not naively destructive. Most are knowingly sacrificing resources for short term gains - often based upon pressure or information provided by financial beneficiaries of those decisions. The result for them is a self imposed isolation where rationalization can take place in comfort. The impact of their decisions are felt worldwide.

Preferred State: Our preferred state is giving every person on this planet the ability to let their voice be heard and positively impact the decisions that affect them personally. By clearly illustrating results of previous world, local, ground level and future decisions including overall impacts of seemingly isolated events, we can better offer people a transparent and holistic planetary perspective that represents both the macro and micro levels within the same view.

GeoPedia Description
The goal of this project is to inspire a community supported software application using the best of available virtual GIS informatics and enabling simple methods of including data from the semantic web. We can now provide desktop, web and mobile based applications that create 'pictures of understanding' displayed on a living, scientifically accurate globe like nothing else available today. Connecting these views, enabling anyone to gain access to information collected anywhere, we can utilize every available knowledge resource to discover causes of problems in the world, and produce the most effective solutions requiring the least amount of resources to produce long term benefit. Incorporating web page interaction inside the globe application, provides a mechanism for social connectivity that could uncover, fund, and distribute solutions, often before governments are able to act.

The web is living through a few concurrent stages of development. [image 1] GIS on the other hand, has been steadily growing to match computing capabilities and has been slow to find use for every day experience in any meaningful way. [image 2] While the trend is for GIS to become more utilitarian and the regular web to become capable of more intricate knowledge discovery, it is the visionary goal of this application to merge the two. [image 3] We can now promote 'whole system' thinking on a global scale. [image 4]

IMPLICATIONS:
Social:
Individuals are able to send SMS and email messages that display their experiences, needs or observations. Externally, individuals and leadership are able to graphically examine these results and compare them with a myriad of data inputs from various sources such as field researchers, satellite imagery, governmental reports etc.

Environmental:
Databases of environmental hazards correlated with satellite and terrestrial observation will be illustrated along with known implications of existing conditions that can be compared to historical data and imagery. The combination of graphic and statistical information can impart a living sense of what the Earth is actually experiencing and what models forecast will be experienced depending upon decision made. Sensor arrays can inform Agricultural decisions in a changing world climate, making crop location, irrigation and species selection optimized for each locale. GeoScope can make this information available and collect results from other locations enhancing 'lessons learned'. Fire and toxic emissions modeling can be incorporated into the application as plugins.

Political:
Having a multi-sourced (provided by the masses) objective viewpoint brought into a single window will enhance political transparency and enable the 'rest of the world' to see and participate in the struggle for democratic rights and social justice. Internal local political media coverage, financial transaction history, natural resource exploitation and regional ethnic or geopolitical facts can be compared and contrasted to get a clear idea of the localized political challenges and thereby facilitate solution building.

Scientific/Educational:
Our GeoScope makes the understanding of interconnected natural phenomena simply intuitive. As a teaching tool and central repository for sensor data or field surveys it is unparalleled in the local and remote sharing of all manner of scientific understanding, especially in immersive learning environments.

Economical:
Treating commerce as an element of the real world can expand the currently ongoing integration of scientific data to streamline and make human commercial efforts more efficient and environmentally sustainable. Atmospheric and soil data can guide agricultural efforts, provide best aquaculture methodologies, indicate when essential resources are being depleted, and help organize the exploitation of mineral resources in less harmful ways.

Plan of Implementation
Proof of Concept
WorldWind is a geospatial viewer of satellite data that has already accomplished many of the GeoScope goals. [1] This is a crucial moment for the very popular NASA WorldWind (WW) application. Internally, NASA is no longer funding this version of WW (negating almost 15 years of loyal community development). This community has developed the last two versions on their own and would be excited to do more. This is a very effective group of people working mostly for free. By adding key features, WW can serve as a real world testing and feedback tool.

The success of this project will be incrementally confirmed by the following metrics:
1. Create the ability to 'download and install' on any major Operating System with a minimum of user intervention. This means 'single click' install on majority of hardware configurations with intelligent dependency checking and download if required.
2. Inclusion of existing community intelligence in redesign of core application with open source software to provide the most flexible tool with plugin extensibility conforming to standards-based and commonly used formats for geospatial and user supplied data.
3. Modular design of application that enables portable or 'thumb' drive installation, networked cluster processing for shared hardware environment, inclusion of ingenuity from 'self taught' users or those having a minimum of formal programming education.
4. Maintenance of robust user community providing encouragement and support for all levels of user from child learner to adult.
5. Increasing Metrics:
- Number of Add-ons and Plugins developed
- New user/developers gained from expanding install base to non-windows users
- Activity and number of contributors to newly created resources like repositories for pre-packaged Presentations, lesson plans, and data visualizations.
- Number of dedicated users in NGO's and the United Nations providing resources of data and imagery for collective use

6. Future Developments
a. Have established presence in significant international science and educational centers.
b. Continue effective community involvement to generate peer 'buzz'.
c. Maintain the existing 'many to many' network that provides some supportive income for WorldWind Community members.
d. Develop more relationships with commercial users of the WorldWind code to support application development that enhances their business model.
e. Maintain documentation and robust culture of helpful education among peers and mentors within the extended user community.
f. Include an educational pathway geared towards creating GIS and data visualization professionals.

Financing of GeoPedia and Economic Viability:
The existing Open Source community behind WorldWind is impressive, so a great deal can be accomplished with very small monetary input, thus embodying the Trimtab principal. So even before we begin this project, the GeoPedia is an economically viable and self sustainable global solution because it’s foundation is WorldWind. A number of for-profit commercial organizations have found regional uses for WorldWind and provide sponsorship as new features are desired. This should continue to be a replicable model as this tool is endorsed for use in new markets. Additional support would be requested from UN member nations to provide data and server access within the organization and available to entities they designate.

Who will take GeoPedia to the next level:
Team Qualifications:
Om Goeckermann
Mr. Goeckermann has been researching user friendly GIS for environmental activism and education since 1997. He is a third generation fan of RB Fuller's principles, an inventor and artist. He has been watching the WorldWind community closely for nine years.
Marty McCrea
Martin is a 2006 Design Science Graduate with a large vision. His expertise resides in the invention of ideas, concepts and creating on the ground applications to alleviate suffering, encourage innovation. He's an independent invention consultant and one of the three experts within the invention category on AllExperts.com

Strategic partners:
WorldWind Community - Tim van den Hamer, Dan Baker, Maurizio, Bjorn Reppen
Enabling Innovation – Gabriel Grant
OSSIM - Norman Vines
United Nations – UNDP, MDG - Guido Schmidt-Traub
Free Earth Foundation
Open Source Geospatial Consortium

Who will vouch for GeoPedia:
Joe Tojek PhD
Tim van den Hamer

Footnotes:
[1] Link list:
http://www.worldwindcentral.com
http://worldwind.arc.nasa.gov
http://forum.worldwindcentral.com
www.madmappers.com
[2] Roadmap Examples
http://www.worldwindcentral.com/wiki/What%27s_new_in_1.4
http://www.worldwindcentral.com/wiki/Development
• Wiki: To do list
Porting WorldWind
Mac and Linux Port Collaboration
Porting WW
Category:Porting
Windows Mobile (PocketPC) port
Add-ons
Creating add-ons