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Google has revealed an update to the Timelapse feature of Google Earth, which shows how the face of the planet has changed over the last 30 years.
The new version of Timelapse has added four extra years of imagery and data and focuses on a range of what the tech giant calls “compelling locations” that showcase how both the natural and and man-made features of the planet have changed since 1984.
The appearance of the Palm and World islands in Dubai along with the growth of the city itself demonstrate the industry of humanity, but shrinking glaciers show the impact humans are having on the natural landscape.
“Using Google Earth Engine, we combined more than 5,000,000 satellite images—roughly 4 petabytes of data—to create 33 images of the entire planet, one for each year,” Google said.
“For this latest update, we had access to more images from the past, thanks to the Landsat Global Archive Consolidation Program, and fresh images from two new satellites, Landsat 8 and Sentinel-2.”
The new version of the Earth Engine has a series of locations built into it as shortcuts that Google believes best highlight how the Earth has changed, however users can freely explore it.
