Google already has the sky and earth covered with their 3D maps, but what about the Ocean? Apparently a group of Oceanography experts had a meeting at the Google Headquarters in Mountain View, California to discuss plans to create a 3D map of the Ocean.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.)
Google Ocean will feature a basic layer that shows the depth of the sea floor and will serve as a spatial framework for additional data, sources said, adding that Google plans to try to fill in some areas of the map with high-resolution images for more detail.
Additional data will be displayed as overlying layers that depict phenomena like weather patterns, currents, temperatures, shipwrecks, coral reefs, and algae blooms, much like the National Park Service and NASA provide additional data for Google Earth and Google Sky.
Source: news.com
One of the goals of Google Ocean is to promote advanced research on the vast ocean floor. 3Dwalkthroughs.com believes Google Ocean will eventually be a valuable navigational tool for divers around the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment