Garett Rogers summarizes a post at the Google Earth Blog explaining that Google and NASA now have added more KMLs (a file format used to display geographic data in an Earth browser) to Google Earth. The new files provide almost real-time information including:
- Sea Surface Temperature [KML File]
- Chlorophyll Concentration [KML File]
- Cloud Fraction [KML File]
- Snow Cover [KML File]
Want to see what it looks like without having to download Google Earth? NASA has images here so you can see some of the imagery without Google Earth.
Related Topics: Google: Earth
A quick note to point out that NASA’s World Wind Digital Globe has offered a number of near real time info sources for some time.
Examples:
Weather
http://www.worldwindcentral.com/wiki/Add-on:Weather_plugin
NASA Earth Observations (including what Barry notes today)
http://www.worldwindcentral.com/wiki/Add-on:NASA_Earth_Observations
Earthquakes
http://www.worldwindcentral.com/wiki/Near_Realtime_Earthquake_Marker
Cloud formations
http://www.worldwindcentral.com/wiki/Add-on:Global_Clouds_%28near_realtime_clouds%29
MODIS (Rapid Fire)
http://www.worldwindcentral.com/wiki/Rapid_Fire_MODIS
All add-ons:
http://www.worldwindcentral.com/wiki/Add-ons
Btw, World Wind can handle KML files
http://www.worldwindcentral.com/wiki/Add-on:KMLImporter
and also provide access to Virtual Earth imagery.
http://www.worldwindcentral.com/wiki/Virtual_Earth
Another digital globe, SkylineGlobe
http://www.skylineglobe.com
allows you to embed LIVE traffic cameras on top of aerial imagery for several cities in the U.S., Canada, and the UK.
Finally, Ask.com offers a near realtime earthquake map.
http://www.ask.com/earthquake