Indexing Everything that Moves

Seems like the more video games look like real life, the more real life looks like a video game.

Take Google Earth for example and what it can become.  One of my friends, Geoff Baehr, recently made me aware of two things that could be overlayed on Google Earth.  The first is the Automatic Identification System, AIS.  Ships use AIS to communicate their positions to each other as part of the global maritime safety system.  Since December 2004, all ships over 300 tons must carry an AIS system which broadcasts information about the ship to any suitably equipped receiver.  Ships broadcast their identity, position, course, speed and destination so that other ships can take account of their movements.  Basically, Google Earth can show you where every ship is.  Here is a screenshot of the bay area that shows the kind of ship, their destination and estimated arrival time.  Imagine this on Google Earth.

The second is the real-time flight tracking system based on ACARS (Aircraft Communications and Reporting System) and GPS.  This shows the location and destination of every airplane in the U.S.  Here is a snapshot of every American Airlines airplane around O'Hare, at some point in the past

Basically when these two systems are hooked up, Google Earth can show you real time where every ship and airplane in the world is.  If you imagine a little, you can see realistic looking airplanes, that match the image of the actual airplane, and ships will be all over Google Earth. 

What's the consumer application here?  Unknown and undiscovered.  However, once you give the data and the ability to search it people will figure out something useful to do.  Pretty interesting and fun.

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