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Google Earth and Forest Conservation
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Google Earth combines three technologies to let the viewer navigate around a virtual globe. Google Earth is a standalone program that must be downloaded and installed. It does not run through your browser, but you must be connected to the internet to use it.
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Satellite and aircraft photographs show you the land itself.
Elevation data is used to simulate the terrain and model the landscape in 3-D.
GPS and GIS allow Google Earth to exist, and they allow you to superimpose all kinds of information on top of the "Google Earth" as you surf around to different places.
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A REVOLUTIONARY CONSERVATION TOOL
Google Earth provides unprecedented access to recent color satellite imagery, as well as the ability to show the terrain, roads, and public land boundaries. With it's ability for users to integrate their own GIS data, Google Earth can display timber sale boundaries, proposed protected areas, and a wealth of other information.
The satellite imagery is generally no more 36 months old, and it shows roads, clearcuts, creeks, burned areas, and other things of interest to conservationists and scientists (and all of us). The patches of hi-resolution satellite imagery (see "hi-res vs. low-res" below) are of such detail that one can see stumps and downed trees on logging sites, and vehicles driving on roads.
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A VERSATILE INTERFACE
You can zoom, tilt, rotate, and pan your imaginary camera. To pan just grab anywhere on the landscape and drag with your mouse. To tilt and rotate the camera use the buttons at the bottom of the interface. To zoom in and out use the middle scroll dial on your mouse or use the buttons in the software. Double right-click to initiate a slow zoom out.
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BOOKMARKS
As you discover different areas of interest, you can frame the camera angle just the way you want, turn off or on different layers of information, and then set a bookmark that remembers all of this information.
This versatile system lets you save a complex set of parameters, and to also attach a description. You can save the bookmarks to your computer, and then share them with other people, or send them online to other people from within the Google Earth software.
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HI-RES vs. LOW-RES
It's important to note that Google Earth is a relatively new service, and the majority of the satellite photos used to create the landscape are of low-resolution. You can only zoom in so far before the quality falls apart. The major cities are high-res, and over time more of the rest of the coverage will be as well. As you cruise around look for dark strips. These are the high-res patches. The hope and expectation is that over time much more of the coverage will become high-res.
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Tilt, rotate, pan, and zoom the view
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Global coverage (Himalayas)
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Bookmarks allow for personalization
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Hi-res vs. low-res satellite images
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2005 Native Forest Council. Images © Google Earth, EarthSat, TeleAtlas
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