Special News Series: Digital Places

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August 03, 2007

Virtual law schools, cell phone-based city tours, high-resolution satellite maps. These are just some of the emerging technologies that use people's sense of place to provide unique experiences and services.

Bookmark this page to get the latest news on the digital tools and trends that are changing the way we explore our world.

Terrorist Use of Google Earth Raises Security Fears (March 12, 2007)
Satellite images from the free 3-D globe were found in Iraqi insurgents' homes, leading to controversial requests for the tool to censor sensitive locations.

Virtual Critters Thrive, Evolve in Online World (March 8, 2007)
A few simple rules have created a surprisingly complex ecosystem of cannon plants, gridlice, and other strange creatures in the virtual world of Second Life.

Coyote-Tracking Web Site Exposes Canine, Human Troublemakers (February 7, 2007)
A project that tracks coyotes in real time can pinpoint which animals are at risk of becoming urban pests—and which households might be to blame.

Amazon Tribes Use Latest Gadgets to Battle Developers (January 23, 2007)
Rain forest groups trained to use GPS devices are creating maps to help win territorial disputes and protect their forests from mining and logging.

Google Partners With High-Tech Telescope to Map Universe (January 10, 2007)
The Internet giant has signed on to help make data from what will be the largest sky survey readily available to the public.

Google Earth-Based Quiz Tests Kids' Africa IQ (December 19, 2006)
A recently launched layer on the popular desktop globe helps young adults explore Africa as part of a campaign to increase geographic knowledge.

Exposing Atrocities, Blogs Give Wildlife Warriors Instant SOS (December 12, 2006)
Weblogs from dangerous regions of Africa, Borneo, and beyond are allowing isolated rangers and other conservationists unprecedented lifelines to each other and the outside world.

Global Warming Could Disrupt GPS Satellites, Study Says (November 29, 2006)
Too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could create hazards for the low-orbiting satellites that power global positioning systems, new research suggests.

"Smart Dust" Sensors to Be Used for Eco Detection (November 14, 2006)
Motes—sensors the size of dust particles—can be scattered about to measure everything from chemicals in the soil to scents in the air.

Google Earth, Satellite Maps Boost Armchair Archaeology (November 7, 2006)
Using freely available satellite data, experts and amateurs alike can search the world for potential dig sites from the comfort of their computer desks.

GPS-Equipped Pigeons Enlisted as Pollution Bloggers (October 31, 2006)
A project known as PigeonBlog is using birds carrying high-tech backpacks to create accurate, detailed urban pollution maps. Related projects are also taking flight.

Satellite-Photo Atlas Uses Digital Globe to Show Eco Damage (October 23, 2006)
A unique "layer" on the popular desktop globe Google Earth uses United Nations satellite images to show the environmental damage wrought across the world over the span of a few decades.

Privacy Fears Intensified by Tech That Knows Where You Are (October 20, 2006)
As tracking technology advances, your mobile devices may soon be watching every move you make, a feature that experts say could bring about revolutionary user experiences—and privacy abuse.

Disaster Prediction, Social Networking Boosted by Geo-Data Feeds (October 19, 2006)
From predicting tsunamis to reuniting old friends, a recently published computer standard could change the way location information is used and shared online.

Global Positioning Tech Inspires Do-It-Yourself Mapping Project (October 18, 2006)
Armed with GPS devices and an open-source ideology, some grassroots groups are putting street maps in the hands of the people—and are smashing a few "Easter eggs" in the process.

"Second Life," Other Virtual Worlds Reshaping Human Interaction (October 17, 2006)
They're not just for nerds anymore. Virtual worlds are being embraced by a growing number of users as online environments expand to include concerts, classrooms, and even retail economies.

Mobile Games Superimpose Virtual Fun on the Real World (October 16, 2006)
Games played on digital devices facilitate "safe travel" to Baghdad, save the world from infectious diseases, and give new meaning to the dangers of "pirates" on Wall Street.

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