Imagery update for Tehran

Google

http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2009/06/imagery-update-for-tehran.html

Many of you have been letting us know through Tweets, emails, blog posts, message boards, and even an online petition that you're very interested in seeing recent satellite imagery of Tehran. Well, we've heard your requests and over the past few days have been working with our satellite imagery partner GeoEye to make this possible. We just received updated satellite imagery of Tehran, taken on Thursday the 18th at approximately 11:18am local time. Below are some screenshots the updated imagery, you can view the entire image in Google Earth with this KML file.

http://earth.google.com/gallery/images/small/tehran_iran_sm.jpg

http://earth.google.com/gallery/images/large/tehran_iran_lg.jpg

Open in Google Earth

UNHCR Refugee Camps Around the Globe

UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR)

http://www.unhcr.org

Every year, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) gives assistance and shelter to millions of people forcibly uprooted from their homes. UNHCR is putting refugees on the map - a virtual map - with a new Google Earth tour that shows UNHCR's refugee camp across the globe.

http://earth.google.com/gallery/images/small/unhcr_camps_showcase_sm.jpg

http://earth.google.com/gallery/images/large/unhcr_camps_showcase_lg.jpg

Open in Google Earth

Solar Jobs Growth 2009-2016

The Solar Energy Research & Education Foundation

http://www.seref.us/solarjobsmap.html

Solar energy has long been touted as a clean alternative to traditional electricity generation, but building a clean energy economy will also create jobs. Thanks to federal and state policies to support renewable energy, it's estimated that the solar industry will create hundreds of thousands of green jobs in coming years.

Based on a study by Navigant Consulting Inc., and with the help of Google.org and Google Earth Outreach, the Solar Energy Research & Education Foundation (SEREF) have developed a U.S. solar jobs map in Google Earth. You can also view this as a KML in Google Earth by clicking on the "Open this KML" link below.

http://earth.google.com/gallery/images/small/solar_jobs_sm.jpg

http://earth.google.com/gallery/images/large/solar_jobs_lg.jpg

Open in Google Earth

US Unemployment Rates December 2008

GreenInfo Network

http://www.greeninfo.org

Gina Clemmer at New Urban Research, Inc. posted on the Society for Conservation GIS email list, data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and represent unemployment levels as of December, 2008. We felt this data would interest the GE community enabling them to both see their county, how it compared to those around them as well as others throughout the country. Nationally this is a powerful image and there are some incredibly high numbers, look at Mackinac County in Northern Michigan that have an unemployment rate of 24.2%, or pan to Puerto Rico.

Special thanks to The Swordpress for posting the KMZ

http://earth.google.com/gallery/images/small/unemployment_rates_december08_sm.jpg

http://earth.google.com/gallery/images/large/unemployment_rates_december08_lg.jpg

Open in Google Earth

The Aftermath of Hurricane Ike

Google / NOAA

http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2008/09/aftermath-of-hurricane-ike.html

Three days after Hurricane Ike slammed into Galveston, Texas as a Category 2 hurricane, severe flooding has challenged Gulf Coast residents from Texas to Louisiana. A team at Google has been gathering information we hope will be useful to residents of the affected regions and the relief agencies working to help them.

After Hurricane Ike came ashore in the wee hours Saturday morning and as the weather cleared, NOAA's Remote Sensing Division began flying rapid response aerial reconnaissance missions of the Texas and Louisiana Gulf region. This aerial imagery is intended to provide emergency managers with a broad view of damage and residual flooding, so that they can prioritize and direct response to aid those in greatest need in the affected regions.

Members of the Google Earth team have processed this imagery into a KML image overlay for easy access by anyone. To view the imagery in Google Earth, download the KML by clicking on "Open this KML" below.

http://earth.google.com/gallery/images/small/hurricane_ike_sm.jpg

http://earth.google.com/gallery/images/large/hurricane_ike_lg.jpg

Open in Google Earth

Gulf Coast Safety Net - Hurricane Tracking Version

Direct Relief International

http://www.directrelief.org

As part of its response to Hurricane Gustav, Direct Relief mapped the federally qualified community health centers and free clinics along the U.S. Gulf Coast that make up the core of the medical "safety net" for the region. Combining these facility locations with the path of the hurricane, they were able to target medical material, financial, and other assistance to those places that need it most. The resulting KML layer also includes 18 clinics that received a Direct Relief hurricane pre-position module prior to the arrival of Hurricane Gustav. These are indicated by a green icon in the layer; the blue icons correspond to non-profit free clinics, and the red correspond to federally qualified community health centers.

http://earth.google.com/gallery/images/small/hurricane_directrelief_sm.jpg

http://earth.google.com/gallery/images/large/hurricane_directrelief_lg.jpg

Open in Google Earth

UNHCR Internally Displaced Persons, Somalia

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees - UPDATE!

http://www.unhcr.org

In response to the 2006 drought in Somalia, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) began the Population Movement Tracking (PMT) to monitor IDP's, or Internally Displaced Persons. This KML presents an animated account of population movement enabling you to better understand the factors affecting movement, whether through flooding, insecurity/violence or other factors. To view the animation, press the "play" button on the right hand side of the time line bar which can be found at the top of the image viewer.

