‘Siri, Find Me Directions to Ariel’s Grotto’—Google Maps Goes Under the Sea with NOAA
From the heights of unseen mountain peaks, to hidden Pokémon and plane crashes, Google's Maps application has expanded in recent years to bring us much more than just the traffic on the 210 freeway. Originally intended as an on-the-go directory for every destination, providing directions for every mode of transportation, Google Maps in recent years has become a staple phone application and invaluable site for commuters, scientists and adventurers alike. Taking cartography to newer heights, with aerial views and street-level imaging, the application now serves as an explorable map of world, gaining greater detail every day.
Taking the application to new depths, Google in collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that scientists with the NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries has taken camera's under the sea for a "fisheye" view of the Florida Keys' breathtaking coral reefs.
Building an interactive view of the ocean floor, the addition of the Florida Keys marks Google's first domestic seascape documentation here in the United States, and adds to the 400,000 images Google Maps currently has available for the Great Barrier Reef and the Galapagos Islands. Paid for, in part, as a joint partnership with the Catlin Seaview Survey, which allows scientists to observe and help protect the world's great reefs, the newest addition to the Google Maps features is a push towards greater transparency of Earth's magnificent oceans and a way for individuals to interact with and see the valuable natural resources currently under threat.
In expanding their current photo library, this exploration into the sea is only one step in Google's greater advancements of world imaging, and promises to be an interesting adventure for viewers across the entire world. Diving deep into the depths of the Florida Keys, cameras capture tropical fish feeding on bright coral and the visual treasures of sunken ships. But in spite of the graphically enticing sites beneath the sea, it's what Google recently launched into space that will really change perspectives. Google affiliate DigitalGlobe launched a new high-resolution satellite into orbit this week, and Google's renovation is just beginning.
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