maker opens its maps to Australia, so you can add your local knowledge to Google Maps for all the world to see.

Help share Australia’s natural gems with tourists and locals alike by drawing the hiking trails through the Eucalypt forests of Tasmania or adding all the campsites surrounding Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Then, once you’re ready for some rest and relaxation, why not map the beach resorts of Kangaroo Island, all the best restaurants along the Coral Sea of Queensland, or your favourite billabong for a day of fishing? You can even add your neighbourhood rugby club before heading off to a game.

Once approved your contributions will appear on Google Maps, Google Earth and Google Maps for mobile, accurately reflecting your real-life neighbourhood. You can even join with other local mappers and use your local expertise to review one another’s contributions to the map. To see examples of what people all around the world are adding in Map Maker, you can watch mapping in real-time.

Hyams Beach comes alive with Google Map Maker.
Google Map Maker warmly welcomes the people of Australia to the team of citizen cartographers from 200 countries and regions across the globe as they continue to build the world map. To learn more, subscribe to the Map Maker YouTube Channel, and get started mapping today!

Posted by Nilesh Tathawadekar, Software Engineer

Imagery Update: Explore your favorite places in high-resolution

In our continuing effort to build the most comprehensive and accurate view of the world, the Google Earth and Maps Imagery team just published another extensive catalog of new imagery. This week we have exciting new updates to both our high resolution aerial and satellite imagery and our 45° imagery.

New high resolution aerial and satellite imagery:
This week we published new high resolution aerial and satellite imagery for 25 cities and 72 countries/regions. Our updates are now available in both Google Earth and Maps. We’ve highlighted a couple interesting locations below:

Olympic Park and Village, Stratford, London, United Kingdom
We’ll start in the United Kingdom, where the London 2012 Olympic Games opens this Friday. We’ve released new satellite imagery taken this past May of the Olympic Park and Village. In the image above, you can see the final construction touches being added to the open-air Olympic Stadium (lower right).

Perspective view of Bryce Canyon, Utah
Even if you aren’t a geologist, you’ll enjoy exploring the new imagery for Bryce Canyon, Utah - famous for its text-book example of hoodoos. The image above is a perspective view of aerial imagery taken in June.

New 45° imagery available for 28 cities:
This week our 45° imagery update includes coverage for 21 U.S. cities and 7 international locations. Below are some great examples from Munich, Germany, and Chicago, Illinois:

The Frauenkirche, a symbol of the Bavarian capital city - Munich, Germany
With approximately 1.4 million inhabitants, Munich is the capital of Bavaria and the third largest city in Germany. The image above shows the Frauenkirche, a symbol of the Bavarian capital city.

The Trump International Hotel and Tower - Chicago, Illinois
Chicago is a an industrial metropolitan city with an impressive skyline that really stands out with our new 45° imagery. The image above features the Trump International Hotel and Tower, the second-tallest building in the United States and a prominent Chicago landmark.

Cities with new high resolution 45° imagery:
United States: Anderson, CA; Beech Island - New Ellenton, GA; Cape Girardeau, MO; Carthage, MO; Chicago, IL; Clarksville (outskirts), TN; Columbus - Reynoldsburg, OH; Dayton, OH; Everett, WA; Galena, KS; Idaho Falls, ID; Joplin, MO; Lafayette (outskirts), LA; Lancaster, CA; Louisville, KY; Lowell, MA - Nashua, NH; Pittsburgh, PA; Pueblo (outskirts), CO; Redding, CA; Springfield, IL; Yuba City, CA.
International: Birmingham, UK; Catania, Italy; Denia, Spain; parts of London, United Kingdom; Meyrin - Vernier, Switzerland; Munich, Germany; Neuchatel, Switzerland.

Areas with new high resolution aerial imagery:
United States: Antelope Wells NM; Bryce Canyon UT; Green Bay WI; Huron, SD; Hutchinson, KS; Olympia WA; Park Hills, MO; Peach Springs, AZ; Phoenix, AZ; Placerville, CA; Riverside, CA; Rosenfeld, TX; Waverly, OH.
International: Wiener Neustadt, Austria; Alicante, Spain; Denia, Spain; Gandia, Spain; Las Rozas, Spain; Lugo, Spain; Santander, Spain; Sueca, Spain; Vitoria, Spain; Bern, Switzerland; Geneva, Switzerland; Nyon, Switzerland.

