1 out of every 9 people, nearly 800 million people worldwide, live without potable water. charity: water  is devoted to bringing clean, safe drinking water to developing nations and ending the gap in water access.
1 out of every 9 people, nearly 800 million people worldwide, live without potable water. charity: water  is devoted to bringing clean, safe drinking water to developing nations and ending the gap in water access.
charity: water proves that nonprofits can make a giant impact with limited resources and the help of Google tools. Starting with a GPS device, a video camera and the Google for Nonprofits tools suite, charity: water has stretched their impact: increasing site traffic over 350%, exceeding fundraising goals, gathering celebrity support from people like Justin Bieber and using this success to complete almost 7,000 clean water projects in impoverished communities around the world. 
Photo from charity:water
How do they do it? charity: water engages their supporters by infusing meaning, demonstrating efficiency and showing rather than telling. When donors make a contribution, whether $5 or $5,000, they’re sent a set of GPS coordinates and photos on Google Maps. Donors can easily click to see the difference they are making (tour of all their current projects here).
Their site explains how the idea got its start: “We walked into an electronics store and bought a handheld GPS device for $100. We took it to Uganda, went to each project and plotted six points on Google Maps™. Then we made the information public on our website along with the photos for everyone to see. We’ve been doing that ever since.”
charity: water also has a creative approach to fundraising, including the introduction of the birthday pledge which has attracted celebrity sponsors like Justin Bieber.
Since they started using Google tools 2 years again, charity: water has been able to raise over $15 million through its fundraising site. The September Campaign alone exceeded its $2.4 million goal by $280,000, covering the purchase and shipment of two large drilling rigs and building multiple water projects. “In one year alone, Google for Nonprofits and our overall digital marketing strategy helped us realize a 350% increase in site traffic, a 300% increase in total number of visitors, and a 333% increase in video views,” says Paull Young, director of digital engagement, charity: water.
charity: water is not done yet; their impact keeps expanding. This month they received a Global Impact Award from Google, which is designed to support organizations using technology and innovative solutions to make the world a better place. They’ll use their $5 million dollar award to develop remote sensors technology that will allow them to know whether water is flowing at any of their projects, at any time, anywhere in the world. This is the next step in transparency and data-driven solutions for the entire water sector.
Want to learn more about charity: water or other groups in Google for Nonprofits? Check out this full case study and others on the Google for Nonprofits site here. If you’re interested in sharing your story, tell us here and, of course, share it with us on our Google+ page using #OurImpact in your post.
Posted by Jes Marquardt, Google for Nonprofits team
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From our team to yours, happy holidays! We hope all your celebrations are filled with friends, family and lots of fun. 


Like our holiday card? We were having a Google+ Hangout. Check out how you can use them to catch up face-to-face with family and friends and, of course, wear cool hats.
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A great way to share the impact you’ve made with your donors and advocates is through an impact report that quantifies the difference you’ve made in your field over the past quarter or a year. To help you showcase that impact, our team has created this impact report template. Make sure to make a copy before using it and then customize it fit your needs. 

Do you already use an impact report? We’d love for you to share it with us on our Google+ page.

Posted by Katie Kellogg, Google for Nonprofits team
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We’re already in the midst of the holidays and soon we’ll be counting down the seconds until the start of 2013. While we’re preparing our toasts, another countdown impacting nonprofits is simultaneously underway: the deadline for individuals to make
We’re already in the midst of the holidays and soon we’ll be counting down the seconds until the start of 2013. While we’re preparing our toasts, another countdown impacting nonprofits is simultaneously underway: the deadline for individuals to make tax-deductible donations for the 2012 tax year is December 31st at midnight.

With that deadline people are searching now for charities and causes that they’d like to donate to. To help you prepare, we want to share two strategies that help maximize donations and your impact.

