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San Francisco, CA - Plan Sea Entertainment of Honolulu, Hawaii, a production team of professional ocean adventure producers, videographers, photographers, editors, composers
and production technicians, were the first contributors recruited to assist in the creation of "Ocean in Google Earth," a new Web-based interface that allows users to dive
into the ocean and view extraordinary geo-referenced content on the web. Three of the Hawaii contributors were in San Francisco on Monday February 2nd at Google's launch
of their new ocean content.
The team of contributors was led by Plan Sea Entertainment's CEO, ocean adventure
cameraman and producer, Ray Hollowell, who was the first
to load contributed content with his "Monk
Seals Lounge on Waikiki Beach" featuring two monk seals
introduced by "spokesgirls" Lena and Ela Ohlson, ages 15
and 13 of Encinitas, California. The music of Nashville-based
children's music composer Brent Holmes is featured in that
post.
The second ocean post also came from Plan Sea Entertainment.
"Dolphins Cruise
to Sleep" features wild spinner dolphins in
the waters off Makua Valley in their sleep behavior. Other posts
featured stand-up paddle surfing in giant surf off Makaha
Beach, outrigger canoe competitions, sea turtle rescues
and many more. A complete list of their Google Earth posts
can be found at the company web site www.plansea.com.
Plan Sea also collaborated with Carey Moreshige of NOAA's
Marine Debris program and Beth Ann Kozlovich, of Hawaii
Public Radio,on content dealing with marine debris in Hawaii.
The idea for this innovative research tool was conceived by Dr.
Sylvia Earle, National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence
and chair of the Harte Research Institute for the Gulf of
Mexico (HRI) at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Earle
is chair of the Google Ocean advisory committee, a group
of leading U.S. marine scientists and oceanographers. Several
individuals with ties to Hawaii worked with Earle on the
project, led by Charlotte Vick, coordinator of the Google
oceans project. Hawaii was chosen as one of a dozen focus
areas around the world for the launch of this new initiative
and many Hawaii residents contributed in secret over the
last few months to this inaugural effort by Google. The
new site features many layers.
"This new tool will allow people around the world access to an extraordinary array of tools to explore the ocean from their computers in a new and exciting format,"
said Hollowell. "The new Google Web Explore the Ocean Layer that we worked with is found by cruising Google Earth for place marks that can be opened to reveal pictures,
video, descriptive stories and links to more information tailored to that particular story from all parts of the web."
"Using this new and unique tool, people who love and care about the ocean and its health can share their experiences and knowledge with the world," commented Stefanie
Brendl of Hawaii Shark Allies, another participant. "When I was invited to become involved with this project, I had a wonderful meeting with Sylvia to talk about the
importance of sharks to the health of the reef, and the plight of sharks and species in decline around the world."
"For the first time, the detailed geography of the ocean floor is shown, revealing intricate canyons and plateaus that lie beneath the surface," said Chuck Harvey,
another Plan Sea contributor attending the launch. The Google debut features more than 800 stories on the exploration layer alone. Hawaii has 76 of these stories
in the current release of Google Earth (Ocean).
"This is an amazing tool," Hollowell said. "When you open the new Google Earth, you'll see links across the ocean. Now explorers and scientists can share the exact
location of discoveries, putting video and photographs in context. It gives everyone a way to explore the world's oceans."
"More than 70 percent of Earth's surface is covered by water, but we have better maps of the Moon and Mars than we do of most of the sea floor," said Steve Craven,
a Plan Sea contributing writer and local business consultant. "By recognizing the dominant blue of the planet and allowing the ocean to take its rightful place in
Google Earth, Google has opened the door to a new era of communication. As with all new Web tools, it is hard to predict how it will develop next, but this opens
a great opportunity for a new interactive way of learning and sharing; one that will reach across generations in ways that make it more relevant and immediate."
Plan Sea Entertainment has been developing a unique Online identity, led by the efforts of Plan Sea's VP of Marketing, Justin Long. The Plan Sea website highlights
ocean content that will also be featured in the new version of Google Earth, which the Plan Sea team has filmed, produced, and acquired over the last fifteen years.
The website can be found at http://www.plansea.com.
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Ray at the Google Earth's Ocean press release
PLAN SEA ENTERTAINMENT joins the prestigious GOOGLE OCEAN PARTNER list.
Jimmy Buffet and Dr. Sylvia Earle
Former Vice President Al Gore speaking at the GOOGLE OCEAN press release
Dr. Sylvia Earle, Paul Cater Deaton, Charlotte Vick, Ray Hollowell at the Dolphin Club celebration
Jenifer Austin, Google Ocean Program Manager and Charlotte Vick Google Ocean Content Editor
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