Google Cloud Platform News

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  Southeast Asian travelers are back
  • sorangutan  

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  Before COVID-19, the countries of Southeast Asia were some of the world’s most popular travel destinations. The pandemic changed that in a matter of months — with devastating repercussions for the region’s $380 billion tourism industry. In early 2022, though, the tide started to turn again. Southeast Asian nations have eased travel restrictions, and the region’s travelers are eager to make up for lost time. They’re committed to traveling more frequently, open to new destinations, and determined to make the most of the opportunities that are now opening up.

  To understand these travelers’ preferences and expectations — and the opportunity that resurgent demand creates for the region’s tourism operators — we took a closer look at some recent Google Search trends.

  Resurgent demand

  In Southeast Asia, inbound travel demand – visits by non-residents to a country – has experienced the fastest upturn in the Philippines and Indonesia, based on search volumes. In March, inbound demand for the Philippines had already surpassed pre-pandemic figures (hitting 104% of pre-pandemic search volumes), while Indonesia is close to a full rebound too (94%). These two countries have also seen the fastest resurgence in outbound travel – visits by their residents to other countries – with search volumes bouncing back to 70% of pre-pandemic levels. Singapore is in third place for both inbound and outbound travel demand.

  

  Travelers crave luxury and care about sustainability

  While the surge in demand is welcome, it’s important that the industry understands and caters to travelers’ changing needs. Search trends make it clear that the travel environment today is more complex than it was before the pandemic.

  • People are spending more time researching, planning and finding options, seeking peace of mind, and making sure they’re covered for unexpected changes. We saw year-on-year growth of more than 165% in travel insurance-related searches in Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines.
  • Tourists are keen to stay longer when they do travel: interest in vacation rentals among Southeast Asian travelers rose by more than 1010% year-on-year.
  • “Revenge travelers” — those most eager to make up for lost time — are ready to pay for premium travel options. Among travelers from the Philippines, searches for “luxury resorts” and “beach resorts” are up 60% year on year.
  • There's growing consciousness of sustainability across the region — and particularly in Singapore and the Philippines. Searches related to sustainability have grown by 45% since 2019, while searches related to greenhouse gas emissions have increased by more than 163% in Singapore and by more than 156% in the Philippines.

  How we’re adapting Google tools to help

  We’re committed to helping travelers find the long-awaited travel experience they’re looking for, while navigating the complex environment. On Google Travel, the Flights, Hotels and Things to Do sections now provide more information on COVID — and give travelers the option to search for flexible booking options. The Google Travel Help website makes it easier for people to understand travel policies, restrictions, and special requirements. And for travelers seeking out new experiences, we’ve added more destinations to the Explore tab — including smaller cities and national parks — and options to filter by interests like outdoors, beaches or skiing.

  We’re also helping travelers make more sustainable choices when they research and book, including giving hotels the ability to show an eco-certified badge next to their name and share details about their sustainability practices, plus providing carbon emission estimates for flights.

  Supporting the industry recovery

  In addition to evolving our tools for travelers, we’re doing a lot of work to help our industry partners tap into travel insights and plan for the future. Using Travel Insights with Google, businesses, governments and tourism boards can make decisions based on up-to-date information and move quickly when an opportunity arises.

  To help smaller businesses in the travel industry reach potential customers on a large scale, we’ve made it possible for all hotels and travel companies to show free booking links in their profiles — and see how many people clicked on those links by generating reports on Hotel Center.

  This is a pivotal time for the industry. People are finally booking trips, having dreamed about it (and saved up for it) for so long. They have higher expectations, including for seamless digital experiences throughout their journey. But they’re ready to spend more money and time on travel than they would have in the past. And the resurgent demand we see in Southeast Asia is just the beginning, with major destinations like China and Japan yet to re-open.

  Looking ahead, there’s an enormous opportunity for travel businesses who can understand their customers and give them relevant, personalized experiences. We’ll keep doing everything we can to help, and to contribute to a strong, sustainable travel recovery across the region.

  
  
  https://blog.google/around-the-globe/google-asia/travel-sea/
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  Sculpt, sketch and see the world in new cultural games
  • sorangutan  

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  Creating new and engaging ways for you to learn about the world's art, culture, and history has always been the focus of the creative coders and artists in residence at the Google Arts & Culture Lab. Play can be an incredible vehicle for learning which is why in 2021 the team launched “Play with Arts & Culture”, a series of puzzle and trivia games that made it fun to discover and learn about cultural treasures from our partners’ collections. Today, you are invited to try four new games which will challenge you to learn through play. Simply visit g.co/artgames or press the Play tab (it looks like this 🎮) within the Google Arts & Culture app for Android and iOS .

