Google Earth adds Deep Blue Sea

World's No. 1 search engine provider Google Inc. has updated its global mapping software, Google Earth, to add large swathes of the ocean floor and abyssal plain and provide a way to view changes to glaciers and other geography over time. Users can dive beneath a dynamic water surface to explore the 3D sea floor terrain.

Al Gore, the former U.S. Voce president was at the launch event in San Fransisco said that Google will take its mapping software a step closer towards total coverage of the entire globe. He also said that the update would make Google Earth a "magical experience".

You can not only zoom into whatever part of our planet's surface you wish to examine in closer detail, you can now dive into the world's ocean that covers almost 70 percent of the planet and contains 80 percent of life and discover new wonders that had not been accessible in previous versions. Google Oceans aims to let users visit some of the more interesting locations, including underwater volcanoes, as well as running videos on marine life, shipwrecks and clips of favourite surf and dive spots.

To develop this wonderful software, company used the sonar data from U.S. Navy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association and others to create a visual representation of the topographic landscape hidden beneath the sea. The new features were developed in close collaboration with oceanographer Sylvia Earle and an advisory council of more than 25 ocean advocates and scientists. Sylvia Earle, the National Geographic Society's explorer in residence, said the new features would bring the blue planet to life. She also said that "I cannot imagine a more effective way to inspire awareness and caring for the blue heart of the planet than the new Ocean in Google Earth. For the first time, everyone from curious kids to serious researchers can see the world, the whole world, with new eyes."

Google also launched a 3D map of Mars on Monday based on satellite images, as well as panoramic photos taken from the Mars Rovers.