1. AdWords targeting now: Reach individuals who are looking to make end of year donations with relevant ads on Google. Start by creating AdWords campaigns targeting keywords related to end of year donations and tax deductible donations. If you need help finding keyword, make sure to check out Google Trends to see what and how much people are searching for keywords.
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In celebrating the way nonprofits have made an impact, we’d like to spotlight another nonprofit in our program that’s changing lives in Africa.  Nuru International is a social venture committed  to ending extreme poverty in remote, rural areas by offering locally-led training in agriculture, personal finance, healthcare, water sanitation and education. Beginning in Kuria, Kenya in September 2008, Nuru uses Google for Nonprofits products to help them show their impact and function as a virtual organization.


   Courtesy of Nuru International 

Nuru demonstrates how they equip people with tools and knowledge to lead their communities out of extreme poverty to their donors through videos and their YouTube channel.  Kim Do, Nuru’s Marketing and Mobilization Director says “YouTube gives us the ability to seamlessly deliver our latest video updates in a meaningful, dynamic way as our donors are on the go.”

Beyond using Google tools to raise awareness, the organization also uses Google Apps to help eliminate overhead costs so that funds raised are equipping people with tools and knowledge to lead their communities out of poverty.

“We are a virtual organization with employees communicating across twelve time zones,” says Do. “Our strategic decision to forgo a central office in the US enables us to invest a greater percentage of our funding in our work in Kuria, Kenya. The array of tools that Google provides-specifically Gmail, Gchat, Calendar, Google Docs and Sites -- is integral to our work and success as a virtual organization. We love the ‘real-time’ nature of Google Docs and have used them to create dynamic campaigns, administrate internal staff surveys, maintain a shared communications calendar, create directories of social media and fundraising sites and do so much more.”

If you’d like to learn more about Nuru and how they make their impact, check out our full case study on Nuru International. And if using YouTube and Google Apps is a good fit for your organization, you can continue learning with our video tutorials and get started guides.

Posted by Katie Kellogg and the Google for Nonprofits team
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(Cross posted from the Google Developers blog)

 Our Women Techmakers series is back for round two on Google Developers Live (GDL)! In the spirit of the holidays, hosts Megan Smith of Google[x], Lacy Caruthers (Google.org), Angela Lin (YouTube EDU), and Pavni Diwanji (Google+), sit down with women who are using their technical backgrounds to effect social change and make an impact. Join us in-studio Tuesday through Friday of this week at 2:30 pm PST to learn more about how Women Techmakers are giving back in big ways.
(Cross posted from the Google Developers blog)

 Our Women Techmakers series is back for round two on Google Developers Live (GDL)! In the spirit of the holidays, hosts Megan Smith of Google[x], Lacy Caruthers (Google.org), Angela Lin (YouTube EDU), and Pavni Diwanji (Google+), sit down with women who are using their technical backgrounds to effect social change and make an impact. Join us in-studio Tuesday through Friday of this week at 2:30 pm PST to learn more about how Women Techmakers are giving back in big ways.

Tuesday, 12/11: WTM & Julie Hanna - Board of Directors, Kiva.org | 2:30 pm PST | 22:30 UTC | Watch live | Add to calendar

As a repeat entrepreneur, board director of Kiva, startup and venture advisor, and angel investor, Julie Hanna knows about giving back. Her work at Kiva, a crowdfunding pioneer leading the micro-lending marketplace, has been integral in touching over 800,000 low-income entrepreneurs in over 60 countries, adding up to more than $350M loans delivered. Radhika Malpani, Bridgette Sexton of Google Ventures,  and Anita Yuen of Google.org dive into Julie’s experience using her technical skills to make social change.

Wednesday, 12/12: WTM & Jennifer Pahlka - Code for America | 2:30 pm PST | 22:30 UTC | Watch live | Add to calendar

Code for America is a new kind of public service. Join hosts Chris DiBona and Lacy Caruthers in the GDL studio, as they sit down with Code for America founder and executive director Jennifer Pahlka to discuss how she is working on the technical side with web professionals and cities nationwide to promote public service and reboot government.

