Google, together with the World Resources Institute, has presented to the public a detailed map of the Earth’s surface, updated in real time. A service called Dynamic World classifies the type of ground cover, showing how much of the terrain is covered by water, trees, grass, crops, bushes, barren ground, and snow/ice.
The service uses a deep learning neural network and satellite imagery to create a highly detailed, high-resolution land cover map, where each pixel covers an area of 10 meters. According to Google, more than 5,000 images are added to Dynamic World daily, and ground cover data is constantly updated in accordance with observed changes. The tool can be used by anyone, absolutely for any purpose. For example, researchers can analyze a map to assess the impact of natural disasters on the environment. The map shows the effects of wildfires and volcanic eruptions, as well as some of the “softer” seasonal changes on the planet.
“If the world wants to protect nature and restore some of the lost resources, we need reliable monitoring of every hectare of the planet in near real time,” said Craig Henson, vice president of the program for food, forests, water and oceans at the World Resources Institute.
Anyone can take a look at the planet through Dynamic World . Just enter your zip code or city. You can also adjust dates to see how the area has changed over the specified time.