The official blog for Google Maps
Greener maps
September 7, 2007
Posted by Steve Miller, Product Manager, Google Earth Outreach
We love it when you put our products to work to help the environment. Individuals and organizations have come up with all sorts of creative ways to create maps that highlight the causes that they care most about, and we wanted to recap just a few cool examples from this summer.
In June, the
Commission for Environmental Cooperation
released a layer for Google Earth that tracks pollution from industrial locations across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Another Google Earth user
did the same for Australia
using the country's National Pollutant Inventory. Do you know where to
find pollution data
for your own country?
If you're interested in alternative energy, the
San Francisco Solar Map
shows the locations of solar installations around the city. We also found this great
wind power assessment tool
that calculates wind speeds at a given location, intended to help with planning wind farm installations. And in British Columbia, an individual
mapped water licenses
governing hydroelectric power generation. This layer publishes the locations where power companies intend to divert rivers and streams in order to generate electricity, inspiring discussions about the pros and cons of different energy sources.
One last cool thing:
Walk Score
created a map to show people what's within walking distance of residential areas. So if you're thinking about moving, you can easily see how you'll be able to cut down on trips to the gas station.
Want to protect your own corner of the planet? Check out some
more examples
,
learn how to create your own layer
and be sure to
let us know
what you come up with.
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