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Not to mention their herculean efforts to launch rockets, rovers, satellites and astronauts into space in the spirit of knowledge and exploration. government and European Union’s commitments to open and accessible data. This work was possible because of the U.S.
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And creating it required out-of-this-world collaboration. It took more than two million processing hours across thousands of machines in Google Cloud to compile 20 petabytes of satellite imagery into a single 4.4 terapixel-sized video mosaic - that’s the equivalent of 530,000 videos in 4K resolution! And all this computing was done inside our carbon-neutral, 100% renewable energy-matched data centers, which are part of our commitments to help build a carbon-free future.Īs far as we know, Timelapse in Google Earth is the largest video on the planet, of our planet. To add animated Timelapse imagery to Google Earth, we gathered more than 24 million satellite images from 1984 to 2020, representing quadrillions of pixels. Making a planet-sized timelapse video required a significant amount of what we call “pixel crunching” in Earth Engine, Google's cloud platform for geospatial analysis. Putting time on Earth in the palm of our hand With Timelapse in Google Earth, we have a clearer picture of our changing planet right at our fingertips - one that shows not just problems but also solutions, as well as mesmerizingly beautiful natural phenomena that unfold over decades. For other people, the effects of climate change feel abstract and far away, like melting ice caps and receding glaciers. Many of us have experienced these changes in our own communities I myself was among the thousands of Californians evacuated from their homes during the state’s wildfires last year. Our planet has seen rapid environmental change in the past half-century - more than any other point in human history. Now anyone can watch time unfold and witness nearly four decades of planetary change.
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With Timelapse in Google Earth, 24 million satellite photos from the past 37 years have been compiled into an interactive 4D experience. In the biggest update to Google Earth since 2017, you can now see our planet in an entirely new dimension - time. Since launching Google Earth, we've focused on creating a 3D replica of the world that reflects our planet in magnificent detail with features that both entertain and empower everyone to create positive change. You might have peeked at Mount Everest or flown through your hometown. Blog en español aquí.įor the past 15 years, billions of people have turned to Google Earth to explore our planet from endless vantage points.
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