Earth Day, Earth Maps, Earth Photos and More at Earth.com

Google Earth

Google Earth is an amazing piece of software that delivers the most comprehensive map of the world ever produced. It allows users to glide over composite satellite photos of the entire planet to perform hundreds of different tasks. Users can find driving directions and businesses, measure distances, do serious research, or just go exploring. Perhaps the best feature is that Google Earth is also completely free.

The application gives users access to compilations of geographical, political and social data that can be viewed with simultaneous layers turned on, including topographical figures, population data and other statistics for any given area. You must be connected to the Internet to access Google Earth of course, and all of the navigation buttons are easy to operate and are provided within the Google Earth frame.

One of the biggest (and most pleasant) surprises about Google Earth is that all the “maps” are crisp, clear and have a three-dimensional quality to them thanks to the information being a combination of 3-D satellite images and aerial photographs taken by aircraft.

New features have been added to Google earth including historical imagery that allows viewing locations over time to observe key environmental trends like climate change, desertification, deforestation and suburban development. A Google Sky layer gives users the ability to explore the galaxy using telescope imagery and last year Google added the ability to discover the depths of the oceans with topographic maps of the seafloor and images from the deepest parts of the seas.

There are three versions of Google Earth, free, Plus and Pro. The basic version is free; the Plus version costs $20 a year, is only available for Windows and features GPS support as well as enhanced drawing and sketching tools. Google Earth Pro costs $400 and was designed with commercial users in mind. Pro is available for both Mac and Windows. Most users won’t require more than the free version and we recommend downloading it right now!

Earth Cams – View Real Time Live Images

It is now possible to see a bird’s-eye view of nearly any location on earth from the comfort of your own home using earth cams. A global network of both satellite and ground-based digital cameras are constantly streaming millions of live images from thousands of cameras, and covering just about any location on the planet. All you need to view them is Internet access on your computer.

Scientists have been utilizing earth cam data for mapping and gathering real-time weather conditions including tornado watches and hurricane predictions for several years now. Earth cams are most heavily used in the construction, security, traffic, weather, tourism, and news/media industries today. They are also being employed to observe the movement of ships and airplanes, track people and animals, observe geologic formations, and even search for lost archeological sites.

Earth cam users can view real time live images of some of the world’s most interesting and unique views and events from around the world 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

View Earth Photos from Space

Now that space exploration has been going on for a few decades, thousands of new and interesting images of the earth have been captured by the astronauts and the equipment traveling the heavens. Thousands of earth photos from space have been compiled by NASA and its foreign counterpart agencies, and those photos are now available to the public for viewing online.

Earth photos from space databases contain interesting photos of the earth’s most prominent geologic features and processes, and include images of the world’s greatest cities as well. In fact, there are more photos available than time to view them, as NASA’s Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth contains 944,465 images alone.

Go Green – If You Haven’t Yet Now is the Time

To “go green” has become a buzz phrase in the English language today as people begin to look at ways to reduce their ecological and carbon footprints by driving less, eating less meat, wearing sustainable fashions, and other planet-friendly activities. More and more people everyday are going green as they become aware of the impact human beings have on the planet and our fellow man.

To go green takes taking the concept of sustainable living beyond the individual and applies it to our interconnectedness with the environment. Going green means getting involved in your community, talking to your neighbors and supporting local green groups and their numerous activities. Going green can catalyze positive action for neighborhoods, cities and nations alike.

Tons of Ways to View Live Earth Photos!

The proliferation of live earth photos on line these days includes satellite images of the earth’s surface and allows users to see cities, houses and geographic features all over the world. Live earth photos have been used by governments, scientists and educators to monitor changes on the earth’s surface like measuring the changes in vegetation, rates of regeneration following fires, and various other scientific applications. The images have historically been most used by professionals in the defense and agriculture industries, but today thousands of casual online observers are enjoying the views of live earth photos too.

Among the more popular images resources are: Google Earth, a virtual globe, map and geographic information program that includes images obtained from satellite imagery and aerial photography. Bing Maps Platform (previously Microsoft Virtual Earth), a geospatial mapping platform that includes images from satellite sensors, aerial cameras, street-side imagery, 3D city models and terrain-based photographs. Landsat, a collection of over 400 images gathered per day from the Landsat 5 and Landsat 7 satellites operated by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

What is YOUR Ecological Footprint?

Your ecological footprint is the measure of demand your personal lifestyle puts on the Earth’s ecosystems. The footprint “measure” compares the results of human activity with the earth’s ability and ecological capacity to regenerate.

The amount of ecological footprint measured represents the amount of equivalent biologically healthy land and sea areas that would be required to replenish those resources consumed and used up by humans. The measurement also includes the amounts of energy needed to absorb and negate the effects of human development on the earth. The ecological footprint is assigned a number value that represents an estimate of how much of the earth it would take to support humanity if everybody lived the same standard of lifestyle. In 2006, the ecological footprint of all humans on earth was estimated at 1.4, or that humanity was using up the earth’s uses resources 1.4 times faster than the earth could replenish them.

Different countries, communities, regions, industries and individuals can all have different ecological footprints. The United Nations now publishes a “total” ecological footprint figure every year, but it takes three years to digest the data before it is presented. As knowledge and understanding of ecological footprint calculations continue to increase environmental awareness, “footprints” are now used as the main indicator of the environmental sustainability of lifestyles, goods, services, organizations, industries, neighborhoods, cities, regions and nations all over the planet.