Earth Browser is a beautiful 3D representation of the globe, stitched together
from satellite images. The globe itself rotates on a starlit or black background
and can be zoomed to reveal considerable surface detail.
Country labels, political boundaries, a co-ordinate grid and plate boundaries
offer some of the functions of a traditional atlas, but Earth Browser is much
more! When connected to the Internet, the program dynamically updates itself
from a number of online databases that allow it to display detailed, real-time
information, including active volcanoes, recent earthquakes, cloud animations,
icebergs, tropical storms and accurate weather station data. Much of the information
is hyperlinked to the appropriate web site.
In addition, there are links to many web cams, most of which are of surprisingly
good quality, and sited in interesting locations. City lights and realistic
earth shadows complete the simulation.
Detailed view of SE Asia with tectonic plate boundaries, active volcanoes,
recent earthquakes and city lights activated.
I experienced no problems installing Earth Browser on a Windows PC with broadband
connection. (A Mac version is also available). Quick Time is required on the
computer. I also installed the demo version on a laptop which was not connected
to the Internet. I experienced several problems with the menu, which were resolved
on connecting to the Internet and forcing Earth Browser to reset it's database.
Indeed, if the program crashes or behaves strangely, resetting the database
seems to cure all problems, and is achieved by holding down CTRL and clicking
In use, the program is very intuitive, with hints and context sensitive labels
guiding the way. Some features such as country labels only become visible
as resolution is increased. Students will take seconds to become familiar
with
Earth Browser.
The program has a simple help menu and user manual. Technical
support is available online and is remarkably efficient, getting back to
me within 24
hours with a solution to the menu problem I experienced with my laptop.
I
have heard reports that EarthBrowser is not particularly happy on slow PCs
or with interactive whiteboard software running in the background. It
does like a nice fast internet link. Since it is distributed as a free-ware
program it is perfectly possible to try a risk free installation to see if
it will work in your classroom. There are not many differences between the
licensed version, which costs a few dollars, and the free trial, but you
are able to zoom in to higher resolutions and see all the functionality of
the software including web cams and plate boundaries once the registration
fee has been paid.
Whole screen view showing the menu with cloud animations, tropical storms and
icebergs activated
The potential of Earth Browser to dramatically enhance Geography lessons
should be immediately obvious! I would find it hard to imagine teaching latitude
and longitude, time zones, weather and climate and plate tectonics without
it. At the simplest level, the globe itself is an extraordinary representation
of the awe and wonder of the planet, and can be left rotating as a screensaver
to reinforce the message! The immediate reaction of many children on seeing
Earth Browser for the first time is to enquire where they can download it
from. Here are a few suggestions for classroom activities:
KS2/3 Enquiry - find a place in the world that... is having a white Christmas
... going to bed ... is close to an active volcano... is experiencing summer etc
KS2/3/4 Investigate to find the world's most hazardous country.
KS3/4/5 Make connections with hazardous events in the news.
KS3/4/5 Forecast the arrival of weather fronts.
KS3/4 Prepare action plans for named places using the real time information,
for example "Tropical Storm Talas is approaching the Philipines. How many
people are in danger? What advice needs to be broadcast on the radio and television
networks?"
KS2/3 Follow the exploits of sailors like Ellen
Macarthur, by plotting their course on a map and predicting weather patterns
iceberg hazards and storm events.
KS3/4/5 Investigate temperature anomalies along a selected line of latitude.
KS3/4 Use the physical map to locate deforestation in Brazil.
KS2/3/4 Investigate population distribution with the city lights feature.
The list represents about 15 minutes of thinking! I may try to develop some
of these ideas into more detailed lesson plans in the future.
Download from www.earthbrowser.com