Every once in a while I find a website that is really exceptional and which has been made by an average Joe. That is to say, this isn’t some big, corporate owned website with lots of paid employees slaving away over it; and yet, it is really, really valuable.
Take, for example, DavidTryse.net. It appears to be sort of personal project by this globetrotting fellow named David Tryse on which he’s compiled different sets of environmental data and used the Google Earth application to map them out.
Ref: David Tryse.
He’s got files made up for:
- Disappearing Forests of the World: Shows deforestation data for countries around the world including a live ticker for each country.
- Black Tides: Worst Oil Spills in History: Maps 50 of the worst oil spills (accidental and intentional) from around the globe.
- Edge of Existence: Mammals: 100 of the most endangered mammal species from around the world
- Edge of Existence: Amphibians: 100 of the most endangered amphibian species from around the world
- Survival International: Tribes: Maps 33 indigenous tribes around the globe which are in jeopardy from ranching, logging, mining, and just outright stealing their land.
- Biodiversity Hotspots: 34 locations around the world where great numbers of indigenous species exist no where else–and are at risk of losing their homes.
- National Park Overlays: Maps protected lands around the globe.
The next time you have a presentation to give about any of these green topics, try using these maps on a laptop and projector to dazzle your audience. Graphically, Google Earth is gorgeous–and all the maps are highly interactive.
The best part is that he gives links to all the data resource sites. He’s really done an outstanding job compiling a lot of really valuable, usable information in one place. Go play with it for a while and you’ll be impressed.
So, thanks David Tryse, whoever you are. We’ll be checking back regularly to see what else you’ve got up your organic sleeves.
In order to use this site you’ll need to download Google Earth.