Countries/regions with new high resolution satellite updates:
Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, France, Greece, Greenland, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Jamaica, Latvia, Lesotho, Libya, Lithuania, Madagascar, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela, Western Sahara, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

If you’d like to receive an email notification for the latest Google Earth and Maps Imagery team updates for your favorite areas, we’ve got just the tool: our Follow Your World application. Happy exploring!

Posted by Bernd Steinert, Geo Data Specialist

3D imagery now available on iPad and iPhone

Today, we’re happy to announce the availability of 3D imagery for Google Earth on the new iPad, iPad 2 and iPhone 4S.

A map must be comprehensive and accurate no matter where you are or what device you use. We also believe maps can be useful in ways you might not have imagined. With today’s release of Google Earth for iOS you can literally fly through breathtaking 3D city landscapes and images and follow virtual tours of places you’ve never been -- all with a simple swipe of your fingertip. It’s a new, and I think magical way to explore the world in which we live.

The growing list of 3D cities include Boulder, Boston, Charlotte, Lawrence (Kan.), Long Beach (Ca.), Los Angeles, Portland (Ore.), San Diego, Santa Cruz, Tampa, Tucson, and the San Francisco Bay Area (including the Peninsula and East Bay) as well as Rome, Italy. We’ll keep building and releasing 3D imagery for new locations as fast as we can and by the end of the year we aim to have coverage for metropolitan areas with a combined population of 300 million people.

Also new in this release is a “tour guide” to show you interesting places to explore. We’ve put together short tours of thousands of famous places and historical sites across the globe so it’s easier than ever to discover amazing places. Just pull up the tab at the bottom of the screen to open the tour guide. Each image highlights a tours or place of interest in the area you are looking. Click on an item and you will be flown there. As you fly in and around the sites, snippets from Wikipedia provide additional information about the location. It’s like having a local expert right beside you! The tour guide is available for all iOS devices running iOS 4.2 and newer.

To start exploring, download the latest version of Google Earth for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch from the Apple App Store today.

Posted by Peter Birch, Google Earth Product Manager

Forty years of our planet, from space

Today we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Landsat satellite program -- now the longest-running continuous acquisition of satellite images of the Earth's surface. Over the years, Landsat has collected petabytes of images offering an historic perspective on planetary change that can help scientists, independent researchers, and nations make informed economic and environmental policy decisions.

We’re working with the USGS and Carnegie Mellon University, to make parts of this enormous collection of imagery available to the public in timelapse videos of the Earth's surface. With them you can travel through time, from 1999-2011, to see the transformation of our planet. Whether it’s deforestation in the Amazon, urban growth in Las Vegas or the difference in snow coverage between the seasons. Here are a few highlights.

Landsat timelapse tour of the Amazon rainforest shows the spread of deforestation between 1999 (left) and 2011 (right).

The rapid growth of Las Vegas, Nevada between 1999 (left) and 2011 (right) is visible in the Landsat timelapse tour.

A seasonal timelapse created using MODIS imagery, where every video frame represents about one week. This shows snow-cover differences over the U.S. between February and August, 2002.
We believe these may be the largest video frames ever created. If you could see the entire video at full resolution, a single frame would be 1.78 terapixels which is 18 football fields' worth of computer screens laid side-by-side.

In 2008, the USGS opened access to the entire Landsat archive for free. Google Earth Engine makes it possible for this data to be accessed and used by scientists and others no matter where they are in the world. Watch the video below to learn more about the history of the Landsat program and how Google Earth Engine was used to process and analyze this enormous archive of planetary imagery.



Happy 40th, Landsat! We're proud to be making this vast archive available to the public, and to be enabling deep analysis of this data by scientists and policymakers all over the world. Head over to the Google Earth Engine site to experience all the fully interactive tours of these timelapse videos.

Posted by Eric Nguyen, Software Engineer for Earth Engine and Randy Sargent, Visiting Researcher from Carnegie Mellon University

A Hawkes eye view in Google Earth

While some children spend their youth fascinated by model cars and legos, I was always more interested in aerial photography. For years I amassed a collection of books capturing this unique perspective of the world, and it was obvious from looking through my personal library that British aerial photographer Jason Hawkes was a huge influence and hero of mine. Last year, Jason came to the Google office in London to give a Tech Talk, and I was finally able to meet him in person. He mentioned being a big fan of Google Earth, using it to put together virtual flight plans for his trips.

After Jason’s visit, we decided to collaborate on an effort to bring geographic context to his work with Google Earth. By creating a KML file showcasing some of his most beautiful images, we were able to truly capture a “Hawkes eye view” of locations all around the world.

