- International Polar Year news: It’s Ice Sheet Day today! Over on IPY.org, see participants in schools and at scientific institutions put a pin on a Google map to mark their participation. Meanwhile, news today that the Western Antarctic Ice Sheet is about to turn into a GPS-enabled sensor web. Greenland got sensors last summer — you can read the Greenland scientists’ blog entries on IPY.org, or you can download the IPY KML layer, zoom in on Greenland, and browse the blog geographically.
- Sky Maps coming soon: Being finalized in the Google Maps API Group: Google Sky’s data accessible via the Maps API, ready for embedding in your website.
- Murder in Melbourne: The Age writes:
Police are also hoping a Google Earth van, which has been tracking the suburb, can shed more light on the mystery.
It’s a long shot, but interesting lateral thinking. The Australian Associated Press article manages to mangle that news bit completely, though:
During forensic work at the crime scene on Wednesday, police were approached by a Google Earth operator who had been tracking the area by satellite for the past week.
Technoramuses make bad reporters these days. (Thanks, Michael)
- Earth nearly live: NASA’s OnEarth: Real-time updated global MODIS, as a KML file. “This layer is the most current, near-global image of the earth available.” (Via Mikel Maron)
- Multimap 2 MSFT: Microsoft by the UK’s Multimap for $50 mln, says the Times. Why? The Times intimates it’s a quick way for Virtual Earth to grow UK market share and get some local content.
- Flickr Places redux: Dan Catt elaborates on the thinking behind Flickr Places, and also links through to developer Kellan’s blog post.
- KnitML: Need a break from KML? Try KnitML.