  Set your personal best score

  All four of these games will let you earn and save High Scores. If you’re logged in to Google Arts & Culture, your best score for each game will be automatically saved and synced across your devices and displayed on the Play page so you never lose track of your personal best. When you beat your record, a congratulatory notification will let you share your high score with friends and challenge them to do better.

  We hope you’ll have a lot of fun discovering Arts & Culture through our latest collection of games and learn something interesting along the way. Get playing and start setting your high scores today at g.co/artgames or in the Play tab (it looks like this 🎮) on the Google Arts & Culture app for Android and iOS.

  
  
  https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/arts-culture/sculpt-sketch-and-see-the-world-in-new-cultural-games/
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  The urgent necessity of enacting a national privacy law
  • sorangutan  

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  The following is adapted from remarks delivered by Kent Walker, President of Global Affairs, at Beyond the Basics: The Many Pillars of U.S. Privacy Law, an event hosted by R Street Institute at The National Press Club in Washington, DC. Google also published an accompanying white paperon Responsible Data Practices.

  Information is all around us. Americans sometimes take it for granted, but from the moment we walk out our front doors, information powers everything we do.

  After a two-years-and-counting pandemic, when people have taken to tech at an unprecedented pace, they’re more aware of both the possibilities and the privacy challenges.

  They may have even heard about the shadowy world of data brokers who buy and sell information to actors they’ve never heard of, for purposes that they can’t see or control, in ways that may risk their privacy and security.

  And they may have a greater appreciation for the need for consistency across the country — not a patchwork of 50 different state laws, but a law that organizations and people can rely on as they go about their daily lives

  There is a range of views when it comes to technology and technology regulation. But when it comes to national privacy regulation, there is a clear consensus: Americans want it.

  A Pew Research poll found that 75 percent of people support government regulation of consumer data.

  And the absence of a comprehensive federal privacy law has left a vacuum that states are trying to fill by scrambling to pass their own, often inconsistent, laws — a trend that actually risks fragmenting consumer protections.

  People are counting on all of us to address this issue — and fast. The good news is that after many years of discussion, today, there seems to be a growing consensus on this. We are starting to see interest from both parties, from many different constituencies. They are coming together on how to do this well.

  President Biden in his State of the Union address highlighted the importance of privacy, and there are growing reports that Congress is making progress toward comprehensive privacy legislation. We’ve long supported that goal, and we welcome the forward movement.

  When data is misused, when consumers find their trust is misplaced, it hurts not just the whole digital ecosystem, but the potential for future innovation.

  And let me be clear: We at Google get it, and we’ve rethought and adapted our own approaches to product development to promote privacy and security.

  For example, because digital services should keep your information for only as long as you find it helpful, we introduced auto-delete controls to let you easily delete your location history, web history, and YouTube history.

  Try to do that with any other business that holds data about you.

  We were the first platform to make it easy for people to download or transfer personal data when they want to switch to other services.

  And today, we keep more people safe online than anyone else in the world — because if it’s not secure, it’s not private.

  To set new standards for responsible data use, we’ve also done what we do best – built new technological solutions, investing in privacy-preserving technologies.

  Privacy-preserving technologies don’t just promote privacy by design, they achieve privacy through innovation. They help us minimize the collection of identifying data. They reduce the risk of data being misused — without undermining the tremendous value that people get from information services.

  As an example, at the start of COVID, we had an unprecedented partnership with Apple to develop Exposure Notifications, helping public health authorities supplement contact-tracing. Our North Star had to be designing a system with privacy protections baked in. So we worked with public health officials, privacy experts, regulators, used our most advanced technology to keep data safe, and established strict guidelines – all of which built public trust and adoption, saving thousands of lives.

  Now we’ve got a complex business, and we haven’t always gotten everything right, but we’ve learned from those experiences, and we know what’s possible when private industry and regulators work together.

  Of course it’s not enough for some organizations to operate responsibly — we need a law that establishes consistent rules and reins in bad actors.

  So how do we do that? What’s the best path forward?

  We're not focused on pie-in-the-sky proposals like creating an entirely new agency to regulate all the different uses of digital tools. We don’t want snappy soundbites; we want sound solutions.

