Tracking the Oil Gush Disaster in Google Earth

oil spill layer in Google Earth

Like most everybody, I have been watching with horror as the events in the Gulf of Mexico have been unfolding over the last 50 days. Lately I have been using technology to make the most sense of what is actually going on out there. In case anybody has missed it, Google has a crisis response page for the oil spill located at http://www.google.com/crisisresponse/oilspill/. You can get the latest maps and Google Earth layers as well as watch YouTube videos and get the latest news.

I took the NOAA oil spill Google Earth layer and mashed it up with another Google Earth layer provided by MarrineTraffic.com. Marine Traffic is a web site that tracks all vessels equipped with AIS (Automatic Identification System) in real time as they travel around the globe. Since December 2004 the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has required that all vessels over 299GT (gross tonnage) carry an AIS transponder on board. This transponder continually transmits their position, speed, and course. Vessels smaller than 299GT may optionally choose to install an AIS transponder, but it is not mandatory. It is a useful tool for tracking large ships like tankers and mobile platforms.

oil spill layer in Google Earth with marine traffic

Using the two layers together it is possible to see which ships are working in the area of the spill and to get a picture of where the action is. You can download the oil spill layer from Google, and you can download the ship traffic layer from marine traffic here. Of course, you must download and install Google Earth first if you do not have it installed. To install the layers in Google Earth, just choose File --> Open and open the two KML files. You may have to scroll over to the Gulf after opening the vessel traffic layer.