Google Earth & Maps- Interactive Interfaces to Conservation Geography projects.

During the past two weeks news related to new features and examples of social networking concepts related to Google Earth has been abundant and exciting. I am especially interested in the new open source geoblogging features the Jane Goodale Institute's Gombe Chimpanzee Blog is preparing with the EarthWatchr project. Using a combination of Google Maps and Google Earth web site visitors can make comments about the interesting Blog posts. The comments will also be available to look at directly in Google Earth where the Blog was posted. Examples are already available to see how this can work. I can see how this example can be developed for many environmental, conservation, and natural resource projects in the near future. I have made contact with the webmaster for this project and will post additional comments in the near future.

Other Google Earth environmental and conservation projects that have been making headlines the past few days and weeks include the following:

Appalachian Voices - 470 mountain tops destroyed by mining.
Crisis in Darfur - Genocide prevention mapping initiative.
Eyes on Dafur - See the proof with yor own eyes.
June 10, 2007, San Francisco Chronicle article - Google to harness satellite power for an Amazon tribe.
World Wildlife Fund For Nature Projects around the world.
United Nations Environment Programme

For more information related to other new conservation geography projects that are constantly becoming available please look at the following sources.

Google Earth Blog
Ogle Earth
Juicy Geography
Where 2.0 2007 Conference
The Fifth Intenational Symposium on Digital Earth
Digital Earth Blog
Google Developer Day 2007 includes a YouTube channel to view 128 sessions taped around the world.

Also I should mention that many new Google Earth location entry projects are submitted every day to various sections of the Google Earth Community. See especially the sections on Environment and Conservation and Nature and Geography.

Of note, C/NET News.com News Blog and other sources have recently reported that Michael Jones, chief technology officer of Google Earth said "More than 200 million people worldwide have downloaded the application" and "that Google Earth, which launched two years ago, has also drawn more installations than Microsoft's Windows XP.