Google tool shows what’s on the surface of the Earth in real time

Image: the Dynamic World project

The features on the surface of the Earth are shown in near real time. The tool uses deep learning and satellite imagery to create a high-resolution land cover map that shows which parts of the land have features like trees, crops, or water.

There are gaps between the time images are taken and when the data is published in land cover maps. They don't have a detailed breakdown of what's on the ground in a specific area, even if there are big sections with parks.

The land cover type is classified by Dynamic World according to 1,100 square feet. It shows how likely the sections are to be covered by one of the nine cover types: water, flooded vegetation, built-up areas, trees, crops, bare ground, and snow and ice. The system was developed with the World Resources Institute.

Image: the Dynamic World project

Most of the New York City area is built up in the above image. There are pockets of grass and shrubs in the major parks.

Over 5,000 images a day are produced by the Dynamic World model. Researchers and policymakers can see the effects of fires or hurricanes quickly.

Image: Google and the Dynamic World project

If the world is to produce what is needed from land, protect the nature that remains and restore some of what has been lost, we need trusted, near real-time monitoring of everyhectare of the planet.