UPDATE: The UNHCR have made some improvements to their KML. This updated content comprises of; more information in the placemark balloons, personalized icons showing size of population movement, and the integration of "network links", allowing the UNHCR to update their content dynamically without you, the user having to do anything.

http://earth.google.com/gallery/images/small/unhcr_idps_sm.jpg

http://earth.google.com/gallery/images/large/unhcr_idps_lg.jpg

Open in Google Earth

Reuters AlertNet

Reuters AlertNet

http://www.alertnet.org/thefacts/satelliteimages/121750206517.htm

This KML produced by Reuters AlertNet enables you to keep up to date with the latest humanitarian crisis around the world. These disasters may be caused by a variety of influences, whether that be conflict, natural disasters or food shortages. By showing just where these situations are occuring, the user can feel a greater relationship to the place which, hopefully provides a better understanding of what is taking place at that location and how it fits in to the rest of the world.

Reuters AlertNet have also used "Network Links" so that the file can be updated without you, the user needing to do anything. So any new information added by Reuters AlertNet is instantly viewable by you.

http://earth.google.com/gallery/images/small/reuters_alertnet_sm.jpg

http://earth.google.com/gallery/images/large/reuters_alertnet_lg.jpg

Open in Google Earth

A Googol of Heat Beneath Our Feet

Google.org

http://www.google.org/egs/

The energy from the heat beneath the earth's surface is essentially an unlimited resource. What if it could be developed to help solve our energy challenges and fight global warming? Enhanced Geothermal Systems, or EGS, attempts to do just that. EGS produces heat and electricity by harnessing the energy from hot rock deep below the earth's surface, expanding the potential of traditional geothermal energy by orders of magnitude. EGS is a big challenge, but with the potential to power the world many times over, it demands our immediate attention. At Google we've launched an effort to advance EGS through R&D, investment, policy and information.

http://earth.google.com/gallery/images/small/geotherman_energy_sm.jpg

http://earth.google.com/gallery/images/large/geotherman_energy_lg.jpg

Open in Google Earth 4.3

Imagery for Sichuan, China Earthquake

Google

http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2008/05/imagery-for-sichuan-china-earthquake.html

An earthquake of a magnitude of 7.9 hit Sichuan, China on May 12, with its epicenter about 50 miles northwest of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan. According to the latest news reports, authorities fear that as many as 50,000 people could have lost their lives. We now have post-earthquake imagery from our satellite providers which you can view by downloading the KML file.

N.B. We will keep updating the KML as we receive and process more satellite imagery. Save the KML to your "My Places" to see the imagery updates.

http://earth.google.com/gallery/images/small/china_quake_sm.jpg

http://earth.google.com/gallery/images/large/china_quake_lg.jpg

Open in Google Earth

Imagery for Myanmar (Burma)

Google Earth Outreach

http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2008/05/imagery-for-myanmar-burma.html

In the aftermath of the Cyclone Nargis, residents and aid workers are struggling to recover in Myanmar (Burma). Numerous satellite imagery providers have provided pre- and post-cyclone imagery in order to help disaster relief responders on the ground. The KML file provided displays the imagery and other datasets such as the cyclone path, flooded areas, and health facilities.

http://earth.google.com/gallery/images/small/cyclone_nargis_sm.jpg

http://earth.google.com/gallery/images/large/cyclone_nargis_lg.jpg

Open in Google Earth

Iowa Caucus Results

GreenInfo Network

http://www.greeninfo.org

View the results from the Iowa Caucus

The 2008 U.S. Election is arguably one of the most important in modern times. The process to elect a new U.S. President began with a caucus in the state of Iowa. Greeninfo Network have provided us with this KML offering an excellent geographical overview of the results. This is a prime example of using geography to enhance a user's understanding of a topic.

http://earth.google.com/gallery/images/small/iowa_caucus_sm.jpg

http://earth.google.com/gallery/images/large/iowa_caucus_lg.jpg

Open in Google Earth

Pict'Earth San Diego 2007 Wildfire Data

Pict Earth

http://pictearth.com

View two very high resolution images showing the destruction caused by the Southern California fires.

