Google Maps: New 45° imagery available for 56 cities

The latest 45° imagery update in Google Maps is a big one; it features new imagery for 23 U.S. and 33 international locations. This also marks the first time we’re publishing 45° data for the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia. Due its location along the Austrian-Hungarian border, the city has been visibly influenced by several cultures. The imagery below features the beautiful Grassalkovich Palace, a Baroque-style summer residence which is now the residence of the Slovakian president.

 
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As the former capital of the Roman Empire, Rome is one of the most famous cities in the world. Historically attracting the best artists, sculptors and architects, Rome was a cradle of western civilisation. Now, its extraordinary monuments and museums make it among the world’s most visited tourist destinations. The map below shows the Colosseum that was erected in about 80 AD as a theatre for public events like gladiator fights.

 

 
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Innsbruck, located in the Austrian Alps, was a former residence of the Habsburgian emperor, Maximilian I. Several buildings, like the Hofkirche and the Goldenes Dachl, that date back to that era still stand. Today, Innsbruck is a popular winter resort that has hosted the Winter Olympics twice.

 

 
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Milwaukee, Wisconsin originated as a French trading post in 1785. In the nineteenth century, German immigrants played a key role in defining Milwaukee’s unique character by establishing infrastructures like a freely accessible lakeshore and a system of public transport. These days, Milwaukee has many major attractions including the Milwaukee Riverwalk, Miller Park, and the internationally renowned Milwaukee Art Museum.

 

 
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Have fun exploring the new sites!

Below is the full list of updated cities:

US:
Athens, AL; Augusta, GA; Belen, NM; Fairfield-Travis Air Force Base, CA; Fort Myers, FL; Graniteville, SC; Jackson, MS; Lakeside FL; Lakewood, WA; Liberty, KS; Lillian, FL; Livermore, CA; Magna, UT; Manteca, CA; Midland, TX; Milwaukee, WI; Moores Mill, AL; Prattville, AL; Shreveport, LA; Summerville, SC; Waco, TX; Yukon, OK; Yuma, AZ

Austria:
Innsbruck; Wiener Neustadt

Czech Republic:
Brno; Frýdek-Místek; Hradec Králové; Jihlava; Karlovy Vary; Liberec; Most; Olomouc; Pardubice; Plzen; Praha; Teplice; Ústí nad Labem; Zlin

Italy:
Napoli; Roma


Slovakia:

Bratislava

Spain:
Alicante; Aranjuez; Cabo Roig; Ciudad Real; Elche; Huesca; Iruña de Oca; Jaen; Las Rozas; Logroño; Salamanca; Segovia; Vitoria

Switzerland:
Genève

Protecting the world’s coral reefs through mapping

Editors Note: Today’s guest author is Katie Reytar, a Research Associate for the World Resources Institute. WRI was the recipient of a Google Earth Outreach Developer Grant, funded through the Google Inc. Charitable Giving Fund at the Tides Foundation. We’re excited to help them share and visualize the results of years of research about the state of the world’s reefs.

Since 1998, the World Resources Institute (WRI) has been using GIS (Geographic Information System) models to develop map-based assessments of threats to the world’s coral reefs. Reefs at Risk Revisited, released in February 2011, is the latest assessment in the series and is based on a nearly three-year study that produced the most highly-detailed global maps of coral reef threats to date. The study analyzed and mapped threats to coral reefs from local human activities such as coastal development, unsustainable fishing, and marine and land-based pollution, as well as climate-related threats caused by increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

While the Reefs at Risk Revisited report, maps and data sets are the core components of our work, we found ourselves still searching for a compelling way to convey our findings on these dynamic yet fragile reef ecosystems. We also wanted to generate greater awareness of the unique characteristics of reef habitats across different geographies and the irreplaceable cultural and life-sustaining services that reefs provide to people all over the world. All of these elements are best communicated when you can see them for yourself, which is why we created a virtual tour of these reefs around the world with our Google Earth Outreach Developer Grant.


Watch a virtual tour of the most at-risk reefs in the world courtesy of the World Resources Institute.


In the tour, the Reefs at Risk Revisited maps come alive on Google Earth with photos and underwater video from each of the major coral reef regions of the world: the Caribbean, Middle East, Indian Ocean, Southeast Asia, Australia, and Pacific, as well as a global-level introduction and conclusion. The journey to each region provides a brief overview of the biodiversity of reef ecosystems, their importance to people and local economies, and the types and magnitudes of threats that reefs face, illustrated with footage of both healthy and damaged reefs.

You’ll also experience first hand these fantastically dynamic and productive ecosystems that extend across about 250,000 sq km (96,500 sq miles) of the tropical ocean. Even though this area represents less than 0.1% of the global ocean, reefs are home to as many as 25% of all known marine species. In the tropics, coral reefs are not only a critical habitat for marine species, but they also play an essential role in the lives of millions of people who live near them: they provide food and income from fisheries, revenue from tourism, and protection for coastal communities from storm surges.

Among the other products of the Reefs at Risk Revisited project are global maps of coral reefs rated according to level of threat in the present, 2030, and 2050. These maps are available as downloadable KML files on the WRI website for viewing on Google Earth, and also as part of an online map developed using Google Fusion Tables. With these interactive maps you can zoom in to your favorite reef to explore it more closely in your own self-guided tour.

Explore Reefs at Risk Revisited in Google Earth.

We hope that you enjoy our tour and maps, and that you are able to visit a coral reef to learn more about these important and unique ecosystems. With improved understanding, we can manage and protect these resources so that we can all enjoy them and benefit from them for generations to come.

The Street View on Russia

Welcome to Russia! You can now virtually travel through the world’s largest country to the cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg using Google Maps Street View.

Take an online stroll around famous Red Square and Moscow Kremlin, or go to outskirts of Moscow to wander around the beautiful Tsaritsino or Kuskovo parks. You can also visit the former site of the palace in Kolomenskoye, once considered the 8th World Wonder.


Red Square, Moscow


St. Petersburg, the second largest city in Russia and northernmost megapolis in the world, was once a country capital, and the history of this young city started with The Peter and Paul Fortress. Today, the entire historical center of St. Petersburg is a UNESCO Heritage Site that you can enjoy via Street View.


Historical Center, St. Petersburg


Within St. Petersburg, you can see the great palaces and parks that Russian emperors and nobles built, with Peterhof being its crown jewel. In fact, whole southern shore on the Gulf of Finland consists of palaces and parks including Peterhof, the Oranienbaum, and Alexandria.


 

Peterhof, St. Petersburg

We hope you enjoy your virtual trip to Russia, and look forward to sharing more countries, cultures and sites as Street View continues to expand to more places. For a demo on how Street View works, start here.

Also, if you have a story to share about a place in Russia, find it in Street View and share it on Google+ with the #streetview.