Visualizing Our Futures: Using Google Earth and Google Maps in an Academic Library Setting
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Visualizing Our Futures: Using Google Earth
and Google Maps in an Academic Library
Setting
Eva Dodsworth and Andrew Nicholson
Introduction perhaps even opening up such research into new av-
In October 2011, it was announced that Google enues of inquiry. Along with developing workshops
Earth had just achieved one billon downloads.1 This and user guides for utilizing Google Earth for visual-
remarkable statistic was even more profound when izing research, both authors have been instrumental
one considered that Google Earth and its sister appli- in promoting Google Earth and Google Maps to their
cation, Google Maps had only been available to the respective faculty and staff as both a research and in-
public since June 2005. These facts also highlight what structional tool. For example at the University of To-
an enormous impact Google Earth/Maps has had on ronto Mississauga, Google Earth was introduced into
the way people now utilize geographic information. a “Introduction to Classical Studies” course and en-
Along with its free availability, what has especially gaged the students to learn about classical sites from
driven this Google Earth usage is its ease of use. Users the ancient world, such as Pompeii, and the role of
can now search for a place, as well as create, visual- geography in their history. Students were able to make
ize and share geographic information all through one maps and “mashups” in Google Earth creating visual
powerful visualization tool. For example, researchers presentations that included images, videos and text
can now bring up a map with air photos or satellite about their particular sites. At the University of Wa-
imagery of their study site online at no cost and an- terloo, Google Earth became a central resource for the
notate it with their own sketches, web site links, pho- students and instructor in the Recreation and Leisure
tographs, notes, and videos. This user-generated map Studies course “Urban Recreation”. The students used
can then be shared with fellow researchers online Google Earth to discover recreation opportunities in
through a Google Maps account, or sent via an email the urban setting. Using the features and tools avail-
to them and viewed through their own Google Earth able to them, students quickly learned about their ur-
application. ban surroundings and created maps to show the con-
As GIS Librarians working in an academic en- nection between place and space.
vironment, the authors were quick to recognize the
potential of Google Earth and Google Maps as geo- Background Research
graphic visualization tools. With Google Earth’s free As part of their work with Google Earth, both authors
availability and easy learning curve, a researcher researched what other Libraries were doing with
now had a new medium to communicate their work, Google Earth and Google Maps technology. They
Eva Dodsworth is Geospatial Data Services Librarian at the University of Waterloo, e-mail: edodsworth@uwaterloo.ca; An-
drew Nicholson is GIS/Data Librarian at the University of Toronto Mississauga, e-mail: andrew.nicholson@utoronto.ca
625626 Eva Dodsworth and Andrew Nicholson
performed a literature search which turned up very chives (ACMLA) and the Western Association of Map
little in terms of how other academic libraries or li- Libraries (WAML), the survey was also circulated on
brarians were using Google Earth.2 Next, the authors their “Members Only” listservs of these associations.
reviewed many Canadian and American academic li- In terms of survey length, the authors chose to
brary websites to see if they were promoting Google keep the survey brief, with only 20 questions. These
Earth or utilizing the technology in some way.3 While consisted of six yes/no questions, seven multiple
an environmental scan of websites was more fruitful choice, and seven short answer. The survey was then
with the discovery of several academic libraries using distributed on Survey Monkey for two months from
the technology to promote access to digital map and December 2010 to the end of January 2011.
aerial photo resources, the authors still felt that there
was more Google Earth activity taking place in aca- Questions & Responses
demic libraries. Thanks to some reminder emails and due to the fact
that the survey was available over a slower period of
Research Survey activity in academic libraries, 83 responses were re-
To obtain greater insight into how Google Earth/Maps ceived from Canadian and American Librarians and
were being used, the authors soon realized that they Library Staff.
