Google Earth Layers

The Google Earth Gallery links you to a number geoscience-related Google Earth layers. For instance, the Global Paleogeographic Views layer lets you view the changing configuration of the earth’s surface from the Late Precambrian to the present.

Public-interest groups and individuals are using Google Earth to bring a valuable geographic context to important issues. Check out the Google Earth Outreach Showcase for issues concerning climate change, disappearing forests, land use assessment and more.

Keep up-to-date with new cool Google Earth layers by reading the Google Earth Blog.

Google Geo Education home

Google’s Geo Education home provides access to Google’s premier programs such as Google Earth and Sketchup. The Geo Education home also provides ideas as to how to use these tools in the classroom. For instance, The Smithsonian Institute’s Global Volcanism Program has created a Google Earth Holocene Volcanoes placemark file that displays a photo, geographic data, and links to more detailed information from the GVP, international volcano observatories and websites.

Check out Google Geo Education Home

Google Docs

A few years ago, Google began creating a suite of office productivity apps that include a word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation software. These are online applications that store your files on Google servers and are accessible through a web browser from any computer connected to the Internet. Though nowhere close to having all the bells and whistles of Microsnot’s Office suite, it provides plenty of functionality to create basic documents. You can save (download) documents to your local computer in a variety of formats, e.g. WORD, OpenOffice, pdf, html, rtf to edit in other programs if you desire. Files can also be setup for sharing and collaborative editing by colleagues. Starting this week (and extending over several weeks), Google is rolling out it’s Google Gears implementation of Google docs that will allow offline editing if you’re not connected to the Internet.

As one who works from a variety of different places, I’ve found it very handy. I don’t need the bloatware that WORD has become for most of my needs, especially for note taking (Google Notebook is also good for this) and initial drafts.

If you haven’t checked it out already, see http://docs.google.com/

The suite has gained such popularity that Microsnot has developed a similar product, Office Live Workspace.

Oh, Google’s office suite is free too.

See Earth Online Media post “Google Docs Offline”

For more Google applications see: http://www.google.com/intl/en/options/

Geoscience and iTunesU

If you have not checked out iTunesU I suggest you do so. There are several very good podcasts related to topics in geoscience that can be used in your courses if you’re an instructor or provide additional information if you’re a student. Download iTunes for Windoze or OS X, go to the iTunes store, click on the iTunesU link in the upper left corner, and start exploring. The Yale science podcast has some very interesting material. Or check out offerings from PBS, like KQED Science : “Science of Big Waves” or “Earthquakes: Breaking New Ground”. Oh, it’s all free too!

Get iTunes at: http://www.apple.com/itunes/

Google Notebook

I do a majority of my work online and like to have access to all my documents and notes from wherever I’m working. Companies embracing the Web 2.0 revolution are producing applications that have fulfilled my needs for the most part. One of the most useful tools is Google Notebook. I can make as may notebook as I need for different projects and fill them with notes and clippings from web pages. A very nice feature is an extension app for my Firefox browser that lets me grab and save notes quickly from any web page.

To get started with Google Notebook you’ll need a free Google account. Once you have established your account go to http://www.google.com/notebookto start creating your online notebooks. Near the top of the Notebooks page you’ll find a link to install the helper app. Once installed you’ll see a link at the bottom of your browser that says “Open Notebook”. Watch this video to see how you can create new notes by clipping bits from a web page.

Earth and Environmental Systems podcast

Professor Christian Shorey of the Colorado School of Mines has is podcasting his course lectures for “Earth and Environmental Systems” (SYGN101). Podcasts presently available cover a wide range of topics from rock types, plate tectonics, climate change, to ecology, and intelligent design. Links to subscribe to the podcast through iTunes is provided.

A highly recommended resource for any introductory geoscience course.

SYGN 101 Earth and Environmental Systems Podcast Page

Juicy Geography’s Google Earth blog

Juicy Geography’s Google Earth blog is a wonderful service provided by Noel Jenkins, an Advanced Skills Teacher working in the South West of England. The blog is a place for Mr. Jenkins to share lesson ideas, supported with user guides and other materials. He is the originator of the Juicy Geography site, the first site to publish lessons incorporating Google Earth.

Recent posts include:

Real time weather in Google Earth

Fieldwork with Google Earth GPS and video – some thoughts

Implementing a "Weekly Web Link" Assignment

“Staying up-to-date with current events should be an important goal for students, especially in their chosen field of expertise, but busy schedules may not permit them to do so. This also applies to educators with heavy teaching loads and busy schedules beyond the confines of their offices. Instructors can promote currency of news events in their students by implementing a “Weekly Web Link” assignment in their courses. Submitting a weekly web link can serve several purposes beyond keeping abreast of current events.”

Read article at: Teaching with Technology Today

Leveraging the long tail of scholarship.

Firefox is one of the best alternatives to Internet Explorer due largely to its ability to add useful, third-party features. One of those is Zotero, an amazing open source add-on for scholars and students who conduct much of their research online. Zotero

“.. is a free, easy-to-use research tool that helps you gather and organize resources (whether bibliography or the full text of articles), and then lets you annotate, organize, and share the results of your research. It includes the best parts of older reference manager software (like EndNote)—the ability to store full reference information in author, title, and publication fields and to export that as formatted references—and the best parts of modern software such as del.icio.us or iTunes, like the ability to sort, tag, and search in advanced ways. Using its unique ability to sense when you are viewing a book, article, or other resource on the web, Zotero will—on many major research sites—find and automatically save the full reference information for you in the correct fields.”

Its page snap shot feature is quite useful, as is its numerous citation templates. Highly recommended.

Try Zotero “Leveraging the long tail of scholarship.”

Image: Firefox browser with Zotero add-on. Courtesy of Zotero

Mashups

The integrated nature of the Internet allows us to build Web-based applications that combine bits of information from a variety of online sources. A mashup is a website or application that combines content from more than one source into an integrated experience (Wikipedia ). The content of a mashup is usually connected through a third party application programming interface (API). Mashups are the embodiment of the Web 2.0 service standard.

Weathermole: a Google Maps – NOAA mashup

A common use of mashups is to combine text, graphics, and geographic data for spatial analysis, much like a GIS. Mashup authors can overlay maps, draw lines and polygons, drop place markers and link a variety of data types to them. The development of mashups using spatial data has been propelled by the popularity of services like Google Maps. High quailty mashups for education, research, and yes, just plain fun abound.

The USGS Live Earthquake Mashup (not a USGS product) links Google Maps to a USGS RSS feed that contains date, location and magnitude for recent earthquakes. Clicking on a place marker reveals data for the event. The event date links to the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program for detailed descriptive information about the earthquake.

Quest integrates various KQED Public Broadcasting media platforms with Google Map and Flickr to present television programs, radio spots, blog postings, education guides, and map-based explorations (link San Andreas here).

Weather Bonk mashes together local your local weather forecast from the Weather Channel with Google maps, pictures from nearby Web cams and seasonal climate data. Place markers link to local weather stations through the Weather Underground.

With Hurricane Tracking and Google Maps you can map Atlantic hurricane tracks from 1851 – 2006. Follow the devastating path of Hurricane Katrina. Click on the place markers to see wind, pressure and location data. Pop up content bubbles can be toggled to see data or a current satellite image. You can add multiple tracks to compare hurricanes. Eastern and Western Pacific track are also available.

A number of blog sites provide information and links to geoscience-related mashups. Google Maps Mania is an excellent site to start with. The blog keeps you well-informed of new mashups and provides links to a number of mashup tools. See this introduction to the Google Maps API if you’re interested in building a Google maps mashup.