Thursday, 12/13: WTM & Sasha Laundy - Codecademy | 2:30 pm PST | 22:30 UTC | Watch live | Add to calendar

Codecademy makes learning code easy and collaborative.  From Women Who Code and Codecademy, Sasha Laundy joins Amanda Surya and Angela Lin for a discussion of how Codecademy makes learning code interactive, iterative, and fun. More minds are better than one!

Friday, 12/14: WTM & Kim Polese - ClearStreet Inc., Sun Microsystems | 2:30 pm PST | 22:30 UTC | Watch live | Add to calendar

ClearStreet Inc., a social finance startup, is focused on helping people eliminate debt and achieve long-term financial health. Chairwoman and original Java Project Manager at Sun, Kim Polese, speaks with Megan Smith and Pavni Diwanji about her experience as a leading Silicon Valley entrepreneur and technology executive, and how her work with ClearStreet is impacting users’ daily lives.

Catch up on the first WTM series while you're getting ready for this week's lineup.  Visit the Google+ events to RSVP, add the episodes to your Google calendar, tune in live on GDL, and ask questions of our on-air guests. And, most importantly, become part of the conversation by hashtagging #WTM posts on Google+.

Connect with us at developers.google.com/live. Tune in to live programming, check out the latest in Google tools and technologies, and learn how to make great apps.

 Posted by Phoebe Peronto, Developer Marketing
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We know that the impact you and other nonprofits make on the world didn’t happen just in 2012. Reaching a single goal or milestone can sometimes take years.  That is why we’re so excited to share in your journey and milestones -- milestones like WITNESS, reaching 20 years of bringing human rights violations to the world’s eyes.

WITNESS, an organization that uses video and storytelling to open the world’s eyes to human rights violations, spurring public engagement and policy change, began in 1992. Musician and human rights advocate Peter Gabriel joined together with Human Rights First and Rebook Human Rights Foundation to co-found WITNESS.

Since the organization’s creation, they have operated at the nexus of human rights and technology, helping millions of ordinary citizens around the world speak the truth to those in power through tools like video cameras and the Internet. In that goal, WITNESS has partnered with more than 300 human rights groups in 80-plus countries, trained over 3,000 human rights defenders, developed widely used training materials and tools for video creation and safety, created the first dedicated online platform for human rights media (the HUB), and included video in over 100 campaigns.

And how did they do it? Using Google products has helped them stay organized and generate awareness. For years, Google Apps have helped traveling staff stay updated and coordinated with Gmail and Google calendar. Google Docs has enabled them to coordinate on everything from blog posts to media lists.

Among other awareness initiatives, WITNESS has also created a branded YouTube channel with millions of views and thousands of subscribers. They created an extensive new channel on YouTube dedicated to Human Rights, with partner Storyful.


Other Google products like AdWords, Maps, Analytics and Google+ have connected WITNESS with people around the world and streamline their operations. Communication manager at WITNESS, Matisse Bustos Hawkes put it like this “Google for Nonprofits has helped us distribute compelling content while also streamlining our day-to-day business operations, all at no charge, that kind of contribution really can’t be underestimated.”

Want to learn more about WITNESS? Check out the full case study on the Google for Nonprofits site here or join them on their Google+ Page. They’re hosting a series of Hangouts to celebrate their 20 year anniversary.

Want more case studies? They’re one of our favorite resources to share how nonprofits are using Google for Nonprofits to increase their reach and impact. Check out all of them here. If you’re interested in sharing your story, tell us here and, of course, share it with us on our Google+ page using #OurImpact in your post.

Posted by Katie Kellogg and the Google for Nonprofits team
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Google just launched a new Google+ page, Google Giving to discuss topics related to social entrepreneurs, technology for social good and philanthropy. Check out Google Giving's website and their newly announced Global Impact Awards. If you are passionate about making the world a better place, add them to your circles!
Google just launched a new Google+ page, Google Giving to discuss topics related to social entrepreneurs, technology for social good and philanthropy. Check out Google Giving's website and their newly announced Global Impact Awards. If you are passionate about making the world a better place, add them to your circles!