needed to ask academic librarians directly if they used
the technology and for what purposes. To do this, the Survey Section One: “You and Your Library”
authors put together a set of survey questions aimed The first section of the survey included two questions
at the academic librarians, especially those who work that focused on the respondent’s position title and
with map collections, Geographical Information Sys- their role within their academic library.
tems (GIS), and or Geography/Earth Science Subject As was anticipated, more than half of the respon-
collections. To reach these groups of librarians, the dents indicated that they were a Librarian, with the
survey questionnaire was distributed over a selection vast majority of them indicating that they were a “GIS
of specialized listservs, including Maps-L, GovInfo, Librarian” or “Map Librarian”. Other titles included
GIS4LIB and CARTA (Canadian Maps & Air Photo “Government Documents Librarian” and “Special
Systems Forum). As the authors were also members Collections Librarian”. Seventeen responses also came
of the Association of Canadian Map Libraries & Ar- in from GIS Specialists, Library Technicians and Map
FIGURE 1
What Division/Department/Area of the Library Do You Work In (click all that apply)
90.0%
80.0%
%
70.0%
R
60.0%
e
s
50.0%
p
o 40.0%
n
s 30.0%
e
s 20.0%
10.0%
0.0%
Map/GIS Services Government General Reference Technical Services Other (please specify)
Publications
Where in the Library do you work?
ACRL 2013Visualizing Our Futures 627
FIGURE 2
For What Work-related Tasks, Have You Used these Products? (Click all that apply
% 90%
R
80%
e
s 70%
p
60%
o
n 50%
d
40%
e
d 30%
20%
10%
0%
Instruction Promotion/Marketing Answering Research Creating/Accessing a Finding Other (please specify)
Questions Aid Tool
Response Options
Assistants. Twelve responses also came from Library to answer research questions; 61 % used the tool as a
Administrators, Directors, or Department Heads. finding aid resource for maps and aerial photos; 56%
Unfortunately, the survey did not include a write-in for library instruction; 27% for promotion/marketing
area in this section to find out how these library lead- of Library collections; and 20% listed “Other” activi-
ers were incorporating Google Earth as part of their ties. For “Other”, respondents listed a wide range of
responsibilities. interesting tasks from geo-referencing map images,
Interestingly, it was found that 81% of respondents mapping digital media, and creating learning objects
worked in a “Map/GIS Services division, with only for course assignments.
29% indicating “General Reference”. Other areas listed
included “Data Services”, “IT”, and a “Center for Digi- Survey Section Three: Library Instruction using Google
tal Scholarship”. One group mentioned being part of a Earth/Maps
“special project” independent from the campus library, The authors both believe that Google Earth is a pow-
but that they deposit their research data inside their Li- erful instructional tool. Its visual capabilities, ease of
brary’s Digital Collections. Likewise, several responses use, and sharing/exporting capabilities make it an ide-
actually came from non-Library employees, with staff al platform for engaging students (and other library
indicating that they worked for the Geography or Envi- staff) in geographic information and education.
ronmental Science Departments on their campus. As the authors have enjoyed some success in using
Google Earth for instruction at their respective insti-
Survey Section Two: “How are you using Google Maps/ tutions, they were somewhat surprised by the survey
Earth in your work? results in this section. One statistic which particularly
For the next set of questions, the authors wished to stood out for the authors was that only 28% of respon-
learn how users were taking advantage of Google dents had a map, spatial, or geospatial literacy policy
Earth and Google Maps in their Library related activi- in place at their institution. Moreover, only 31% had
ties. Users were provided with a list of tasks in which even utilized Google Earth or Google Maps in a class-
respondents could check off all that applied. room environment.
