Google Earth interview

Boasting more than 300 million users, interactive virtual globe Google Earth has changed the way we look at our planet forever. John Hanke, the co-creator and director of the program, speaks exclusively to Web User's Robert Irvine. Web User: Your company Keyhole Inc created Earth Viewer, which later became Google Earth, back in 2001. What inspired you to set about the task of mapping the entire globe? John Hanke: Around that time, the first 3D hardware accelerators were being created for consumer PCs, and broadband was starting to roll out in the US, which was a really big deal. We thought nows the time to do this type of visualisation, as it will no longer only be available to the elite. We were just really enamoured of the technology, and approached it as something people would like as much as we did, as we thought it was so cool. We talked about things it could be used for planning travel, finding an apartment and a little bit about something that seemed really far out to us then, which was that users might be able to edit locations with audio or video clips. Also, a couple of us had read the sci-fi novel Snow Crash [by Neal Stephenson], in which theres a software application the lead character, Hiro Protagonist, uses called Earth. That was definitely an inspiration when were starting, we were all thinking about it - and Earth made the transition from science fiction to reality in a pretty short period of time. WU: What proportion of the planet is now covered by high-resolution imagery in Google Earth? JH: The best we can calculate is about a third of the land mass, or about half the population of the world. Of course wed like to have it all, and were making progress. I dont know exactly how long it will take but I think well get there. WU: How is Google Earth being used to highlight the effects of global warming and other environmental issues? JH: Google Outreach showcases some of the non-profit organisations we work with to highlight environmental, health and political issues around the world, but thats just a sliver of whats being done. I think the UNESCO layer we did showing World Heritage sites was a really great use of the product, as was the UNEP [United Nations Environment Programme] layer, which shows before and after images of environmental damage Then there are things like deep-sea trawling, which is really destructive to the coral system in the ocean. Google Earth makes it possible for people to analyse where this trawling is happening as these trawlers leave a big wave behind them, which you can see in the satellite imagery. WU: The force that really makes Google Earth go round, as it were, comes from the content added by users. Did you always expect the community to prove as popular and creative as it has done? JH: No! In the Web 2.0 world, everythings about user-generated content just look at the success of YouTube. But in 2000, 2001, when we were starting up, it was very different. There were online discussion groups but people didnt really think you could get users to do anything. WU: But they certainly have done, creating some truly amazing KML files, such as the International Flights Animation. What are your personal favourites? JH: Theres a great KML that plots Shackletons journey through the South Pole. It links to pages from his journal and uses additional overlays of maps from the period, sea charts and so on. Its kind of like reading a book, except more interactive. A lot of my favourites have now become part of Google Earth such as Panoramio, which links millions of photos with the exact geographical location where they were taken. WU: Google Earth now includes Sky, which lets users explore space as well as the Earth. How did the addition of this fantastic feature come about, and how long did the data take to implement? JH: We worked on it for about a year the idea actually originated from some of the observatories collecting data. They saw the Google Earth application as a means of sharing their data with the world, and for them that was the Holy Grail. Theyd laboured over this scientific work, collecting massive amounts of data, and it was frustrating for them that so few people would get to interact with it. Theres also the hook that the annotations added to Sky by Google Earth users helps expand the scientists body of knowledge. WU: Whose idea was the Flight Simulator in Earth 4.2, and why was it made a hidden feature? JH: A couple of engineers from our Zurich office wanted to build it - they just thought it would be cool! It was a hidden feature because we didnt want to confuse the non-power users. The thing about Earth is that its not a flight simulator, and we purposefully didnt make it like a flight simulator because we wanted to keep the program simple, so that you can just reach out and touch the globe. WU: With its capacity for users to create and add 3D buildings and realistic terrain, some people have compared Google Earth to online virtual worlds such as Second Life. Could we soon be exploring Google Earth as avatars? JH: It would certainly be exciting, and complete the concept of Earth as a mirror of the real world. There are no plans to head in that direction at the moment, but with the 3D-modelling tools out there, such as Google SketchUp, the ability to enter buildings and become immersed in environments could happen. Some of the content being added to the Google 3D Warehouse by SketchUp users is incredible. For example, theres an architect in the US [Michelle Kaufmann] who builds modular, pre-fabricated modern homes and makes her designs available as SketchUp models. So if youre wondering how a house would work in a particular area, you can easily download it into Google Earth to find out. WU: Finally, how do you address issues of security and censorship, for example concerns about terrorists using Google Earth to plan attacks? JH: For the most part we dont want to censor anything. In some cases, the imagery were supplied with for example government photos already have sensitive locations blurred out. In the main, Google has resisted requests for censorship and has done nothing to the images used in Earth. As we dont provide real-time imagery, in terms of terrorism there are other, more effective ways to gain security information than using Google Earth. For example, you could visit a location to take photos with a digital camera. The original version of this interview appeared in issue 184 of Web User (27 March - 9 April 2008). CLICK HERE FOR OUR PICK OF THE BEST EXTRAS FOR GOOGLE EARTH AND GOOGLE MAPS.