Starting today, if you want to explore the world's oceans — from the bottom of Monterey Bay to Australia's Great Barrier Reef — you won't need a scuba tank or submarine, only a home computer and Internet connection.
Expanding its popular Google Earth software, Mountain View-based Google on Monday unveiled an aquatic component, Google Ocean, that the company said "aims to turn everyone into Jacques Cousteau.''
The new feature, rolled out at a news conference in San Francisco attended by oceanographers and former Vice President Al Gore, combines satellite imagery, underwater photographs, video and scientific data to allow users to see 3-D images of the ocean floor, along with features like the location of shipwrecks and coral reefs.
Marine scientists predicted that the free software will become an important new tool in expanding the public's understanding of the oceans and the environmental challenges facing them. They also said it would be widely embraced by scientists, who are expected to embed massive amounts of data onto the maps.
Re: Google unveils software to explore world's oceans
simply amazing if it works.
even google earth isn't 100% perfect and that could be done entirely with satellites.
hoping for the best though. i want to be the first person ever to ride a giant squid (minutes after becoming the first to see one). i could see this program helping me in my quest.
Re: Google unveils software to explore world's oceans
Quote:
Originally Posted by YAWN
have we ever even seen/been to the deep bottoms of oceans?
The deepest point we've surveyed is called the Challenger Deep, on the Mariana Trench. About seven miles down. It is unknown how deep the trench goes, currently. I don't think the technology will be available for a while to be able to go deeper.
Google unveils software to explore world's oceans
