The act of utilizing Google technology to aggregate, illustrate, and contemplate geologic information, particularly issues related to geologic mapping. Google technology (e.g., maps, Earth, scholar, reader, docs) provide a means of organizing, researching, and distributing geologic data that is quite amazing. I have only scratched the surface to meet my needs, but do recognize that the potential is huge. I also recognize that too few geologists are taking it very seriously, if taking it at all.

Disclaimer: I in no way receive or expect any financial support from Google. I just find their applications extremely useful and easy to use. Widespread acceptance and utilization of these tools (or similar ones) will eventually alter the way we do, describe, and publish research. A revolution is at hand and will happen whether you care or not. Might as well care.

Examples:

I put this website together using Google Sites because it was easier than using a dedicated software program, and it is accessible for me to edit from any computer on the internet. I have no time to learn html, and I bet you don't either. Google Sites is pretty easy to learn, especially if you have used Blogger. In any case, that is why this site is not nearly as fancy as you may have expected. 


I use Google Reader, an RSS reader that aggregates updates from websites that I find useful. This includes, news sites, science journal tables of contents, and various things related to mapping and gis. Any RSS reader will improve your experience with the internet, so if you don't know what one is, too bad (really...too bad). Within Google Reader you can tag items with labels that mean something to you. You can also make the labels 'public' or 'shared' which will build a web page in the background that anyone can see. If you think this through even a little, you can see how simple it is to maintain a web page that lists publications or news of interest to your colleagues, collaborators, students, constituents....etc.

Follow one of the links below for my public pages built by labeling in Google Reader:

Geofroth: Recent geology articles, news, or blog posts that I find interesting:

http://www.google.com/reader/shared/user/07254380441523988387/label/geofroth

Cartofroth: Recent articles, news, or blog posts about digital mapping and GIS that I find relevant:

http://www.google.com/reader/shared/user/07254380441523988387/label/cartofroth



Google Maps (GM) provides a very useful and efficient vehicle for displaying field photos in their appropriate geographic / geologic context when used in conjunction with geotagged photos stored in Picasa online photo albums. You do know how to (and why to) geotag field photos of key outcrops and geoscapes, don't you? Too bad if you don't (really...too bad). Check the 'subpage' links at the bottom of this page for some examples of the useful interface between Google Maps and geotagged photos. I use them to document my field mapping and observations and use them to assist in compiling maps in the office.


Google Earth (GE). Enough said. If you are a geohead and don't use Google Earth, then I must assume you have written your own, better program. This thing is approaching the ultimate geological tool, especially if you are a geomorphologist or a mapper lucky enough to work in the desert. An amazing teaching and visualization tool that has not seen adequate use by geologists (you know, those scientists who study the earth!). You can play the same games with GE with geotagged photos that you can play with GM.