According to several rumours Google are working on a new huge 3D map project. This time Google will take us below the surface of the ocean.
First we saw our own world with Google Earth.
Then we were invited out into space with Google Sky.
And now we are back on our blue planet only to go Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea, (well maybe not exactly, but it sounds cool) with Google Ocean.
You can’t dive into the digital sea yet, but according to cnet.com, Google invited several marine-experts to Googleplex last December, to discuss the plans for a 3D ocean map.
The map, with the codename Google Ocean, will allow you to see details and special “sights” of the bottom of the sea.
According to the project, you can zoom in or search for specific locations, like the Mariana Trench or the Caspian Sea.
No Comments From Google
Google are sealed tight as an oyster and according to a Google spokewoman “they have nothing to announce right now” about the project.
Several marine biologists and researchers are very excited about the project. A 3D map of the undersea will make exploration of the ocean and the bottom more efficient.
100 Ships 100 Years
Basically Google Ocean will tell you how deep an ocean location is, but selected areas will have high-resolution images.
Later on you’ll hopefully be able to add extensive information like weather patterns, temperatures and local current. Besides that you can also use Google Ocean to look for shipwrecks and coral reefs.
Until now only a small percentage of the oceans are mapped with the use of sonar. Experts say that it will take a 100 ships several years to map the entire undersea world.
What’s your take on Google Ocean? Is it a storm in a glass of water or actually something useful?
Source: Cnet.com
Thu, May 1, 2008
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