 Posted by Kate Parker, Google Giving team
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  • H&M -- The retail clothing company, with more than 2 million Google+ followers, uses tailored content, images and video to bring its fashions and lifestyle to life on the platform. They’ve also utilized Ripples to identify their trendsetters and saw a 22% clickthrough rate boost after implementing social extensions in AdWords.
The Google+ platform provides a fresh canvas for building and strengthening your digital brand, tying into all the marketing you already do with Google. From launching a new product using Google+ pages to engaging with your community of enthusiasts over Hangouts, join our Learn with Google webinar this Thursday for a look at ways your company can build its brand using social. Sign up on our webinar page to attend: Building a Digital Brand with Google+ (Thurs, Dec 6, 10am PT / 1pm ET)

After the Hangout, we’ll host a live Q&A with members of the Google+ team to answer questions about building a brand with Google+. RSVP on the Google+ Event page and add your questions as comments on that page.

With more than 100 monthly million active Google+ users, the time is right to focus on building your digital brand presence via the platform. Google+ has seen a wealth of brands engaging with users in creative, interactive ways. In fact, brands created more than 1 million Google+ pages in just a few months. For instance:

  • H&M -- The retail clothing company, with more than 2 million Google+ followers, uses tailored content, images and video to bring its fashions and lifestyle to life on the platform. They’ve also utilized Ripples to identify their trendsetters and saw a 22% clickthrough rate boost after implementing social extensions in AdWords.

  • Cadbury -- The chocolate maker has reached a following of nearly 3 million users with a combination of creative posts, Hangouts on Air and even the launch of their Dairy Milk Bubbly bar. They’ve also installed the Google+ badge on the company’s web homepage, making it easy as chocolate to follow the brand.

Like the ideas here? Log on Thursday to learn more about how to create, capture and sustain demand for your brand using Google+. And if you’re going to miss this while you’re at SMX Social in Las Vegas next week, check back at the webinars page later for a recording of the webinar.
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It’s hard to believe 2012 is coming to a close.  It’s been quite a year. We’ve cheered on our favorite athletes in the Olympics, watched the highest skydive ever and danced our way to making “Gangnam Style” the most watched YouTube video of all time.  Before we jump into 2013, let’s take a look back on the impact you and the entire nonprofit community have made over the last year.

Throughout December, we’ll share incredible stories of nonprofits making a difference. We’ll also provide some new templates and information to help you continue to make an impact. Most of all, we’d love for you to share your experience with us, so please join us on our Google+ page and tell us about the impact you’ve made in 2012 using the hashtag #OurImpact. Together you are making the world a better place and we can’t wait to hear more.

Posted by Katie Kellogg, Google for Nonprofits team
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(Cross posted from the Google Analytics blog) 

 Have you ever struggled with implementing new marketing and measurement tools on your website? For many people, deploying data collection “tags” (like conversion tracking, remarketing, audience reporting and analytics) can take weeks or months. Worse, the tag implementation is often incorrect, meaning you’re missing out on valuable information about your site and its users.

 It doesn’t need to be difficult. We recently held a webinar to introduce users to Google Tag Manager, a free tool that helps marketers and IT departments manage their marketing and measurement tags quickly and easily. Watch the video here to learn more about:
  • Overall benefits and features of using Google Tag Manager
  • A quick demonstration of how to deploy a new tracking tag
  • Tips for getting your company started with Google Tag Manager


In addition to this webinar, we’ll be hosting a technical webinar in January to help new users through the nuts and bolts of installing Google Tag Manager (with lots of concrete examples). Stay tuned -- we’ll share registration information in a future blog post, or you can check back on the Learn with Google webinar site.