The English coastline, near Sittingbourne, Kent captured by Jason Hawkes
While Jason hails from the United Kingdom, his work spans the globe. Simply open the KML in Google Earth, and you’ll feel like you’ve taken a seat right next to him as he flies over the United Kingdom, New York, Las Vegas, Hong Kong, Budapest and Minorca.

The Great Sphinx at Luxor in Las Vegas, Nevada
Given the excitement around London this summer, we included a variety of photographs that bring the changing face of the city to life, from the addition of The Shard skyscraper to the massive redevelopment taking place in Stratford for the Olympic games.

The Shard and River Thames in London, England

The Olympic Park in London, England
When viewing the KML in Google Earth, make sure the “3D Buildings” layer is enabled in the left hand panel to enjoy a 3D experience of famous buildings. Happy flying!

Posted by Phil Verney, Program Manager, Google Earth and Maps

Maps for good: Google Earth Outreach Developer Grants 2012

In 2011, the Google Earth Outreach team awarded a first round of Developer Grants to organizations with outstanding mapping ideas. These grants support the technical development of maps and enable nonprofits to implement cutting-edge mapping technology to make an impact on the world.

This year at Google I/O, we announced the 2012 Google Earth Outreach Developer Grants program in a session called “Maps for Good.” We were honored to have two developers speaking on behalf of organizations who were awarded a Developer Grant in 2011, including Jake Wall from Save the Elephants and Kevin Bluer from AXS Map. Learn more about their projects, as well as other 2011 grantee work for inspiration on how mapping could bring your nonprofit’s work to life.

Over the past few months, we’ve seen more nonprofits making use of tools like Google Maps Engine and developing applications on Android devices. We expect to see project proposals with innovative ideas that address the world’s most pressing problems in the areas of the environment, humanitarian issues, disaster preparedness, at both the local and global level.


Be inspired by how mapping can help spread your nonprofit’s message
Visit the Google Earth Outreach website to learn more about this year’s Developer Grants program and make sure your organization is in an eligible country. The deadline to apply with your initial project proposal is August 1, 2012 at 11:59pm PST.

Good luck to all of this year’s applicants!

Posted by Tanya Birch, Google Earth Outreach team

My Tracks 2.0

Back in 2009 we released My Tracks, an Android app that uses your phone’s GPS capabilities to visualize your location over time for sharing in Google Maps and Google Earth.

We’ve used My Tracks to follow team HTC-Columbia during the Tour de France and trace the paths of our skiing adventures. A year after launch we open sourced the software and released the code to the world for developers to use in their own applications. Now, we’re happy to announce that My Tracks 2.0 is available for download on Google Play.

Trace your path with My Tracks 2.0
My Tracks 2.0 comes with a variety of new features, including:

• The ability to play back your tour directly on Google Earth for Android
• Aggregation of statistics over time to show trends in your performance
• Simpler, faster user interface
• Improved charts and stats tables that are easier to read

Update to My Tracks 2.0 today and start tracing and sharing your path around the world.

Posted by Jimmy Shih, Software Engineer for My Tracks

U.S. Wildfires: New Google Crisis Map, Colorado imagery and more

To help provide relevant information related to the wildfires spreading through Colorado and Utah, the Google Crisis Response team has assembled a new crisis map for the 2012 U.S. wildfire season. The map features fire perimeters from the U.S. Geological Survey, Red Cross shelters in affected areas and new satellite imagery provided by DigitalGlobe, of the Waldo Canyon Fire near Colorado Springs. You can also see more authoritative, local-level data from sources including the State of Colorado Division of Emergency Management and the Utah Division of Emergency Management.

U.S. Wildfires map showing the perimeter of the fire near Colorado Springs. View larger map. 

Use the checkboxes along the right-hand panel to turn on and off the layers of information, and the “Share” button at the top of the map to grab the URL or embed code. Note that both the URL and the embed code will automatically restore your current view of the map, including the set of layers that you have turned on.

New satellite imagery captured by DigitalGlobe on Thursday. View larger map.

You can also view the updated imagery in Google Earth to better understand the situation on the ground and its effects on these communities — just download this KML file. It includes both the optical and near-infrared images of the Waldo Canyon Fire, taken Thursday June 28.

Stay tuned for more map updates as we identify additional information for the wildfires. If you have data that you’d like to see included on the Google Crisis Map, contact us using this form and we’ll take a look.

Posted by Pete Giencke, Google Crisis Response Team