  The reality is that all companies are becoming digital companies, each with the potential to create new technologies and use information in new ways. We need consistent rules across the economy, and across the country.

  Instead of chasing theoretical approaches, we want to support the practical, real-world privacy work already being done by Congress.

  Current legislative privacy proposals like the ones put forward by Senators Cantwell and Wicker reflect important areas of agreement on the practical points that matter to people. And we hope they will work closely with Chairman Pallone and Ranking Member McMorris Rodgers to move legislation through the committees expeditiously.

  We can build on the work that has already happened in this space, like proposals put forward by Senators Cortez Masto and Fischer and Representatives Stevens and Gonzalez to promote privacy-preserving technologies.

  With the right leadership from the White House and leadership in Congress, we can get this done – this year.

  So what are the sticking points? Issues like when and how consumers can file suit? The scope of FTC rulemaking? How federal and state laws will work together?

  Those issues are debated in some form nearly every time Congress passes new business regulations, including the sectoral privacy laws Congress has already passed. So, none of this is new or unresolvable. With the right working group and some reasonable compromises, these points can be reconciled.

  In fact, those conversations are already happening. Of course there has been no shortage of positions when it comes to privacy, ranging from ideas of notice and choice to proposals around new duties of care or loyalty.

  One possible finesse would be a responsible data approach that works in practice, across a growing digital economy.

  For example, we could start by giving consumers reasonable baseline assurances around transparency and control.

  And we could build on that, by requiring responsible data practices — like privacy reviews and data minimization — that could be easy to implement and promote shared processes for protecting people’s data. Norms around good development processes could improve privacy practices for everyone.

  But the time to act is now.

  A U.S. privacy law would align us all on the privacy measures that people want and promote confidence in U.S. companies and our digital ecosystem.

  It would increase trust in U.S. leadership, as we promote cross-border data flows and compatible, pro-privacy, pro-innovation rules around the world.

  It would give everyone much-needed clarity and consistency so that organizations spend less time trying to navigate inconsistent rules and more time preventing harm and responsibly innovating – the kind of work that yields research breakthroughs and a stronger U.S. economy.

  There’s no question that getting it done will take thoughtful compromises. Compromises by different groups in Congress. Compromises by advocates. And compromises by companies, including Google, who are used to doing business in certain ways. But that’s what we need to get this done.

  Whatever final legislation comes out of the negotiations won’t be perfect, and it won’t address every concern. But we urge both businesses and advocates not to make the perfect the enemy of the good. Or of better, more consistent protections for all Americans.

  In closing, I’ll say this: Google is an engineering company — and we look at problems from an engineering perspective. When we spot an issue with our services, we make fixing it a priority, and we often move engineers from other projects to help.

  This is that all-hands-on-deck moment for privacy.

  The vast majority of Americans want a federal privacy law. In fact, we’ve never seen such broad-based, bipartisan consensus about the need for that law.

  It’s a moment for Congress to come together, on a bipartisan basis, and deliver for the American people.

  Lawmakers and regulators face an important challenge, and an important opportunity. We pledge our support for that effort, and we hope that a broad cross-section of stakeholders will join together in support of their work.

  
  
  https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/public-policy/the-urgent-necessity-of-enacting-a-national-privacy-law/
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  A brief history of vaccination
  • sorangutan  

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  Since at least the 1400s, people have looked for ways to protect themselves against infectious diseases. From the practice of “variolation” in the 15th century to today’s mRNA vaccines, immunization has a long history. Integral to that history has been the World Health Organization (WHO), whose global vaccine drives through the 20th and 21st centuries have played such a crucial role in reducing serious illness. For World Immunization Week, WHO has teamed up with Google Arts & Culture and scientific institutions from around the world to bring this history vividly to life with A Brief History of Vaccination.

  From insufflation to vaccination

  Looking back at the history of vaccination, with detailed stories drawn from medical archives, you’ll discover how we arrived at the jabs that have saved lives across the world. While you’ll encounter famous pioneers like Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, Edward Jenner and Louis Pasteur, you’ll also learn that vaccination has a much older history. In 15th-century China, for instance, there existed the practice of “insufflation” – blowing dried smallpox scabs into the nostril with a pipe to prevent natural smallpox which was far more dangerous.