 Read on for responses to some of the top questions we received during the webinar.

 Questions and Answers

 Where can I find out more about the core concepts described in the webinar?
To learn more about the Google Tag Manager management interface, please visit our Help Center -- you may want to start with our Before you Begin article. There you can find more information about key concepts like Tags, Rules, and Macros. For developers interested in how to implement Google Tag Manager, please visit our developer documentation. Or if you’d like help with implementation, you can contact one of our Partners. You can also ask questions (and find responses to questions from others) on the Google Tag Manager product forum.

 What happens to historical data if we move to Google Tag Manager?
All of your historical data should be preserved when you move to Google Tag Manager. Google Tag Manager only changes the way that tags are deployed and managed on your site, it does not change the way data is collected.

How would you migrate a tag?
Follow these steps to migrate tags -- whether it’s a single tag or all the tags on your site. If you’re just getting started, take a look at our Before you Begin article.
  • Create a Google Tag Manager Account and a Container associated with that account.
  • Install that Container code snippet on every page of your website (so that it appears immediately after the opening <body> tag). The container should be empty.
  • Map your site - thinking about what data you want to collect, what events you want to track, and which tags you want to use to track that data. You should think about where your current tags are implemented, but now is a great time to rethink your overall data collection goals and start fresh.
  • (Optional) If you would like to make use of the Data Layer functionality, create a data layer on the pages where you wish to pass information or fire tags
  • Create Tags, Rules and Macros within the Google Tag Manager interface according to the map you just created. Make sure to apply the correct Rules to your Tags to make sure they fire in the right place.
  • Test the changes you’ve made in Google Tag Manager using debug and preview mode.
  • Then push a version of your site live that has removed the hard-coded tags from within the page. At this time, also Publish your changes using the Publishing feature of Google Tag Manager, which pushes the changes live to the site.
For more precise details on these steps, read our developer documents about migration.

Can you add tags to events or buttons?
Definitely! In order to use Google Tag Manager to fire tags on events and buttons, follow these steps (for more detail, read our developer document on event handlers):
  • On your page, proactively add the dataLayer.push({ ‘event’: ‘myEventName’}) to the event handlers for all events and buttons you might want to track.
  • Create a new rule where “event equals myEventName”.
  • Associate this rule with any tag you’d like to fire when the specified event happens.
Can hard-coded tags and tag manager co-exist? Do I have to remove my other tracking tags?
We strongly recommend that you completely migrate all your tags, so you can take advantage of the benefits of managing and updating those tags within Google Tag Manager. However, if a full migration seems too hard, you can use Google Tag Manager in parallel with hard-coded tags. Some of our users use Google Tag Manager to only manage adding new tags.

If you choose to do a partial migration to Google Tag Manager, you need to be very careful to make sure you don’t accidentally start double-counting your tags. If you decided to deploy a tag via Google Tag Manager, make sure that you don’t have a version of the same tag firing on the same page.

Can you build your own custom tag templates? And how do I become a recognized Tag Vendor within Google Tag Manager?
Custom Tag templates within Google Tag Manager allow you to copy/paste any HTML or Image tags directly into Google Tag Manager and fire it based on your predefined rules and macros. To turn it into a template, use the {{macro_name}} syntax to populate the tag code with dynamic values. We will also do a syntax check to ensure that when you copy your 3rd party tag, it will fire as intended.

If you’re interested in having your tag added to the list of predefined templates, apply to become a Tag Vendor within Google Tag Manager by completing this interest form.

How does this work with Google Analytics? How do you do things like track pageview and track event within Google Analytics?
Google Tag Manager is a convenient way to correctly deploy Google Analytics across your site. To use Google Analytics within Google Tag Manager, simply create a Tag with the Google Analytics tag template. You can select the “Track Type” as either a pageview, an event, or a transaction.

