Google Earth

I thought the whole topic about Google Earth and its many uses was very interesting. Google Earth is a really powerful tool that allows users to explore just about anywhere on Earth from the comfort of their living room. For the past couple of years I've been using Google Earth as a fun little toy that I can use to look at my house back home, or avoid awkward situations by looking up what my destination looks like before hand when I'm traveling. I have never really thought about the real potential that Google Earth had until I read these articles. The fact that Erik Born and Leif Toudal Pederson were able to use Google Earth, a free software available to everyone, and track the movement and behavior of walruses in response to changes in ice is astonishing. What is even more amazing is that now, most phones come with GPS technology built-in which is both reassuring and a little creepy. Google Earth and GIS technology opens up a whole new world of data collecting and mapping that we never would have dreamed of a couple years ago. This sort of powerful software that is free and available to anyone with an internet connection really gets me excited about what technology has in store for us in the future.