Google Sets Sights On 3D Map of the Oceans

Several readers wrote to tell us about one of the next major projects to enter the Google-verse. We already have pretty views of the Earth and the Sky, the next target is apparently a 3D map of the oceans. "The tool — for now called Google Ocean, the sources say, though that name could change — is expected to be similar to other 3D online mapping applications. People will be able to see the underwater topography, called bathymetry; search for particular spots or attractions; and navigate through the digital environment by zooming and panning. (The tool, however, is not to be confused with the 'Google Ocean' project by France-based Magic Instinct Software that uses Google Earth as a visualization tool for marine data.)"

Why?

Does this have anything to do with their under water fortress of doom?

Becaue it is more relevant than space

We have better understanding of far away stars etc than we do of our own oceans, yet the oceans are far more important to our existence. Hat's off to Google!

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Hat's off to Google!

<grammar nazi>Who is Hat and why is he going to Google?</grammar nazi>

Google needs to work getting images and map data..

Google needs to work getting images and map data up to date in Earth / maps right now.

Google mantra

Quantity, not quality

Google needs to update their satellite photos

Tell me about it [google.ca].

I bet one or two photos would update the whole town, too.

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Google's business plan: 1. Hire talented people to work on interesting projects 2. Offer free, useful tools to users to get them to your site 3. Show the users advertisements 4. Make a ton of money and still look like a good guy It seems to be working.

Easter egg #1

Cthulhu's watery resting place.

Hmmmm, just think: With Greenland and Antarctica melting, Google Ocean will eventually get bigger as Google Earth shrinks a bit around the edges.

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Tentacles [youtube.com]

Cash, Philanthropy, or World Domination

Google continues to crank out new services, products, APIs, tools, and more. It's really quite staggering, but they do have the cash and brains to do it. But the investments they make are huge. I'm talking about money, time and brainpower.

Is latest action to make the entire world's information accessible for cash in some way? Is it some sort of philanthropy? You know, another gift to the world? Or, is there some other plan for world domination?

Speaking of world domination...

Who will be the most angry about all of this?

* Aquaman
* Poseidon
* Neptune
* Little Mermaid
* The Mariner (Kevin Costner, Waterworld)
 

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* Poseidon
* Neptune

Definitely neither of them, they're still too busy bitching over who had the best god of the sea implementation.

Science and Google tools

Google continues to crank out new services, products, APIs, tools, and more. It's really quite staggering, but they do have the cash and brains to do it. But the investments they make are huge. I'm talking about money, time and brainpower.

Working within the geospatial domain (a blend of GIS, remote sensing, GPS, virtual globes, webmapping and much more) and running a website about it, clearly the "newcomers" (mainly Google, Microsoft and Yahoo) with what has been often called neogeography [wikipedia.org]

Red Route One

Well, in The Hunt for Red October [imdb.com] the Soviet Union had accurate charts and the US Navy didn't. I'd imagine the Soviet Navy might be upset that all the US has to do now is google Red Route One.

Privacy concerns

Davy Jones, the ambassador for marine life, is citing privacy concerns and plans to protest this activity.

I say, if they don't have anything to hide, they have nothing to be afraid of.

Topographic Survey dATA

Survey Point 1, Sea Level ..... 0 Meters

Survey Point 2, Sea Level ..... 0 Meters

Survey Point 3, Sea Level ..... 0 Meters

Survey Point 4, Sea Level ..... 0 Meters

Survey Point 5, Sea level ..... 0.2 Meters (note: shark)

All together now!

We all live in a google submarine
google submarine, google submarine
We all live in a google subarmine
google submarine, google submarine

As we live a life of ease (A life of ease)
Everyone of us (Everyone of us) has all we need (Has all we need)
Sky of blue (Sky of blue) and sea of green (Sea of green)
In our google (In our google) submarine (Submarine, ha, ha)

ARRGGHHH! Mates, there be treasure down there!

We'll find Davey Jones' Locker yet with this and all be rich! RICH I say!

Or, failing that, we can search for submarines lurking under the waves.

make that map of the ocean FLOOR

...otherwise compared to keeping up with the RT 3d ocean surface, slashdotting a data server would be a drop in the ocean. literally.

I wonder what bathymetry they're using.

Hmm.. I wonder if they'll be using the Smith & Sandwell satellite derived bathymetry or ship-track data....

Anything better than 5 degree per pixel would be scientifically useful.. but I doubt that they'll have very high definition coverage... and I also doubt they'll be filling in the huge holes in the ship-track coverage.

The surface of Mars has been mapped in higher detail than the depths of the ocean and we are still guessing at the numbers of sea-mounts in the Pacific.

Re:

Oops! The referred article made most of my points. Oh well. At least the reporter talked to the two main researchers who have generated the best synthesis of data so far.

Here's what you can do with this:

There are many uses for such a service. Here's just a few off the top of my head:

-Under-water cable management

-Shipwreck locator

-Points of interest for study (black smokers, volcanoes, rifts)

-Biologic tracking data (in 3D)

-Current tracking data (in 3D)

-The

Since they have a flight simulator built in

Will they be adding a submarine simulator?

At this rate

in just 5 or so years google will start mapping our butts.

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Why would anyone waste their time navigating a 3D image of the ocean ? ... just curious...

I would think that the bigger question is how difficult it must be to keep that think updated... you know, with the waves and tides constantly moving and all it would be out of date right after you mapped it!

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Why not use that cash to improve the streets and imagery on the earth part?

Because fish and giant squid can't sue you over privacy concerns.