Make sure you have some version of the Google Analytics tag firing across all pages on your site. A good way to do this would be to have a basic tag firing on all pages, but blocking on pages where your more customized tags are firing (like the thank you page where you’d be firing a specialized transaction tag type).

Can the Google Tag Manager snippet be placed in <head>? How about in my footer?
The recommended best practice is to have the Google Tag Manager snippet at the top of the <body> to maximize data collection, but some clients may find it easier to implement the Container snippet elsewhere in the in the page, like the footer.

Do not place the Google Tag Manager snippet in <head> (for the IT folks: this is because there is an iframe in the <noscript> case, which can have unpredictable results in some browsers).

No matter where you install the container snippet, you will need to make sure that this snippet of code is on every page of their site. Google Tag Manager will still work if you only deploy it on part of your site, but Google Tag Manager’s rule based system will only work on pages where the snippet is deployed. For more details, read our developer documents.

Does Google Tag Manager replace Doubleclick Floodlight?
No, Google Tag Manager does not replace Floodlight -- they are complementary. Floodlight is a conversion pixel for DoubleClick products (Floodlight tags can now be deployed within Google Tag Manager), and Google Tag Manager is a tag management system or “container tag” for multiple tagging technologies. Floodlight has previously been used by some users as a container tag as well, but moving forward, Google Tag Manager is a way to deploy all tracking technology.

 You also have the ability to pass custom floodlight variables through Google Tag Manager into Floodlight, through the Data Layer. For more information, please review the material in the Developers Guide.

We hope this webinar and this blog post will help you as you get started with Google Tag Manager, and we look forward to seeing you at our technical webinar in January. (Registration details coming soon).

 Posted by Laura Holmes, Product Manager, Google Tag Manager
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Tomorrow in the U.S., millions of friends and families will celebrate Thanksgiving - sharing time together, eating holiday favorites and, of course, giving thanks.  This week, the  Google for Nonprofits community started the celebration early by giving thanks to their favorite nonprofits and sharing some amazing stories along the way. Check out a few inspiring examples below:

This year, I #givethanks for Lurie's Children's Hospital. They provide world class service to children in the Chicagoland area, including some Googler children. Not only do they provide volunteer opportunities for our Chicago Googlers, but they think of us for unique opportunities like working at their local Dance Marathons!

I #givethanks for Start With a Story. Volunteers sit in the lobby of the prison in either Dublin or Oakland and give out free, brand new books to kids in the lobby who are waiting to see their family members. They also read with them. The same kids show up every week, excited to browse the selection and pick out a new book. 

I #givethanks for +MLANGO e.V.. Mlango makes sure that 2500 children in primary schools in Malawi can go to school each day and learn because they get a nutritious meal there. I love what they do and support them because I think that no child should have to work or find food instead of going to school. 100% of donations go directly to the school feeding projects, Mlango has no admin fees, all members work as volunteers. I also appreciate how they include the local communities in their projects, e.g. by having the kids' mothers cook the daily meals and the fathers take care of the school garden. Mlango funds the projects, but the local community has to work together to run them successfully.

If you’d still like to #givethanks to your favorite nonprofit, you can. Just make sure to +mention the nonprofit’s Google+ Page, share why you’re thankful for them and use #givethanks in a Google+ post.

And from all of us at Google for Nonprofits, we #givethanks for being a part of this vibrant community of folks that support nonprofits. Happy Thanksgiving!

Posted by Katie Kellogg, Google for Nonprofits team
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Last week, we hosted our Hangout with Environmental Nonprofits on our Google+ page and discussed best practices for using Google+. If you missed it, check out some of the great tips we heard or watch the full Hangout below.

1. +Sierra Club suggested integrating photos in your Google+ posts.
2. +Earth Hour  suggested using Hangouts to keep in touch with your volunteers globally.
3. +The Nature Conservancy is planning to use Hangouts as a way to continue conversation around the upcoming PBS film "Surviving the Dustbowl.”

