EarthObserver as iPhone App

Columbia University recently published yet another earth science application for Apple's iPhone. The app is called EarthObserver and is available from Apple's iTunes store. EarthObserver provides

• Basemap (computer-generated color-shaded relief of land and ocean floor)
• US Coastal Bathymetry (with color palette appropriate to provide details of bays, sounds, estuaries, harbors and rivers)
• US Nautical Charts (paper raster and digital electronic at all scales for Atlantic, Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, Bering Sea, Arctic and Great Lakes)
• US Topographic Sheets (entire USGS collection for US mainland, Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico)
• Geologic Maps (entire world, by continent, by country and by US state showing formation ages, names and rock types)
• Geophysical Maps (global earthquakes, tectonic plates and boundaries, gravity anomalies, geoid height, magnetic anomalies and the configuration of world stress)
• Land Surface (temperatures day and night, primary productivity, vegetation index, land cover classifications and diversity, forest cover types and fragmentation)
• NASA Visible Earth (global earth scenes for each month)

And many more. See EarthObserver's homepage for more information.

iGeology - BGS iPhone App

The British Geological Survey (BGS) has published a nice new application for iPhone: a geolgical map of Britain called iGeology. It is for free and with the GPS on board the phone you can find out what rock is below your feet.

• Enter a place name or postcode, or locate yourself with your phone's in-built GPS.
• Pinch open to zoom in.
• Tap on the geological map
• What are you standing on? Deposits from an ice age?
• What is the bedrock beneath the superficial deposits?
• Need a more detailed description? Follow the links to the BGS rock name database (Lexicon) and learn about the different rock formations where you are.

The geological data are served though the BGS Web Map Service (WMS)

Chinese Google Maps alternative provides geological data

Just found at Asia News:

China has launched its official online mapping service, Map World, as Google Inc has yet to apply for a Web mapping license in the country.
The State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping (SBSM) officially unveiled the free online map service on Thursday (October 21). The service will provide "comprehensive geological data", said Xu Deming, director of the SBSM, at the launch ceremony.

The tool which can be found here unfortunately is in Chinese.. so I was not able to find this feature.. Maybe one of you have been more successful?