Google Maps has been mapping the Earth for decades. They have taken images from space, on the roads all over the world, and now they have found themselves at the bottom of the ocean. In keeping with the theme of World Ocean Day (“Healthy Ocean, Healthy Planet”) which falls on June 8th, Google is highlighting the amazing beauty of our planet’s oceans, as well as making an effort to preserve these oceans for future generations.
Google states their objective for taking the time out to create this project, and the importance of what they are doing. The company says in their blog post: “Yet despite the ocean’s vital importance, the ocean is changing at a rapid rate due to climate change, pollution, and overfishing, making it one of the most serious environmental issues we face today.”
Google at Sea
Google never does anything halfway, and their project with major bodies of water on the Earth’s plane prove to be yet another amazing project they have completed. Google Maps teamed up with NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, Chagos Conservation Trust, and XL Catlin Seaview Survey to bring us these images from around the globe. There are 40 destinations that users can visit from all over the world including schools of fish in Sydney, turtles in Pedras Secas, Under water Volcanos in the Galapagos Islands, and even humpback whales near the Cook Islands. Viewers can explore the depths of the Ocean, and all of its most fantastic creatures, without ever lifting their hands from their keyboards.
More than just a few pretty pictures
There is more to Google’s work in the ocean than a few photos for people to look at, they want people to see the bigger picture. This is all an attempt to raise awareness and increase the efforts to conserve the ocean. Highlighting the real reason behind the elaborate photo project Google stated, “Mapping the ocean is key to preserving it. Each image in Google Maps is a GPS-located digital record of these underwater and coastal environments, which can be used as a baseline to monitor change over time.” Without our ocean, they planet could not exist. Google Maps is taking it into their hands to show the world firsthand just what it is that we have here that’s worth preserving for future generations.