The Southern California fires of October 2007 were some of the most ferocious the state has ever seen. The ability for the public to be geographically informed played an important part in the disaster response to the fires. Pict'Earth are a company who specialize in the collection of high resolution imagery and have provided a sample image to us showing the devastation caused by the flames. This is a prime example of using Google Earth as a platform to rapidly provide information in a geographical context.

http://earth.google.com/gallery/images/small/pict_earth_fire_sm.jpg

http://earth.google.com/gallery/images/large/pict_earth_fire_lg.jpg

Open in Google Earth

Chernobyl Radiation Visualization

Valery Hronusov

http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/395118

Created by Valery Hronusov on the Google Earth Community, this fascinating representation shows radiation levels in a reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear facility - the site of one of the world's worst nuclear accidents. It's interesting to be able to visualize where the radiation hotspots occur and provides a better geographical understanding of this tragic disaster.

http://earth.google.com/gallery/images/small/chernobyl_radiation_sm.jpg

http://earth.google.com/gallery/images/large/chernobyl_radiation_lg.jpg

Open in Google Earth

Atlantic Basin Storms

Paul Seabury

Learn about the history of Atlantic Basin Storms from 1850 to 2005.

View a history of Atlantic Basin Storms from 1850 to 2005. To view, check each "network link" icon to view information from that period and select the folder for the storm you want to learn more about. This file shows the path each storm took with placemarks containing data about the storm, such as wind speed. This use could be of relevance for town planning, meteorological studies and history lessons.

http://earth.google.com/gallery/images/small/atlantic_basin_storms_sm.jpg

http://earth.google.com/gallery/images/large/atlantic_basin_storms_lg.jpg

Open in Google Earth

Daily MODIS Satellite Images

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

http://onearth.jpl.nasa.gov

Put together by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, this KML shows daily MODIS satellite imagery captured the previous day. This near real-time information could be used for disaster preparedness or weather predictions for your holiday. This updated composite of 250m MODIS images is also overlaid on the current month Blue Marble Next Generation imagery.

http://earth.google.com/gallery/images/small/jpl_modis_sm.jpg

http://earth.google.com/gallery/images/large/jpl_modis_lg.jpg

Open in Google Earth

Warning Decision Support System

University of Oklahoma

http://wdssii.nssl.noaa.gov/geotiff

Created by a team at the University of Oklahoma consisting of engineers and scientists from the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) and the Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies (CIMMS), the Warning Decision Support System KML consists of a variety of meteorological displays to analyze weather systems, enabling better prediction of where and when severe weather may occur causing problems. This file contains an updated network link file showing storm reports, and you can visit the link at the top to view more of their products.

http://earth.google.com/gallery/images/small/warning_decision_sm.jpg

http://earth.google.com/gallery/images/large/warning_decision_lg.jpg

Open in Google Earth

NWS Enhanced Radar Images

National Weather Service

http://radar.weather.gov/ridge/kmzgenerator.php

Here is an example showing weather overlays from the U.S. National Weather Service. This KML shows an animation of the weather in the Dallas - Fort Worth metro area. By visiting the link above, you can view and download many more examples for different areas that allow you to view live weather data for the whole U.S.

http://earth.google.com/gallery/images/small/national_weather_service_sm.jpg

http://earth.google.com/gallery/images/large/national_weather_service_lg.jpg

Open in Google Earth

Crisis in Darfur

U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum

http://www.ushmm.org/googleearth

Witness the genocide in Darfur -- through geography

The US Holocaust Memorial Museum's "Crisis in Darfur" layer lets you visit the unfolding genocide in Darfur, which has caused one of the worst humanitarian crises in recent times. You can read moving testimonies and see photographic documentation from those directly involved, witness the remains of scores of burned down villages, and follow the refugees to camps in Chad, and -- most important -- learn what you can do to help the innocent victims of this incomprehensible tragedy. From Google Earth, go to “Darfur, Sudan” and explore the “USHMM: Crisis in Darfur."

http://earth.google.com/gallery/images/small/ushmm_darfur_sm.jpg

http://earth.google.com/gallery/images/large/ushmm_darfur_lg.jpg

Open in Google Earth

Real-time Earthquakes

U.S. Geological Survey

http://earthquake.usgs.gov

See U.S. Geological Survey real-time earthquake data.

Want to explore the world's seismic hotspots in real-time? From the Pacific Ring of Fire to the San Andreas Fault, this KML will give you a better geographical understanding of the daily changes occurring on our planet. Each placemark contains data about a specific area's seismic activity and a link to more extensive info.

http://earth.google.com/gallery/images/small/realtime_earthquakes_sm.jpg

http://earth.google.com/gallery/images/large/realtime_earthquakes_lg.jpg

Open in Google Earth