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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.)"

11 of 83 comments (clear)

  1. Why? by Trent+Hawkins · · Score: 3, Funny

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

  2. Easter egg #1 by StefanJ · · Score: 3, Funny

    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.

  3. Becaue it is more relevant than space by EmbeddedJanitor · · Score: 3, Insightful

    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!

    --
    Engineering is the art of compromise.
    1. Re:Becaue it is more relevant than space by Captain+Splendid · · Score: 2, Funny

      Hat's off to Google!

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

      --
      Linux, you magnificent bastard, I read the fucking manual!
  4. Cash, Philanthropy, or World Domination by webword · · Score: 2, Funny

    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)

  5. Privacy concerns by erroneus · · Score: 2, Funny

    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.

  6. Topographic Survey dATA by RealErmine · · Score: 2, Funny

    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)

    --
    Dewey, you fool! Your decimal system has played right into my hands!
  7. All together now! by Jherek+Carnelian · · Score: 4, Funny


    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)

  8. Science and Google tools by Lord+Satri · · Score: 2, Informative

    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 are making serious inroads in traditional GIS software providers such as ESRI. (rejoice /. users, open source is also making serious inroads there too)

    The thing is, neogeography *is* useful and efficient for many tasks. Not everybody needs "a real" powerful GIS to visualize and analyse geodata. That's why I can believe this rumored Google Ocean will be attractive to many oceanography scientists (as well to hobbyists, of course). See this recent article named "Google Earth, GIS, and the Great Divide: A new and simple method for sharing paleontological data"
  9. I wonder what bathymetry they're using. by MROD · · Score: 2, Informative

    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.

    --

    Agrajag: "Oh no, not again!"
  10. Re:Microsoft is kicking Googles ass by RiotingPacifist · · Score: 2, Interesting

    True its just a shame, that
    1) i cant use it on linux
    2) its google earth that is linked into otherwebsites

    it looks to me like google have the technical know how but like me, once you've sorted out the problem, who can be arsed with the details (e.g pictures). Solution, hire in outsiders to do the booring bits.

    --
    IranAir Flight 655 never forget!