Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/144038
NEWSLINK Google Taps Landsat for Time-Lapse Project NASA Google Inc. turned to imagery from the long-running Landsat satellite-imagery program to create an interactive time-lapse feature. Built on Google Earth Engine technology and decades of Landsat imagery, the new feature is spotlighted as part of TIME magazine's new online "Timelapse" experience. "Today, we're making it possible for you to go back in time and get a stunning historical perspective on the changes to Earth's surface over time," according to a Google blog post. "Working with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), NASA and TIME, we're releasing more than a quarter-century of images of Earth taken from space, compiled for the first time into an interactive time-lapse experience. We believe this is the most comprehensive picture of our changing planet ever made available to the public." Google Earth Engine, which brings together imagery, trillions of scientific measurements and online tools for users, was key to the project. Images such as this 2003 Landsat 7 scene, which shows the Betsiboka River in Madagascar, lie at the heart of a new Google time-lapse feature covering decades of Earth imagery. 6 G E O W O R L D / J U L Y 2 O 1 3 "Using Google Earth Engine technology, we sifted through 2,068,467 images—a total of 909 terabytes of data—to find the highest-quality pixels (e.g., those without clouds) for every year since 1984 and for every spot on Earth," added the Google blog. Google also worked with the CREATE Lab at Carnegie Mellon University to convert annual Earth images into a seamless, browsable HTML5 animation. "This news is the latest example of how the Department of the Interior's policy of unrestricted access and free distribution of Landsat satellite imagery to the public fosters innovation and mutual awareness of environmental conditions around the globe," said Anne Castle, assistant secretary of the Department of the Interior for Water and Science. "The 40-year archive of Landsat images of every spot on Earth is a 'treasure trove' of scientific information that can form the basis for myriad useful applications by commercial enterprises, government scientists and managers, the academic community, and the public at large." Virginia Tech Team Takes Title for Trail-Making Algorithm A team from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University has, for the second year in a row, taken the top award in a national GeoLeague Challenge competition sponsored by the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. The team, comprising seven geography and forestry graduate students from Virginia Tech, included master's degree and doctoral degree students from the College of Natural Resources and Environment as well as the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. "The GeoLeague Challenge provides our students a unique opportunity to develop their technical and collaborative skills to solve real-world problems," said James Campbell, professor of geography and the student chapter's faculty advisor. "The members of our student team, who have again distinguished themselves through their collaboration across disciplines and across their respective specialty areas, deserve credit for their persistence, focus and teamwork. This experience will serve them well in their future studies and careers." The recent challenge, "Designing and Mapping Trails for the Boy Scouts of America: Mapping