Google have introduced yet another new feature to their Google Earth satellite program to help non-profit and charity organisations build applications that highlight their work around the globe.
Entitled Google Earth Outreach, this new free service from Google is designed to add weight to the important work taking place around the globe on non-profit projects. Using a feature called Google Earth layers, each non profit organisation that takes advantage of the service can create compelling stories and guides around their vital contributions.
Available at earth.google.com/outreach/, once they have applied online, organisations that qualify for the Google Outreach program get a grant towards Google Earth Pro software - the main tool that allows the creation of these interactive applications. Not only that, Google will offer technical support to those organisations that need help getting off the ground with their web apps.
With the announcement of this new service, John Hanke, Director of Google Earth and Maps, highlighted three new layers for Google Earth that show off this new initiative. The Global Heritage Fund layer, Earthwatch Expeditions layer and Fair Trade Certified layer have all been created to not only highlight the respective organisations latest work but also have the potential to become proactive elements in mutual research exchange and information amalgamation into one interactive tool that helps all those involved by making data easily shared and publicised.
For Ed Wilson, President and CEO of Earthwatch, the benefits of Google Earth Outreach were instantly clear. He said:
"Google Earth represents a whole new way for us to connect with the world... Not only can we inform people about key environmental issues facing the world today, but we can give them the opportunity to get directly involved".
The technology behind this service is based on Google's proprietary mark-up language, KML, which is already familiar to countless developers around the word as it is based upon the common XML standard. Google is hoping that their Outreach service can entice developers into devoting time to non-profit projects for the greater good of information sharing.
