Instead of all this stuff, I'd like to see Google use their ML chops to "solve" weather forecasting and deliver ultra accurate predictions a few days ahead.

> Bellwether, a moonshot at Alphabet's X, is using Earth AI to provide hurricane predictions insights for global insurance broker McGill and Partners. This enables McGill's clients to pay claims faster so homeowners can start rebuilding sooner.

Hm, I'm quite skeptical about this claim.

It shifts from map layers to answer “what/where/why now?” rather than just “show me X.”

And the Gemini-in-Google Earth bit could lower the barrier for non-GIS folks.

I have found that using LLMs to generate queries for Overpass (Open street map query language) works really well. Great alternative if you don't care to deal with corporate nonsense.

I have some old screenshots of interesting locations from Google Earth circa 2006-2012 that I've never been able to track down. I wonder if something like this would be capable of geolocating them somehow -- like reverse image search for landscapes.

In 2001 we used Erdas Imagine to do this type of work. It required humans to train the software using heads-up digitizing. Dare I say machine learning on Pentium workstations?

edit, looks like they have ai too now. could be neat to play with after how long has it been. jeesh.

Once Zillow and Redfin start doing this, that will be game-changing

Guess which corporation just announced they're profiting off of the government shutdown of vital environmental and climate agencies? I wonder why they failed to mention any of that in this press release.

Mhh, don't we already have conventional ways of telling where a flodding might happen?