 |
|
 |
|
 |
||||
|
||||||||
| New Google Ocean Takes Google Earth Beyond the "Dirt" Ocean in Google Earth, which launched today, builds on the free, popular 3-D mapping software Google Earth by allowing users to navigate underwater in unprecedented clarity. New "layers" to the satellite-based software include topographic maps of the seafloor; locations of shipwrecks and algal blooms; and even maps of the tiny phytoplankton that provide the bulk of the ocean’s food chain. Within the layers, users can explore multimedia features that combine data and maps with videos, quizzes, and other interactives. The new fish-eye view—accessible via a free upgrade—aims to provide a public platform for users to talk about the oceans, said John Hanke, director of Geo Products at Google. "It really is a means... [of] raising geographical awareness of oceans and … the pressures that are being put on life in the ocean," he added. Into the Blue The idea first came to well-known marine biologist Sylvia Earle at a conference in Madrid, Spain, a few years ago, when she addressed Hanke during a presentation. "I just blurted it out," Earle, a National Geographic explorer-in-residence, recalled. "I said, I hope someday, John, you’ll finish [Google Earth]. You’ve done a great job with the dirt, but there’s all that water out there—the world is blue." Earle, who narrates the introductory video, suggested from the start that the program go beyond maps: "You need to be able to touch and dive in and see what’s there," she said. The resulting product is a vibrant panorama, from videos of bluefin tuna on the hunt to quizzes about sea life—from leopard seals to nudibranchs. Clicking on the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean layer, for instance, combines maps of the region with videos and Web links showing reefs’ colorful denizens. In addition to National Geographic, several well-known marine institutions and initiatives, such as the Census of Marine Life, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Monterey Bay Aquarium, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution have contributed data. Why the Ocean Matters For Earle, Google Earth’s high-tech porthole to the oceans has an urgent import: The seas’ health is declining, and less than one percent of the world’s marine waters are protected. "This is another major breakthrough in showing the people of the world why the ocean matters," Earle said. For instance, "the ocean provides the oxygen we breathe, much of the food the world eats, and drives the climate we need to survive—but it is still largely a mystery," Tom McCann, spokesperson for the nonprofit organization Ocean Conservancy, said in an email. "We hope the addition of Ocean in Google Earth will inspire more people to explore the seas they depend on every day," added McCann, whose organization has provided Google data about marine reserves in the Pacific Ocean. The new program will also make on-the-ground conservation work easier, added Enric Sala, a marine ecologist and National Geographic fellow. "It allows us to [get] critical information … in almost real time, in a way that is so much more exciting than dry written reports," Sala said. "We are now using a jet instead of a bicycle. ..." 新谷歌海洋将谷歌地图带进了海底世界 探索海洋不再需要潜水衣 谷歌地球上的海洋从今天起将会升级为3-D版，免费向用户开放，这种3-D地图软件让用户可以潜入海底，感受一个从未有过的清晰的海底世界。 由卫星传送的这些新版图层包括海底的地形图，失事船只残骸以及藻花的位置，甚至还能看到作为海底食物链主体的微小浮游植物的图片。 有了这些图层，用户就可以搜索到多媒体影像，这些影像中结合了数据和图片，以视频，测试以及其它一些交互方式展现出来。 谷歌地理方面主管约翰·汉克表示，用户可以免费升级使用，我们的目标是为用户提供一个公共的平台，可以在这里讨论我们的海洋。 “这是一个加深对海洋的认识的途径，也让我们认识到海洋正给我们的生活和生命带来的压力究竟有多大。” 深入海洋 这个想法是在多年前由著名海洋生物学家席薇亚·厄尔在西班牙马德里的一次会议上首次提出的，并将这一想法告诉了汉克. “我只是突然想到了这个”这位国家地理学的人类居住环境探索家厄尔回忆到。 ”我告诉约翰，我希望有一天你能完成“谷歌地球”，在陆地方面你已经完成了一项出色的工作，但是陆地外面却是被水包围的，要知道，这个世界是蓝色的“ 我们的地球有72%的面积被海洋覆盖 汉克表示，厄尔的意见“一针见血的指出，如果仅仅止步于海岸线，是没有任何意义的。” 厄尔在那段介绍视频中作了解说，从一开始就指出这个新的程序远远超越了地图，“大家可以亲身感受，可以潜入水底，去看看那里究竟有些什么。” 这是一幅活的全景图，包括了从捕捉金枪鱼的视频到对海洋生物的测试 ，从海豹到裸鳃亚目动物。 如果点击墨西哥湾或者加勒比海的图层，就会立刻出现一个将这一地区所有地图结合起来的视频，以及一系列关于当地居民生活的网页链接。 除了国家地理以外，还有其它一此知名的海洋协会以及权威机构，如海洋生物普查，斯克里普斯海洋研究所，蒙特利尔海洋馆，以及伍兹霍尔海洋研究所也都为谷歌地球提供了数据。 为何海洋有了麻烦？ 厄尔认为，谷歌地球对海洋的高科技探索有着极大的必要性：因为海洋的”健康“状况正在逐步下降，而世界上仅有不到1%的海洋正受到保护。 “而为人们展示出为什么海洋出现了这些问题也是谷歌地球此次的另外一个重要突破点。” 例如，“海洋为人类提供赖以生存的氧气，食物，以推动气候的循环，但海洋对我们来说，仍然像谜一样，”海洋保护协会的发言人汤姆·迈凯恩在自己的邮件中写到。 “我希望谷歌地球的这次升级能够激起更多的人探索海洋的兴趣”，同时，他所在的海洋保护协会也为谷歌地球提供了太平洋的海洋数据。 这个新的程序也为大地保护工作提供了便利，一位海洋生态学家同时也是国家地理成员的安瑞科·萨拉补充到。 “它以一种更加有趣的方式实时的给我们提供了重要信息。” 她做了一个比喻：“我们现在已经坐上了直升机，而不用再骑自行车了...” |
| 外语招生最新热贴: |
【责任编辑：苏婧 纠错】 |
|
阅读上一篇：为什么我们要撒如此多的谎呢？ |
|
阅读下一篇：时尚辣妈：买东西三大“杀价”绝招 |
|
| 【育路网版权与免责声明】 | |
| ① 凡本网注明稿件来源为"原创"的所有文字、图片和音视频稿件，版权均属本网所有。任何媒体、网站或个人转载、链接、转贴或以其他方式复制发表时必须注明"稿件来源：育路网"，违者本网将依法追究责任； | |
| ② 本网部分稿件来源于网络，任何单位或个人认为育路网发布的内容可能涉嫌侵犯其合法权益，应该及时向育路网书面反馈，并提供身份证明、权属证明及详细侵权情况证明，育路网在收到上述法律文件后，将会尽快移除被控侵权内容。 | |
大学英语---