By 2025, half of the world’s population will be living in
water-stressed areas. Already, more than
663 million people
in the world live without clean water. And drought is a major challenge
in geographies ranging from Northern California, which is facing its
worst drought in 1,200 years; to east Africa, where a devastating drought has led to crop failures affecting
an estimated 23 million people.
To address challenges at this scale, we need creative solutions—both to
raise awareness for these issues, and create new interventions to meet
local needs. So this
World Water Day,
we want to highlight a handful of organizations who are using
technologies—like virtual reality, data analysis, and mapping—to make a
difference.
Documenting impact with 360 video
The nonprofit organization
charity:water
uses the power of crowd-fundraising to build wells in communities with
limited access to clean water. Since 2006, they’ve funded more than
19,000 water projects in 24 countries that will serve more than 6
million people. Three years ago, Google.org gave charity:water a
US$5 million grant
to build well sensors that notify local mechanics of the need for
repair—helping ensure ongoing access to clean water and creating new
local jobs.
Today, charity:water is releasing
The Source on YouTube 360, a virtual reality film that documents the before-and-after impact of one of these well projects in Ethiopia.
To
view the video in 360, press play and use the arrows on the cursor in
the upper left-hand corner to look up, down, right and left.
Mapping our waterways with Street View in Google Maps
With California in its worst drought in recorded history, the need to
understand and manage the state’s rivers, lakes, and watersheds is
acute. Environmental organizations like the
Nature Conservancy, California and the
Freshwater Trust
have borrowed the Street View Trekker—used as a backpack and mounted on
a kayak—to capture 360-degree imagery. These images are useful in many
ways; for The Nature Conservancy, the data will provide baseline imagery
to compare forest growth and regrowth over time. The Freshwater Trust
is using the imagery to validate their scientific models of the river,
and prioritize areas for restoration, such as planting of native plant
species along the banks.
The
Freshwater Trust scientist guides the Trekker-mounted kayak down the
Russian River, capturing 360-degree imagery as he floats. Photo Credit:
Brian Kelley of The Freshwater Trust.
For non-scientists, it’s easy to click through on Street View to take in these natural watershed wonders, firsthand. Check out
Independence Lake Preserve and the
Russian River for yourself!
Monitoring clean water with sensors
When it comes to water contamination in rural areas, collecting reliable
data is often one of the biggest challenges. In 2014, a nonprofit
called Associacao O Eco won the
Google Impact Challenge: Brazil with a proposal for a data-collection project called
InfoAmazonia.
The project will deploy a network of sensors that send a text message
to local citizens and officials if contamination is detected. In the
next phase of the project, the organization plans to create an
open-source toolkit and citizen-led initiative that enables local people
to install these sensors, understand their own data, and advocate for a
cleaner water supply.
Two members of the InfoAmazonia team install the Mãe d´água sensor in one of the communities in Santarém, Pará, Brazil.
Water tracking with satellites
Between 2011-2012, Africa endured its
worst drought in 50 years. Without water, crop failures have lead to
malnourishment and displacement across the region.
To help with the relief efforts, we gave a grant to the Regional Centre
for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD) for satellite imaging
technologies to assess crop availability, monitor water quality in Lakes
Victoria and Malawi, and provide data for an early warning system for
floods and fires.
The near real-time data capture has helped local officials make informed
decisions about managing water resources, and addressing food security
in the region.
Examples of data and imagery collected through the satellite system.
Help raise awareness on water issues
This year, water nonprofit
Drop4Drop
is asking people to complete the sentence “W is for…” in order to
raise awareness for the global clean water crisis. To us, “W is for...
Water organizations using tech to make an impact.” The solutions to the
world’s water challenges are complex, and some will take years to
achieve. These organizations are applying technology to these challenges
in new and unique ways, and we’re glad to play a small part.
We encourage you to write your own “W is for…” post and use the hashtag #W4Water to join the conversation on social media.
Posted by Jacquelline Fuller, Google.org
3D artwork drawn in Tilt Brush
One of the best parts about any new medium is just seeing what's possible. So, we brought Tilt Brush to The Lab
at Google Cultural Institute—a space in Paris created to bring tech and
creative communities together to discover new ways to experience art.
Since then, artists from around the world and from every discipline have
come to explore their style in VR for the very first time.
We've already seen some incredible pieces from professional animators,
painters, and street artists, but even casual doodlers can start
painting in seconds. To get inspired, check out #TiltBrush on Twitter
for even more art created with Tilt Brush.
