Google is giving non-profits its latest satellite maps

Skybox for Good map of a minefield-free area in Sri Lanka

Non-profit groups don't often have the luxury of using satellite maps to gauge their progress clearing landmines or saving trees. Getting fresh imagery is typically expensive, if it's an option at all. Google's recent acquisition Skybox wants to fix that with Skybox for Good, a new program that gives non-profits up-to-date satellite photos to help track their work. It's just in beta testing at this point, but a handful of partners are already using the data to see how they're boosting education, protecting the environment and repopulating previously mine-laden areas. The icing on the cake? You can see these maps yourself -- Google and Skybox are publishing all the images on Google Maps under a sharing-friendly Creative Commons license, so you'll know exactly how these noble causes are faring.

Filed under: Internet, Google