After working with non-governmental organisations in the U.S. for the past
18 month, Google Earth Outreach launched its programme in the UK. 

Reuters Technology Correspondent Matt Cowan reports.

  When your product is called Earth and your unit is called outreach, it
stands to reason that your aims are rather far reaching.
 
Rebecca Moore, Head of Google Earth Outreach saying:
"So now in Google Earth, starting today anyone around the world
will see these icons.  Each one of these represents an endangered species and
it will link you to the archive respository of high resolution photographs,
multimedia, video and so on."
 
  With technology as its foundation and altruism its apparent motivation,
Google Earth Outreach is entering new territory by helping non-governmental
organizations in the UK better communicate advocacy messages by facilitating
graphic representations of what is taking place in the most remote regions of
the globe...whether it be deforestation in the Amazon rainforest, or future
climate predictions for European cities.

  Legendary British broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, for one, is
impressed.

Sir David Attenborough, Broadcaster, saying):
  "This is a huge and valuable weapon that has been put in our
hands, put in the hands of anybody and everybody who cares about the future of
this greatly imperiled world."

  Attenborough recounted the story of how he spent months on location in
order to come up with the world's first footage of the Komodo Dragon 50 years
ago.  Now anyone with a computer and the Google Earth application can find
pictures of the exotic species thanks to a new tool - or layer - called
ARKlive, a development he welcomes.

Sir David Attenborough, Broadcaster, saying :
"In the past, if you talked about The Orient, the mystic Orient,
what went on there - very exciting and I could go to places like the island of
Komodo and see things people have never seen before in the west but now we are
having such an effect on the earth that we can't afford that kind of
ignorancing, we can't afford that kind of romancing.  Now we have to take
action.  Now we have to see the consequences of our action and no we have to
know what has to be done and you can only do that if you can see what's going
on."

  But how does this new initiative fit with Google's stated goals?  Rebecca
Moore is the head of Google Earth's Outreach program.

Rebecca Moore, Head of Google Earth Outreach saying:
  "You may know Google's motto 'Don't Be Evil' and we also have our
mission - to organise the world's information and make it universally
available.  This blend's the two beautifully because we're helping these
groups who have some of the most important projects in the world tell their
story, present their information in a much richer way than has ever been
possible before."

  Moore says Google Earth is effectively a new digital storytelling medium,
and with 350 million users worldwide, the potential for people to tell a story
that makes a difference already rivals more established media.

  Matt Cowan, Reuters.