http://david.tryse.net/googleearth/ en-us 14 May 2010 18:00:00 -0000 This KML shows information about the 50 worst oil spills in history, from tanker accidents and drilling operations, as well as over 20 other notable oil spills. Did you know that some of the biggest oil spills in history were actually intentional?
The file has been updated in 2010 with the ongoing Deepwater Horizon disaster (featuring a live counter in the placemark balloon for the amount leaked into the ocean so far), and other recent spills.
Google Earth Outreach Showcase


Open Google Earth file ]]> http://david.tryse.net/googleearth/ 14 May 2010 18:00:00 -0000 This KML attempts to give a sense of scale to our CO2 emissions. It illustrates the total volume of CO2 emitted by man since the Industrial Revolution, as well as emission growth through the last two centuries. The KML also shows, next to the Eiffel Tower, an enormous pyramid of coal corresponding to the total amount burned by mankind throughout history.

Data Sources:
Please see this page for a full list of sources.

Tools used: PHP & MySQL (XAMPP), Google Sketchup



Open Google Earth file ]]> http://david.tryse.net/googleearth/ 17 Dec 2009 18:00:00 -0000 Kmlfactbook.org is a web application that allows you to create Google Earth visualizations similar to the Disappearing Forests KML file below from your own custon data. Country level data can be uploaded in CSV format to create 3D prism visualizations, or more traditional 2D choropleth maps and pie charts. The output KML files can either be downloaded to be viewed in the Google Earth application, or be previewed in Google Maps or the new Google Earth browser plugin on the site.

About the site: www.kmlfactbook.org/about


Visit the site ]]> http://www.kmlfactbook.org/ 7 Apr 2009 18:00:00 -0000 This KML shows the total volume of all water on earth, as if collected into a single sphere. The smaller spheres illustrate the limited fresh water resources available on the planet. The KML also shows the volume of water that would be needed to rise global sea level by 1 meter, something that could displace tens of millions of people over the next hundred years if CO2 emissions are not curbed.

Data Sources:
The 2nd UN World Water Development Report: 'Water, a shared responsibility'
NASA Earth Observatory, James Hansen et al. 2007, NSIDC, IPCC

Tools used: PHP and Google Sketchup
Inspiration: Water & Atmosphere illustration by Adam Nieman


Open Google Earth file ]]> http://david.tryse.net/googleearth/ 29 Jan 2009 18:00:00 -0000 This KML is a project by my friend David Gaveau to present deforestation data for the island of Sumatra in Google Earth. The data is the outcome of 6 years of research in Indonesia for the Wildlife Conservation Society and the kml shows deforestation data from 1990 until 2000 as well as protected area information and illegal road networks. The island is still home to small populations of tiger, orangutan, rhinos and elephants, but lost some 5,000 square kilometers of rainforest per year during the 1990s - part of the reason Indonesia has become the world's 3rd biggest carbon dioxide emitter.
(I've provided some technical help for realizing this project in KML)

Visit sumatranforest.org to learn more:
Sumatran Forest


Download Google Earth files ]]> http://david.tryse.net/googleearth/ 10 Jan 2009 18:00:00 -0000 This KML file shows information from a confidential Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) document leaked and published by the Bruno Manser Fund. It highlights the plans for a number of very large hydroelectric projects set to flood vast areas of rainforest and displace thousands of indigenous people, including Penan, Kelabit and Kenyah.
Tools used: Google Spreadsheet Mapper

The leaked document can be downloaded from:
Bruno Manser Fund
Survival International


Open Google Earth file ]]> http://david.tryse.net/googleearth/ 20 Jul 2008 18:00:00 -0000 This KML shows deforestation data from a number of sources for different countries, including a live ticker for each country.
The world has lost close to half of its forests already today, and the continued high pace of deforestation contributes greatly to climate change and the loss of biodiversity.
Google Earth Outreach Showcase
Sources:
World Resources Institute (WRI): The Last Frontier Forests: Ecosystems and Economies on the Edge (1997)
Greenpeace: The Worlds Last Intact Forest Landscapes (2006)
United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization: Global Forest Resources Assessment 2005
Tools used: PHP(+Ming for flash counter) & MySQL: XAMPP, World Borders Dataset (+chartAPI-icon idea): thematicmapping.org

Open Google Earth file ]]> http://david.tryse.net/googleearth/ 04 Jun 2008 18:00:00 -0000 This KML shows information about the 50 worst oil spills, from tanker accidents and drilling operations, as well as a number of other notable spills. Did you know that some of the biggest oil spills in history were actually intentional?
Google Earth Outreach Showcase
Sources:
CTX: Center for Tankship Excellence (most complete tanker accident database on the internet)
Cedre (very good database of oil spills)
NOAA Incident News (oil spill case studies)
Amazon Watch (information about Ecuador and Peru oil contamination)
ITOPF: International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (oil spill statistics)
as well as Environment Canada Tanker Spills DB, Oil Rig incidents, InterTanko
Tools used: EarthPlot, Google Spreadsheet Mapper

Open Google Earth file ]]> http://david.tryse.net/googleearth/ 17 Apr 2008 18:00:00 -0000 This KML shows 100 of the worlds most Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) mammal species. It was created for the Zoological Society of London's EDGE of Existence programme.
Open the KML file to learn more about the Yangtze River dolphin, Cuban solenodon, Aye-aye and other unusual animals.
ZSL: EDGE of Existence homepage
Google Earth Outreach Showcase
Google Earth Outreach Case Study
Google Lat Long Blog entry
Tools used: Google Spreadsheet Mapper

Open Google Earth file ]]> http://david.tryse.net/googleearth/ 11 Feb 2008 18:00:00 -0000 This KML shows 100 of the worlds most Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) amphibian species. It was created for the Zoological Society of London's EDGE of Existence programme.
Open the KML file to learn more about the 1.8 meter Chinese Giant Salamander, the cave dwelling Olm and other unusual animals.
ZSL: EDGE of Existence homepage
Google Earth Outreach Showcase
Tools used: Google Spreadsheet Mapper

Open Google Earth file ]]> http://david.tryse.net/googleearth/ 11 Feb 2008 18:00:00 -0000 This KML shows information from Survival International about 33 indigenous tribes from five continents.
Survival is an organisation that works to support tribal peoples worldwide. The tribes in the KML are under threat from ranchers, loggers and miners invading and stealing their land. Many of the tribes have been decimated from previous massacres and forced relocations. Some of them still reject all contact with outsiders.
Survival International homepage
Tools used: Google Spreadsheet Mapper

Open Google Earth file ]]> http://david.tryse.net/googleearth/ 11 Feb 2008 18:00:00 -0000 This KML shows information about the earths 34 Biodiversity Hotspots, as defined by Conservation International.
These are the most important areas for conservation, with very large numbers of endemic species. Each of the hotspots has lost more than 70% of its original forest (some more than 95%) and the remaining habitat for all of the hotspots combined covers only 2% of the planet's surface. Yet over 50% of the worlds's plant species and 42% of the land animals exist nowhere else.
Biodiversity Hotspots homepage
Conservation International homepage
Tools used: Google Spreadsheet Mapper

Open Google Earth file ]]> http://david.tryse.net/googleearth/ 11 Feb 2008 18:00:00 -0000