SINGAPORE (Team Geared Up) - We know less about our oceans than we do about Space. Google are about to shift things a little and produce a consumer tool (a version of Google Earth) that lets you fly around the seabed, through canyons and over buried treasure.

Announcing Google Ocean:

The company has assembled an advisory group of oceanography experts, and in December invited researchers from institutions around the world to the Mountain View, Calif., Googleplex. There, they discussed plans for creating a 3D oceanographic map, according to sources familiar with the matter.

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.

This is great news for the adventure & scientific communities. From being able to see the depth of channels for sail racing tactics or diving to knowing what’s under your kayak right now. Link this up to a GPS and actually find out what is under you without just a depth sounder.

Add in some multimedia, imagery, video and some educational material and you’ve got a serious educational tool. For example, watch this amazing video of an octopus vanish with camouflage (unreal!):

And if you want to see the full thing, it’s in a 5 min TED talk (worth watching) by David Gallo:

David Gallo shows jaw-dropping footage of amazing sea creatures, including a shape-shifting cuttlefish, a pair of fighting squid, and a mesmerizing gallery of bioluminescent fish that light up the blackest depths of the ocean.

I’m looking froward to using this.

-Robin.

SINGAPORE (Team Geared Up) - Google have announced the addition of global contours to their free mapping service. Very nice indeed, especially when combined with the satellite images. The above screenshor is of Lugnaquilla in Wicklow, Ireland.

Now this is becoming a serious tool to plot adventure points of interest on. Mountain names would be spectacular.

How do you get it? Go to maps.google.com, Click [Terrain], Zoom in close enough!

View Larger Map

-Robin-

LONDON, UK (Team Geared Up) - Exploring a maps & aerial photos of an area you’re travelling to is a key part of any adventure travel. Google maps was always too limited to just Western Europe & USA. No longer! Here’s the full list of 54 new countries in pretty good resolution:

Afghanistan, Aruba, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belize, Bermuda, Brunei Darussalam, Bhutan, Bolivia, Cambodia, Chile, Columbia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Mexico, Myanmar (Burma), Mongolia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Timor-Leste, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen

View Larger Map

-Robin-

LONDON, UK (Team Geared Up) - Google Maps have just added line distance. Could this be the start of the end for Gmaps Pedometer?

Google Write:

As many of you have discovered, the line tool in Google Maps is a great way to create maps of your bike routes and hiking trails. But something has been missing: After plotting out a hike in Yosemite, how do you know whether it’s going to be a 2-hour hike or a 2-day hike? You can’t tell how long the trail is!

To try it, go to maps.google.com MyMaps and draw with the line tool.

My only gripe is it appears to be stuck in miles, and no kilometres. Hello Google, Europe do exist too!

-Robin-

LONDON, UK (Team Geared Up) - TGU Reader Alan left a comment alerting us to his RunIreland.com Event Map. Alan has done a Google Maps mash-up with all the upcoming running events being held in Ireland marked on a big map.

RunIreland.com is a fantastic listings resource, you can even map Irish Running Clubs to see which is closest to you. Good job Alan!

-Robin-