Thank you to all of the nonprofits that participated. If you’re interested in joining our Hangouts, add us to your circles on Google+. We’ll keep you updated on Google for Nonprofits and, of course, our next Hangout there!

Posted by Andrea Xu, Google for Nonprofits team
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(Cross posted from the Official YouTube blog) 

 Ever pasted together 108 sheets of paper and drawn a giant thermometer to track your nonprofit’s campaign goal? Did you go through 27 red markers and then feel faint from their scent after trying to color it in?
(Cross posted from the Official YouTube blog) 

 Ever pasted together 108 sheets of paper and drawn a giant thermometer to track your nonprofit’s campaign goal? Did you go through 27 red markers and then feel faint from their scent after trying to color it in?

Well, chuck those markers and recycle that paper, because through the YouTube Nonprofit Program there is a new thermometer in town. Check out the latest tool for nonprofits: Campaigns.
This new feature allows nonprofits to create campaigns with goals like increasing views or subscribers, track their progress, and let people to contribute to their goals.

                        

A campaign consists of one or more videos. You can find instructions on starting a campaign here. Once a campaign is created, videos in that campaign will show an overlay on them, encouraging viewers to contribute to the campaign.

Additionally, a Campaign tab will show up on your channel, with a bar showing the progress toward your goal.
With more than 18,000 organizations in the YouTube Nonprofit Program we are always looking for ways to help nonprofits turn video views into greater awareness, petitions signed, laws changed, dollars raised, and lives saved. This year we released other tools you should check out like live streaming, a playbook with of best practices when using video, and other improved features like a more prominent donate button. We hope you enjoy our latest feature.

Posted by David D, Software Engineer, recently watched "Follow the Frog."
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(Cross posted from the Google Australia Blog)

Great Barrier Reef coral health, fire management, and depleting forest cover are some of our nation’s greatest environmental challenges. But up until now it has been a challenge to bring large-scale environmental issues (that might affect hundreds of thousands of acres) to life in a meaningful way. To help address this, we’re bringing Google Earth Outreach to Australia and New Zealand.

With Google Earth Outreach, nonprofit organisations can use Google mapping tools to visualise their causes and tell their stories to millions of people around the world.

See how nonprofits and researchers are using Google mapping tools.

Across the globe, nonprofits have used Google Earth Outreach to help clear landmines in Cambodia and Angola, and to demonstrate forest and wildlife loss in Sumatra, Indonesia. At last night’s official launch event at Macquarie University, we announced new projects with three Australian partners.

Dr. Elizabeth Madin from Macquarie University demonstrated how her team is using Google Earth to further her work in investigating coral reef landscapes; they integrate ecological theory and the high-resolution satellite imagery available in Google Earth to identify “grazing halos”, which may be able to tell us more about coral reef health.

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority launched an interactive map, which will shows how their Reef HQ Aquarium is bringing the Great Barrier Reef to students around the world. They also launched a Google Earth narrated tour following the track of Torres the Green Turtle as he swims along the Great Barrier Reef and meets incredible marine life along the way.

The Australian Wildlife Conservancy also unveiled two Google Earth tours. The first tour flies through their 23 sanctuaries which cover more than 3 million hectares to bring to life their fight to save Australia’s unique wildlife from extinction. The second tour overlays AWC geospatial data on top of Google Earth to demonstrate the impact of their EcoFire Project in the Kimberleys over the last six years.  



If you’re a nonprofit interested in learning more about the Google Earth Outreach program, check out our website. There you’ll find tutorials and a showcase of nonprofit success stories, and you can also apply for grants for Google Earth Pro, Google Maps Engine, Google Maps API for Business, and Google Maps Coordinate.

We hope that by bringing this program to Australia and New Zealand, many more organisations will be able to tell powerful visual stories about the important work they do, to both help them raise awareness and funds and further their scientific goals.

Posted by Raleigh Seamster, Program Manager for Google Earth Outreach
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