Ecologistics representative attends Google’s Geo for Good Users Summit

Google Earth Outreach is a branch of Google that gives nonprofit organizations the knowledge and resources they need to visualize their cause and tell their story with Google Earth and Maps. Many of you saw their tools in action at Rebecca Moore and Charlie Kleemann’s presentation at the 2013 Central Coast Bioneers Conference.

Each year, Google offers a 4-day summit at its headquarters for nonprofits to provide tutorials and demonstrations on Earth Engine Pro and other high level mapping and GIS tools. David Yun, a GIS specialist and instructor at Cal Poly attended the event on behalf of Ecologistics.  “These softwares allow you to collect, analyze and distribute data to the public for environmental and other purposes,” said David. Examples abound on the Google Earth Outreach website: HALO Trust is using Google Earth to map active landmines in Kosovo for removal. Appalachian Voices has educated millions of people, from policy-makers and legislators to ordinary citizens, about mountaintop removal mining by transporting them to more than 500 destroyed mountains in Appalachia using Google Earth and Google Maps.  In England, Edge of Existence is using Google Earth to map endangered species and their habitats to bring their locations to life and create interest in preservation.

David rubbed elbows with some real big shots. “There were attendees from Katmandu, South America, and all over the world at the Summit” he reports. “The Jane Goodall Foundation and World Wildlife Federation were some of the nonprofits represented.” David plans to use the knowledge gained for projects on Ecologistics’ Dreaming the Salinas initiative. More to come at a future Central Coast Bioneers Conference.