These included “Instruction”, “Promotion/Mar- Despite the relatively low number, the authors
keting”, “Answering Research Questions”, and “Creat- were encouraged to see how it has been rolled out in
ing/Accessing a Finding Aid Tool”. There was also an university classrooms across the North America. For
“Other” option which allowed a fill in answer. starters, Google Earth is being used at all levels of a
Interestingly, the results indicated that 82% of university education from freshman to graduate level.
respondents used Google Earth and Google Maps Moreover the frequency of instruction and number of
April 10–13, 2013, Indianapolis, IN628 Eva Dodsworth and Andrew Nicholson
courses peaks in the fourth year of studies, which is Survey Section Five: KML Collections
when students would most likely be looking to stretch Keyhole Markup Language files (KML) are digital
the visualization, sharing and mash-up capabilities of files used in Google Earth and Google Maps. These
Google Earth as part of their research dissemination. files may be imported into Google Earth to create dy-
In the survey questions, the authors asked for namic maps. Moreover they can be also created and
some more details about the Instruction Sessions that exported for the purposes of sharing maps, points of
were offered. Several good responses were received interest, and other information with others. KML files
including “Environmental Awareness education”, are a common format used by map and GIS users and
“Improving Digitization Skills”, “Beach resort Analy- they have become a popular format type to download
sis”, “Arctic Studies”, and “mapping events from James from data portals. Since more and more library users
Joyce’s Ulysses”. are creating and downloading KML files, the authors
The authors were also curious to know if the grow- wanted to find out from respondents if they were fa-
ing ubiquitous of Google Earth/Maps technology had miliar with KML files, and if so did they create their
led to additional Library staff training in the use of own KML files.
GIS software/data or raising Geographic awareness. When asked, 64% of survey respondents indicat-
Interestingly, there was an almost even split amongst ed that they did work with KML files, with 85% claim-
library respondents with 51% replying “No” and 49% ing they created their own for use with Google Earth
replying “Yes” to the question. in courses..
As a follow up question, the authors asked if these
Survey Section Four: Promotion/Marketing Usage of Library generated KML files were listed and made ac-
Library Services using Google Earth/Maps cessible as part of their Library’s geospatial data col-
This section of the survey contained questions exam- lections.
ining how the Library was using Google Earth/Maps Impressively, 30% of respondents indicated that
for the promotion and marketing of its services and they did provide access to these files as part of their
collections. When researching into the use of Google library’s collections, with almost all being download-
Mapping products on Library websites, the authors able from their Library’s website.
had discovered that many had utilized the Google
Maps API code to embed a Google Map into a website Survey Section Six: Other Online Mapping Tools
showcasing where the Library is located on campus As Google Earth is more of a geographic visualiza-
and also to enhance the access to digital and paper tion tool, some users may turn to more advanced
bound collections. GIS mapping applications for analysis, and modeling
Despite the prevalence of the Google Maps API, functions. The authors also believe that those with an
the authors were surprised to find that only 45% of interest in Google Earth are also likely to use other
respondents had actually identified this usage. When geographic software products. As such, the authors
asked a follow up question about Google Maps en- were curious to see what other GIS or Digital Map-
hancing their services, many agreed that it had and ping Software were in fact being used in Libraries.
were looking forward to doing more with the technol- With many North American campuses being long
ogy. Many respondents found that Google Mapping time subscribers to its ArcGIS products, it was not
tools, added context to their collections, making them surprising to find that the results indicated that the
more accessible and fun to use as well. Some cited Esri family of GIS software was most commonly used.
Google Earth as bringing a “value-added” piece to Other responses to this question included use of Map-
their service and collection offerings. Info, Bing Maps, OpenStreetMap, and OpenLayers.
