#UKSnowDepth Map Geography teacher Tom Barrett thought he would use the opportunity of the recent snow falls in the UK to create some learning resources related to the conditions. Using Google My Maps Tom is trying to crowdsource snow depths across the UK.
If you live in the UK you can add your snow depth to the map by finding a flat surface, measuring the depth of snow in centimetres and adding a marker to the map. If you are a geography teacher Tom also has a number of ways that you can use the map and information with your students.
Google have been testing a new user interface for Google Maps for a couple of months now. The new design has been tested with a number of users, including Justin from 41Latitude, who has managed to create this video of the new design.
The biggest change is in the appearance of the map buttons. The buttons have been changed to larger thumbnail images. In the new design when you roll over the satellite thumbnail the layer options appear in a drop-down list.
The list of your recent map searches is also displayed in the layer panel. Another change is that the small map panel, which in the old design is shown in a small window in the bottom corner, now appears in the new thumbail button.
Historical imagery is one of the most powerful features of Google Earth, enabling you to go back in time and browse the visual historical record of our planet - from the evolution and rise of developing communities to the destruction caused by hurricanes, earthquakes and fires. With Google Earth 6, we’ve made it easier than ever to discover historical imagery. In addition to streamlining the timeline interface, we’ve added a date button to the status bar to notify you of past imagery that you might be interested in exploring. So now, when you zoom in on a location in our latest version of Google Earth, the button will appear highlighting specific years. Clicking it enables historical imagery and takes you back to the year you selected. For instance, when I zoom in on the headquarters of a certain company with a fruit namesakenestled in the heart of Silicon Valley, Google Earth suggests imagery from 1948. Clicking the date button reveals the fruit tree orchards that used to inhabit that very location. I wonder if they were apple trees.
Google Earth 6 suggests historical imagery to explore, e.g. of Silicon Valley in 1948
Washington D.C., January 20, 2009. Can you spot where the jumbotrons were installed?
But the feature is more than just what historians deem significant. We built the historical imagery database to enable anyone to see and tell their own personal history. A great example comes from fellow historical imagery engineer Reuel Nash:
In 1979, my wife and I spent the first night of our marriage in a hotel at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. It was still there in 1995, which you can see in Google Earth. The hotel and the surrounding area has since been replaced by Terminal D. You can see the terminal construction (and destruction of the hotel) literally from the ground up using historical imagery.
The construction of Terminal D at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
We have a vast amount of data in our historical imagery archive, so you’ll be able to tell your own personal stories by browsing those places that are special to you. In fact, we have more square miles of high resolution imagery in our historical imagery archive than in our default view. In the coming years, we look forward to expanding this imagery collection even further. Visit the Historical Imagery Showcase to watch video tours of cities with imagery dating as far back as 1940.
Soundcities Soundcities is an open source database of city sounds and soundmaps from around the world, using found sounds and field recordings.
It is possible to browse the submitted sounds by location on a Google Map. It is also possible to browse by mood. The Google Map includes a number of sound recordings made in lots of cities around the world and all the sounds can be listened to directly from the map.
Soundcities also includes a Sensor Map of Liverpool in the UK. This map shows the location of a number of sensors in the city displaying real-time information about light, temperature, noise and humidity.
Other Sound Maps
UK SoundMap - survey of UK sounds from the British Library
