Plants at Risk on Google Maps

Did you know that with one in five plant species in the world are threatened with extinction?



Kew Royal Britannic Gardens together with the Natural History Museum, London and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has completed a global analysis of the risk of extinction for the world's plants. The results of this research are presented on four Google Maps.



The first map shows the average threat level of plant life in different countries around the world. The second map shows the percentage of plant species under threat in different countries around the world. A third map shows the proportion of plant species unique to each country.



A fourth map has also been created to give an indication of the level of confidence that the researchers have in the data for each country.



Plants at Risk



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Oxfam's Food Price Pressure Points Map

This new Google Map, created by Oxfam, shows how poor communities across the world are being hurt by high and volatile food prices. The map displays countries that are highly vulnerable to price spikes, have seen price spikes contribute to violence or unrest, or have suffered extreme weather events that have contributed to price hikes.

If you click on any of marked food pressure points you can read about the cause of the problem at that location and the impact that it is having on people's lives.

The map is available in English, Spanish and French and can be embedded in any website.

Oxfam's Food Price Pressure Points Map

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Russian Greenpeace on Google Maps

Greenpeace has released a Google Map of recycling stations in Moscow.

The map shows the locations of recycling stations for paper, glass, plastic bottles, old electronics and clothing in the Russian capital. The map includes custom made markers that are colour coordinated to indicate the type of recycling possible at each station.

It is also possible for users to add the location of missing recycling locations to the map.

Greenpeace - Moscow Recycling Map

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Hydrothermal Vents on Google Maps

This is our second foray into subterranean (or should that be submarine) mapping today. However, whereas Greg's Cable Map maps the world's undersea telecommunications cables, Peter Aldhous' Google Map shows the locations of deep sea vents.

Peter's map displays all known hydrothermal vent fields. The map uses color-coded map markers to show active and inactive vents. The map also shows plate boundaries and exclusive economic zones.

Hydrothermal Vent Fields Map

Via: SmartPlanet

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The Angling Trust's Google Map Campaign

Cormorant Watch

The UK's Angling Trust, has launched a new web site for anglers to record sightings of cormorants, goosanders and mergansers throughout the UK. The new site uses Google Maps to record user sightings of the birds in the UK.

The birds are having a major affect on UK fish stocks and the aim of the map is to gather data to help persuade the UK government of the need for action to protect fisheries. The map has been launched to coincide with the start of the coarse fishing season on rivers.

Anglers can record sightings and activity of cormorants anywhere in the UK, directly onto the map. Users can also use the map to view details of each recorded cormorant sighting and watch the real picture of cormorant predation in UK waters build up week by week.

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Global Warming on Google Maps

Climate Hot Map

The Union of Concerned Scientists has created this Google Map to show the probable effects of global warming around the world. The map is accompanied by a Climate Hot Map Scavenger Hunt, which if you complete successfully gives you a chance to win a trip for two to the Rio Cachoeira Natural Reserve in Brazil.

The map explores the effect of climate change on people, the environment, the oceans, ecosystems and the temperature. You can select to explore any of these categories on the map using the menu at the bottom of the map.

The scavenger hunt questions can be found here. Entries must be in by the end of July.

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A Google Map of Solar Power Installations

Cooler Planet: Solar Energy Installation Map

Cooler Planet has created an animated time-line with Google Maps to show the progress of solar installations in California from 1999 through to 2011.

Using data from Go Solar California Statistics the map lets you view time-lines of 'total installs', 'total watts', 'watts per install' and 'total carbon saved'. It is fascinating using the map to view how solar power installations have blossomed in California over the last decade.

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Recycling with Google Maps

Illinois Recycling Map

The Illinois Recycling Association has created a great searchable Google Maps based guide to recycling in the state.

Using the map it is possible to search for recycling facilities, drop off locations and service providers throughout Illinois. The map lets you search by material (paper, glass etc) or by location. It is also possible to define the radius of your search.

The results of each search are displayed on the Google Map and also displayed in list form below the map.

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Global Warming on Google Maps

Cal-Adapt Climate Tools

Cal-Adapt, from the Public Interest Energy Research program, has created a series of Google Maps to help show the possible effects of climate change on California.

The maps allow users to visualise a number of possible scenarios that could be caused by climate change. You can view the possible effects of global warming on temperatures, sea level and wildfires in California.

The Decadal Averages Map allows you to explore various models and scenarios of future temperature projections. It allows you to view a map displaying the projected temperature for each decade from 1950-2099 for each month of the year using a variety of climate models and scenarios.

Hat-tip: Street View Funny

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Lepidoptera on Google Maps

Butterflies and Moths: Recent Sightings Map

The Butterflies and Moths of North America Project has created a Google Map to show the latest 100 confirmed user submitted sightings of butterflies and moths. The map displays the locations of submitted butterflies or moths verified by collaborating regional coordinators.

If you click on a map marker you can view the name of the species spotted and the date it was observed. You can also click through to view the user submitted photograph of the butterfly / moth and further details.

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Your Nearest Power Plants on Google Maps

Wo ist das nächste Atomkraftwerk?

This Google Maps application lets you find the location of the nearest nuclear power plants to your home.

When you first load the map your location is automatically detected and lines are drawn on the map from your location to the nearest nuclear power stations. If you click on any of the marked power stations on the map you can view its age and its distance from your home.

The site is in German but even if you can't speak the language it is very easy to work out which of the figures is the age of the power station and which is the distance.