In this section of the survey, the authors also asked
if the Library was providing support to the wider cam- Conclusion4
pus community in using Google Earth/Maps (not Based on the survey results, Google Earth and Google
counting instructional collaborations). Many indicat- Maps are certainly being used in academic library en-
ed that they were not leveraging this expertise outside vironments for a wide variety of purposes. Neverthe-
of the library, although some did note they were man- less, it seems that the majority of use still remains re-
aging Google Earth Pro licenses across their campuses. lated to Geography related activities, be it collections
ACRL 2013Visualizing Our Futures 629
management and access, or instruction in Geography Notes
or Geology courses. 1. “More than One Billion Downloads for Google Earth”
The authors feel that Google Earth and Google October 6th, 2011. http://www.gearthblog.com/blog/ar-
Maps can be used in many more subject areas, apart chives/2011/10/more_than_one_billion_downloads_for.
from Geography, and that many more librarians and html
library staff can take advantage of its rich resource of 2. Some of the articles that talk about using Google Earth in
information and multimedia tools. For example at the Libraries include the following:
University of Toronto Mississauga, students taking Terry Ballard. “Inheriting the Earth: Using KML Files to
“French as a Second Language” (FSL) course utilize add placemarks relating to the library’s original content to
Google Earth not just for the information database Google Earth and Google Maps” New Library World 110
locating French language libraries, restaurants, and (2009): 357-65. Michaela Brenner and Peter Klein. “Discov-
community centres, but also as a multimedia presen- ering the Library with Google Earth” Information Technolo-
tation tool. Students can showcase their research and gy and Libraries 27 (2008): 32-6. Mikael Jacobsen and Terry
“tour” through a Francophone country while they Ballard. “Google Maps: you are here: using Google Maps to
present orally to classmates in French. Likewise, at the bring out your library’s local collections” Library Journal,
University of Waterloo, many students use the appli- October 15, 2008. Troy Swanson. “Google Maps and Second
cation as a presentation tool, importing slides over the Life: Virtual Platforms meet Information Literacy” College
surface of the virtual earth. They also take advantage & Research Libraries News 69 (2008): 610-12. Michael
of the html supported platform, creating customized Vandenburg. “Using Google Maps as an interface for the
graphs, charts, screen overlays and overall offering a Library Catalogue” Library Hi-Tech 26 (2008): 33-40.
very dynamic exhibition. 3. The websites surveyed included: McGill University’s Air
Examples such as these are becoming increas- Photo Indexes, http://www.mcgill.ca/library/library-find-
ingly common, especially when one looks at social info/maps/airphotos; McMaster University Library Map
media such as the Google Earth Educators Blog.5 For Index, http://library.mcmaster.ca/maps/ww1/ndx5to40.
the next steps, the authors would like to explore htm; Brock University Historical Air Photo Collection,
how non-Geography and non-Geology librarians http://www.brocku.ca/maplibrary/airphoto/historical.
are using Google Earth and Google Maps in their php; Yale University Sanborn Indexes, http://www.library.
work, particularly in areas of library instruction and yale.edu/MapColl/print_sanborn.html; University of
information literacy. Another area worth exploring Vermont Library’s Google Map, http://cdi.uvm.edu/collec-
is how Google Earth and Google Maps have impact- tions/browseCollection.xql?pid=longtrail&title=Long%20
ed the work of staff working in public libraries and Trail%20Photographs; The Cleveland Memory Project,
their library users are interacting with the technol- http://www.clevelandmemory.org/hlneo/
ogy. 4. For more results from our survey, including a copy of the
The potential uses of Google Earth and Google questions asked, please consult Eva Dodsworth and Andrew
Maps in academia is never-ending. Some use it for Nicholson “Academic Uses of Google Earth and Google
air photo interpretation like locating vacation spots, Maps in a Library Setting” Information Technology and
some use it for researching social and historical in- Libraries 31 (2012) 102-114.
formation, and others use it very successfully as sim- 5. Google Earth Educator’s Blog, http://sitescontent.google.
ply a resource-sharing application to add content to. com/google-earth-for-educators/
With the ability to add text, images, links, videos,
animation, and dynamic map files, Google Earth has
become a one stop shop for researching, learning,
sharing and communicating all aspects of informa-
tion across a wide variety of topics. Google Earth is
not just a globe and it certainly was not created for
only geographers. As more and more users discover
the hidden gems in this product, more examples of
academic usage will surface.
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