At a Glance

What they wanted to do: Provide visualization and collaborative approaches for earth science decision-making Easily engage core communities in internet-based collaboration and information analysis Display complex scientific data – and reveal insights – in a way that non-experts could understand

What they did:! Implemented Google Earth Enterprise and Google Maps API Premier to model and visually communicate critical environmental information

What they accomplished: Clarified complex environmental issues Brought a more collaborative approach to earth science decision making Created common ground between subject-matter experts and decision makers Provided intuitive knowledge portal for easy public use and understanding

BusinessWhether projecting the environmental impact of pulling water from a river or researching how the disposal of hazardous materials might a"ect an endangered species, decision makers of all kinds turn to Earth Knowledge for expertise that can help them make better decisions.

Founded by Frank and Julia D’Agnese, Earth Knowledge combines scientific expertise and strategic business knowledge to develop environmentally-focused “Information for Sound Decisions,” helping government agencies, business and community leaders, scientists, public institutions, and consumers.

Earth Knowledge’s services include expert advice, 3D & 4D earth systems models, virtual globes and visualizations, earth knowledge portals, and collaboration platforms and communication expertise.

Challenge

Built on the vision that organizations could take care of the environment while making responsible business or policy decisions, Earth Knowledge strives to provide integrated, holistic views that help decision makers act knowledgeably and responsibly. Clearly communicating diverse viewpoints has traditionally been a challenge as environmental decisions are made. Subject-matter experts might have some pieces of the puzzle, while engineers or other experts have other data. Adding to the challenge, other stakeholders – government agencies, businesses, utilities, cultural entities, conservation groups, and members of a"ected communities – also hold unique perspectives.

Using a variety of data-backed methodologies, Earth Knowledge helps diverse parties view and understand the tradeo"s and impact of complex decisions.

“We create and gather knowledge, integrate it, and share it in interactive, visual ways that make it easier for a variety of stakeholders to communicate and collaborate,” says Julia D’Agnese, CEO for Earth Knowledge. “We want to have a positive impact on the environment by helping people visualize the issue at hand to make more informed decisions.”

“ Google’s geospatial and mapping tools require little or no training. They gave us a powerful platform for integrating geospatial information into models and virtual globes, while democratizing the ability for end users of all kinds to view and interact with the information.” —Julia D’Agnese, CEO

When Earth Knowledge was first founded, the company used a combination of proprietary geographic information systems (GIS) spatial modeling tools and mapping software, alongside 3D visualization packages designed for the petroleum sector.

Earth Knowledge makes scientific insight easy to understand with Google Earth Enterprise and Google Maps API Premier

Case Study | Google Earth Enterprise and Google Maps API Premier

The tools, however, were not user-friendly enough to engage people other than scientific experts. “We weren’t reaching nearly the number of people we wanted to with the information,” says Frank D’Agnese, President of Earth Knowledge. “We had to find a way to package information in more understandable, visual ways and get it into the hands of stakeholders from all walks of life, including decision-makers and consumers.”

SolutionWhen they first learned about Google Earth and Google Maps API Premier, the D’Agneses knew they had the breakthrough they needed. These tools would let the Earth Knowledge team integrate vast amounts of data and share it quickly and visually with the full range of interested parties – even those with limited technical expertise. This would make it easy for stakeholders of all kinds understand and make decisions about location-based and scientific information.

“Google’s tools need little or no training to use and understand,” Julia explains. “They gave us a powerful platform for integrating geospatial information into models and virtual globes, while democratizing the ability for end users to view and interact with the information.”

ResultsSince deploying Google Earth Enterprise and Google Maps API Premier, the D’Agneses have made globally-visible, complex environmental issues understand – and have brought a more collaborative approach to earth science decision-making.

“Two critical innovations have transformed our business,” explains Earth Knowledge CEO Julia D’Agnese. “Web 2.0 technologies like social networks, blogs, and wikis, and Google’s 2D and 3D geospatial and mapping tools. These let us assemble, display, evaluate, and share data in entirely new ways – creating a common ground between subject matter experts, communities with knowledge and opinions, and the people who make decisions.”

Hydrogeologic model of Eastern Nevada

One early success was a complex project exploring the potential impact of hazardous waste on the water supply and various species at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Using Google tools, information from extensive hydrologic, geologic, and ecologic data sources could be easily viewed in 3D, speeding understanding and interpretation and enabling natural process modeling of information such as water flow paths.

With Google Earth and Maps, the dozens of public and private entities involved in this project had a clear view of the data. “The models revealed critical insights, such as the fact that several endangered species were located in exactly the same locations proposed for disposing of waste,” Frank recalls. “Discoveries that were very di#cult to uncover before Google’s tools became available.”

“ Google’s 2D and 3D geospatial and mapping solutions let us assemble, display, evaluate, and share data in entirely new ways to create common ground between subject-matter experts and decision-makers.”! —Frank D’Agnese, President

Earth Knowledge also used Google solutions to lend clarity to the Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Las Vegas Pipeline, and to build internet-accessible collaboration and visualization tools for its Knowledge Portal. This portal integrates news from more than 40 content providers and science from dozens of experts in 50 categories, and makes it publicly available at no charge.

Consumers, business and community leaders, public and private organizations, and the scientific community benefit from viewing environmental information through intuitive, widget-based maps, which let them explore categories including biological diversity, water, climate, and land.

“We want to fundamentally change how earth science knowledge is accessed,” Julia concludes. “Google Earth Enterprise and Maps API Premier give us the tools we need to help people answer questions such as ‘How will melting ice caps a"ect sea levels in my area?’ It’s that type of access to scientific information, presented in a format that anyone can understand, that we hope will provide the insights needed to power a more sustainable future.”

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Google Earth EnterpriseGoogle Earth Enterprise connects geographic data to your people, work and processes by providing a fast and simple to use interface for non-specialist users to explore and interact with massive datasets of your own geospatial data. Asset tracking, marketing properties, and site surveying are a few examples of the business processes that Google Earth Enterprise simplifies.Google Earth Pro extends the power of Google Earth with additional capabilities designed specifically for business users. Reduce company software costs and save employee time with features designed to share geographic information on top the the world’s most comprehensive mapping database including high resolution imagery and panoramic imagery at street level.

For more information visit: http://earth.google.com/products.html

Google Maps API PremierGoogle Maps API Premier makes it easy for companies to include fully interactive Google Maps on their public and internal websites. The Maps API helps your customers and employees make the right business and purchasing decisions by visualizing important information on a familiar, easy-to-use map interface.

For more information visit: www.google.com/enterprise/maps

Earth Knowledge’s full screen map tool