Google for Nonprofits Blog: Inspiring awareness and engagement with Google Earth Outreach

For Nonprofits Blog

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Inspiring awareness and engagement with Google Earth Outreach

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Whether it’s YouTube videos, Google+ events or Google’s mapping tools, we’re constantly inspired by the ways nonprofits tell their stories and spark community action. We’d like to share the work of three environmentally focused nonprofits who have used Google Earth and Maps to raise awareness and encourage involvement. Climate Commons Map Internews’ Earth Journalism Network recently launched Climate Commons, funded with a Google Earth Outreach Developer Grant. Climate Commons is an interactive map that aims to track the impacts of and responses to climate change on a local, regional and national level across the United States. The map overlays relevant data showing climate change indicators (temperature, precipitation, emissions, etc.) with the latest, geo-tagged stories about climate change from around the US. Check out the Climate Commons map to explore both the climate change data and the media coverage around it.

American Rivers MapEvery year, American Rivers names 10 rivers as America’s Most Endangered Rivers because they are facing specific threats and because their uncertain fates will be decided in the coming year. Using Google Maps Engine, American Rivers built an interactive map that allows users to explore the rivers and learn more about how they can get involved. Try out the map for yourself here.

EOL Monarch Butterfly TourEach year, Danaus plexippus, also know as the eastern monarch butterflies, begin a migration across North America. To illustrate the butterflies’ epic journey, the Encyclopedia of Life Learning + Education group and Atlantic Public Media produced a Google Earth Tour of their migration. The tour is coupled with companion podcasts, adding additional insights and commentary to this geographic storytelling. Begin exploring the migration with this kml file, or with the video below.

If you’d like to use Google Earth and Maps to help tell your story, you can get started by visiting the Google Earth Outreach site or watching our video tutorials designed specifically for nonprofits. You can also apply for a Google Maps Engine grant here. Posted by Raleigh Seamster, Google Earth Outreach team