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A Google Map for Nature Lovers

iNaturalist

iNaturalist is an online community for nature lovers. Members of iNaturalist can use the community to record what they see in nature, meet other nature lovers, and learn about the natural world.

The iNaturalist Google Map lets users submit their observations and browse the reports of other nature lovers. The map uses categorised markers to indicate if a report is about a plant, bird or animal etc. Observations can include comments and photographs.

Each submitted report is given a dedicated page with details and photographs of the observation and with space for readers to leave comments (particularly useful if you need help in identifying something).

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Mapping Wild Camels with Google Maps

CamelScan

Australia is being plagued by feral camels. More than 1 million camels are roaming the Australian desert causing damage to water supplies and disturbing Aboriginal communities.

CamelScan is a new crowdsouced project that allows anyone to report sightings of feral camels in Australia on a Google Map. Through this initiative CamelScan will be able to develop a regional map and national picture of where feral camels occur, and work out where they congregate in different seasons.

By mapping the damage caused by camels, CamelScan can help to identify when, where and how to control feral camels in order to reduce the damage they cause.

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America's Wilderness Areas on Google Maps

National Wilderness Preservation System Map

The USA has 756 National Wilderness areas that are designated for preservation in their natural condition. In these wilderness areas activities are restricted to non-motorized recreation (such as hiking and fishing ), scientific research, and other non-invasive activities.

Wllderness.net has created this Google Map of America's National Wilderness areas. It is possible to search the map by state and by name. If you click on a shaded polygon an information window displays more details about the selected Wilderness Area.

The Wilderness Areas are color-coded to show which authority that they are managed by. The map includes labels for each area that appear when you zoom in.

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Monitoring Water Aid with Google Maps

Flow

Water for People is a charity helping people in developing countries through the development of locally sustainable drinking water resources, sanitation facilities, and hygiene education programs.

Water for People are using remote technology to display real-time reports about whether their water and sanitation projects are working or failing. The map allows field workers, volunteers and others to record data from tens of thousands of water points around the world.

Flow uses categorised markers to show which projects are currently functioning, broken or functioning with problems. The links in the map side-panel allow users to quickly zoom to Water for People's different projects around the world.

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The Asian Carp Invasion on Google Maps

Asian Carp Map

Reporter Tina Lam and photographer Brian Kaufman have embarked on a 13 day journey through seven states to track how far the invasive species of the Asian Carp are getting to the Great Lakes.

A Google Map is being updated regularly with photographs and reports of their findings. The map includes a time-line so that you can follow the pair's progress chronologically as well as geographically.

If you click on any of the mapped photographs an information window opens so that you can read the submitted report. You can also click through to read the story on the Detroit Free Press.

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Spain's Nuclear Power Plants Mapped

Radiactivdad

Since the recent disaster at the Fukishima Nuclear Power Plant we have seen a number of Google Maps that show the location of nuclear power plants around the world.

For example Zeit-Online created the American Nuclear Power Plants Map to show how many Americans live near nuclear power plants. Another trend has been to create Google Maps that display radiation measurements.

Radiactivdad is a Google Map that displays the locations of Spain's nuclear power plants and also the results of radiation monitors in the country that have been connected to the web using Pachube.

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The Risk to Fish Habitats on Google Maps

National Fish Habitat Action Plan

The National Fish Habitat Action Plan is using Google Maps to display the risk of habitat degradation for stream and coastal fish habitats in the United States. The map visualises the primary results reported in 'Through a Fish’s Eye: The Status of Fish Habitats in the United States 2010'.

The map uses a heat map overlay to display the level of risk to fish habitats (with red indicating a very high level of risk). It is also possible to select the scale at which to display the current habitat degradation risk and to view overlays showing Fish Habitat Partnerships boundaries.

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A Tsunami Model on Google Maps

Tsunami Mapper

Tsunami Mapper makes use of the Google Maps elevation service and a flood fill algorithm to display the likely effects of a tsunami hitting the shore anywhere in the world.

The map allows you to enter a location and then set the parameters of a possible tsunami. These include the wave height, the direction of the wave to travel and the tsunami starting point. The map will then display the areas that are likely to be effected by water damage if such a tsunami hit your location.

Predicting the height and effect of tsunamis is an inexact science and there are of course lots of complex variables at play that can't be predicted. Therefore this application is intended as a general guide not as a true predictor.

Sea Level Maps

• Global Sea Level Rise Map - view the world at different rates of sea rise.
• Flood Maps - also looks at the effects of sea rises on the world.
• EarthTools - if you are worried about rising sea levels then try the elevation finder on this map. Click anywhere in the world and find its height above (or below) sea level.
• Global Flood Map

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Japanese Radiation Wind Map

Fukushima Wind Map

This Japanese Google Map displays wind predictions around the Fukushima power plant. The prediction data is taken from the Japanese Meteorological Association.

The map includes a slider control that allows you to view the predicted wind direction and speed at different times. If you move the slider to the right you can view the predicted wind directions. If you move the slider to the left you can view the wind predictions for the past few hours.

The map is based on a predicted model so the wind speeds and directions will be different on the ground. You can view the real-time wind direction on this Google Map from the same developers.

Also See

• Japan Radiation Maximum by Prefecture - a radiation readings map using data from System for Prediction of Environment Emergency Dose Information (SPEEDI)
• RDTN.org Japanese Radiation Levels - another map showing Pachube radiation feeds
• Greenpeace Map of Radiation Measurements - Google Map of radiation levels in Japan taken by Greenpeace radiation experts
• Japan Geigermap - a map of Japanese Geiger counter readings

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