Google Earth uses similar technology to the widely used Maps product

Google Earth has launched a time-lapse feature that lets users wind back the clock and see how the world has changed over several decades.

The feature uses millions of satellite images from the past 37 years to let people scroll through time.

It allows people to see, for example, the retreat of glaciers alongside global warming, or the deforestation of the Amazon over time.

https://sedc.instructure.com/courses/1385375/pages/watch-greys-anatomy-season-17-episode-12-online-full-episodes
https://sedc.instructure.com/courses/1385375/pages/greys-anatomy-season-17-episode-12-online-watch-hd-free
https://sedc.instructure.com/courses/1385375/pages/full-watch-greys-anatomy-season-17-episode-12-online-full-episodes
https://sedc.instructure.com/courses/1385375/pages/greys-anatomy-season-17-episode-12-online-full-episodes
https://sedc.instructure.com/courses/1385375/pages/watch-greys-anatomy-season-17-episode-12-hd-online-full-episodes

The company says it is the biggest update to Google Earth in four years.

Google Earth uses similar technology to the widely used Maps product, but is more focused on geology and exploration than public transport and directions.

Users can access the tool in a web browser, and the feature comes with some pre-packaged virtual tours of an Alaskan glacier melting over the years or forest protection efforts in Brazil.

But the time-lapse feature is global - meaning users can just type in any location and experiment with whatever images are available.

Google is heavily marketing the tool as a way to raise awareness of climate change and other environmental issues.

It pointed to the shifting sands of Cape Cod and the drying of Kazakhstan's Aral Sea as striking examples of how the landscape is changing.

But it also documents the boom in towns and cities across the world - from the rapid expansion of Las Vegas to the building of artificial islands in Dubai.

"We have a clearer picture of our changing planet right at our fingertips - one that shows not just problems but also solutions, as well as mesmerisingly beautiful natural phenomena that unfold over decades," Google said. 

https://sedc.instructure.com/courses/1385375/pages/watch-greys-anatomy-season-17-episode-12-online-full-episodes
https://sedc.instructure.com/courses/1385375/pages/greys-anatomy-season-17-episode-12-online-watch-hd-free
https://sedc.instructure.com/courses/1385375/pages/full-watch-greys-anatomy-season-17-episode-12-online-full-episodes
https://sedc.instructure.com/courses/1385375/pages/greys-anatomy-season-17-episode-12-online-full-episodes
https://sedc.instructure.com/courses/1385375/pages/watch-greys-anatomy-season-17-episode-12-hd-online-full-episodes
https://www.nace.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=c2731469-24be-4336-bc74-8af49056e6d9
https://www.nace.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=5c11dbd8-434e-4176-9174-6be8e32c0bba
https://www.nace.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=b14a23a6-589a-434e-b508-6373a60044d2
https://www.nace.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=e04549da-d947-419f-be57-a8fb16461764
https://www.nace.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=9398f26c-8fda-472e-9516-01b3e99deb35

An Earth-sized video

Under the hood, the new version of Google Earth is powered by 24 million different satellite photos, from Nasa, the US Geological Survey's Landsat project, and the EU's Copernicus project.

Google said the new features "simply wouldn't have been possible" without the "commitments to open and accessible data" from those space agencies.

While the average user will only see a tiny fraction of the system at a time, Google says the animated time-lapse imagery is essentially one giant video mosaic, made up of individual video tiles.

The 24 million images date back as far as 1984, and take up 20 petabytes - 20 million gigabytes - of storage space, and "quadrillions of pixels", the company said.

Together, they make one single video 4.4 terapixels in size - something Google said is the equivalent of more than half a million 4K ultra-high-resolution videos.

Processing all that data took more than two million hours of computer time - shared among thousands of high-powered machines owned by Google to get the job done in a reasonable timeframe. 

https://sedc.instructure.com/courses/1385377/pages/watch-the-falcon-and-the-winter-soldier-season-1-episode-5-online-full-episodes
https://sedc.instructure.com/courses/1385377/pages/the-falcon-and-the-winter-soldier-season-1-episode-5-online-full-episodes
https://sedc.instructure.com/courses/1385377/pages/free-watch-the-falcon-and-the-winter-soldier-season-1-episode-5-online-full-series
https://sedc.instructure.com/courses/1385377/pages/the-falcon-and-the-winter-soldier-season-1-episode-5-online-watch-hd-free
https://sedc.instructure.com/courses/1385377/pages/full-watch-the-falcon-and-the-winter-soldier-season-1-episode-5-online-full-episodes
https://ragbrai.com/groups/full-watch-the-falcon-and-the-winter-soldier-season-1-episode-5-online-watch-hd/
https://ragbrai.com/groups/hd-watch-the-falcon-and-the-winter-soldier-season-1-episode-5-online-full-episode/
https://ragbrai.com/groups/watch-the-falcon-and-the-winter-soldier-season-1-episode-5-s1xe5-full-online-watch/
https://ragbrai.com/groups/s01xe05-the-falcon-and-the-winter-soldier-season-1-episode-5-sub-eng-full-episode/
https://ragbrai.com/groups/full-watch-the-falcon-and-the-winter-soldier-season-1-episode-5-hd-online-free-series/
https://steemkr.com/news/@indextracker/google-earth-time-lapse-feature-winds-clock-back-37-years
https://cox.tribe.so/post/https-sedc-instructure-com-courses-1385375-pages-watch-greys-anatomy-season--607841de138f38b4ec14c449
https://www.peeranswer.com/question/60783f88f8aa01197a55ad8e
https://paiza.io/projects/F-mSnXpqlaaIQJ72o_b_Iw?language=php
https://onlinegdb.com/S1zXGTrLd
https://jsfiddle.net/maxsstream/e6cyj7fw/
https://rentry.co/8yp34
https://myanimelist.net/blog.php?eid=849578

"As far as we know, time-lapse in Google Earth is the largest video on the planet, of our planet," the company said.

That kind of heavy processing in air-conditioned data centres uses vast amounts of power, and has a significant environmental impact. Google argues that all its data centres are carbon neutral, though it does this through the practice of offsetting - paying for environmental projects to "balance" its use of energy.

The huge amount of historical data also has other practical benefits - such as removing clouds. Any one set of photos from the Earth's surface will have areas obscured by cloud cover that the satellite can't see. 

But over time, different pockets become visible, which can then all be stitched together to form a picture of what's underneath.

Google says it plans to update this new time-lapse project every year for at least the next decade.

"We hope that this perspective of the planet will ground debates, encourage discovery and shift perspectives about some of our most pressing global issues," it said.

Google Maps will start directing drivers to routes it calculates to be the most eco-friendly based on a list of factors.

https://www.guest-articles.com/news/google-earth-time-lapse-feature-winds-clock-back-37-years-15-04-2021
https://www.guest-articles.com/news/the-feature-uses-millions-of-satellite-images-from-the-past-37-years-15-04-2021
https://www.guest-articles.com/news/google-maps-to-start-showing-eco-friendly-routes-15-04-2021
https://www.guest-articles.com/news/the-company-says-it-is-the-biggest-update-to-google-earth-in-four-years-15-04-2021

The search engine said it will highlight journeys that generate the lowest carbon footprint using mainly traffic data and road inclines.

Google said the feature would launch first in the US later this year "with a global expansion on the way".

The new feature is part of its commitment to fight climate change.

When launched, the default route on the Google Maps app will be the "eco-friendly" option, unless users choose to opt out of it.

When alternative routes are significantly faster, Google will offer choices and let users compare estimated emissions.

"What we are seeing is for around half of routes, we are able to find an option more eco-friendly with minimal or no time-cost trade-off," Russell Dicker, a director of product at Google said.

The search engine, owned by Alphabet, said it uses emissions data based on testing across different types of cars and road types, drawing on insights from the US government's National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL).

Its road data factors in slopes and inclines from its own Street View cars feature along with aerial and satellite imagery.

"This is a great example of three trends coming together - the data, sustainability and consumer choice," said Siddharth Pathak, a partner at consultancy firm Kearney.

"It will also push those on the fence to make a deliberate choice of speed over sustainability and often cost."
Zone warnings

From June, Google will start warning drivers about to travel through low emissions zones where some vehicles are restricted. These are common in countries such as Germany, France, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK.

"From Amsterdam to Jakarta, cities around the world have established low emission zones - areas that restrict polluting vehicles like certain diesel cars or cars with specific emissions stickers to help keep the air clean," Google said in a blog post.

"To support these efforts, we're working on alerts to help drivers better understand when they'll be navigating through one of these zones."

Google Maps users will be also able to compare car, cycling, public transport and other travel options in one place instead of toggling between different sections in a new feature being launched this year.

The US tech giant says it has long developed sustainable practices to benefit the environment, and has pledging to be carbon-free by 2030 to helping cities track greenhouse gas emissions.