  It was in the 20th century that earlier discoveries really started to bear fruit. Smallpox was eradicated globally and vaccines for polio, measles, influenza, hepatitis B, meningitis and many other diseases were developed. It was also the century that saw the inauguration of the WHO, and its vital “Expanded Programme on Immunization”, which opened up a truly global front against vaccine-preventable diseases. A Brief History of Vaccination helps you to experience these great advances, through photos, archive footage, and historic scientific documents.

  There are also those whose stories aren’t so well known, which nevertheless deserve to be told. You’ll learn about the enlightened Grand Duke of Tuscany who experimented with inoculation in the 18th century. Also featured here are the Mexican authorities whose efforts to defeat smallpox in the 19th century were ahead of their time.

  • Painting of a man inspecting a glass bottle while leaning on a table stacked with scientific instruments

    Louis Pasteur in his laboratory, from the collection of Institut Pasteur

  • A photograph of two women talking outside a vaccination room holding a child

    Vaccination campaign in Nigeria, from the collection of Fundación Princesa de Asturias

  • A painting of a man getting vaccinated with a syringe by a doctor, in a room full of people.

    Vaccination, an introduction from the collection of National Council of Science Museum

  • A large painted poster with several small sections showing activities related to the Smallpox Eradication Programme

    Ethiopian poster illustrating the activities of the Smallpox Eradication Programme, from the collection of World Health Organization

  Unfinished history

  Of course, the struggle against infectious disease is ongoing. During the COVID-19 pandemic, new stories emerged of ingenuity and resilience against the odds. You’ll learn of the heroism of Spanish and British health workers, and the man from Uttarakhand who became a one-man ambulance service in the remote mountain villages of northern India.

  As authorities and communities around the world have strived to contain the pandemic, it has become ever more apparent that education is key to any successful vaccination programme. With this in mind, educators can find a clear and accessible lesson plan here that will provide learners with useful information about vaccination history.

  Through A Brief History of Vaccination we learn, above all, that our fight against infectious diseases has united people across continents and cultures. As Louis Pasteur observed, “Science knows no country, because knowledge belongs to humanity, and is the torch which illuminates the world.”

  Read Article

  Explore millennia of human inventions in one exhibition

  Now on Google Arts & Culture, you can explore a tribute to the stories of humanity’s greatest inventions and discoveries.

  Read Article

  
  
  https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/arts-culture/a-brief-history-of-vaccination/
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  Meet 11 startups working to combat climate change
  • sorangutan  

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  We believe that technology and entrepreneurship can help avert the world’s climate crisis. Startup founders are using tools — from machine learning to mobile platforms to large scale data processing — to accelerate the change to a low-carbon economy. As part ofGoogle’s commitment to address climate change, we’ll continue to invest in the technologists and entrepreneurs who are working to build climate solutions.

  So this Earth Day, we’re announcing the second Google for Startups Accelerator: Climate Change cohort. This ten-week program consists of intensive workshops and expert mentorship designed to help growth-stage, sustainability-focused startups learn technical, product and leadership best practices. Meet the 11 selected startups using technology to better our planet:

  • AmpUpin Cupertino, California: AmpUp is an electric vehicle (EV) software company and network provider that helps drivers, hosts, and fleets to charge stress-free.
  • Carbon Limitin Boca Raton, Florida: Carbon Limit transforms concrete into a CO2 sponge with green cement nanotechnology, turning roads and buildings into permanent CO2 solutions.
  • ChargeNet Stationsin Los Angeles, California: ChargeNet Stations aims to make charging accessible and convenient in all communities, preventing greenhouse gas emissions through use of PV + storage.
  • ChargerHelp!In Los Angeles, California: ChargerHelp! provides on-demand repair of electric vehicle charging stations, while also building out local workforces, removing barriers and creating economic mobility within all communities.
  • CO-Zin Boulder, Colorado: CO-Z accelerates electricity decarbonization and empowers renters, homeowners and businesses with advanced control, automated savings and power failure protection.
  • Community Energy Labsin Portland, Oregon: Community Energy Labs uses artificial intelligence to make smart energy management and decarbonization both accessible and affordable for community building owners.
  • Moment Energyin Vancouver, British Columbia: Moment Energy repurposes retired electric vehicle (EV) batteries to provide clean, affordable and reliable energy storage.
  • Mi Terroin City of Industry, California: Mi Terro is a synthetic biology and advanced material company that creates home compostable, plastic-alternative biomaterials made from plant-based agricultural waste.
  • Nithioin Washington, DC: Nithio is an AI-driven platform for clean energy investment that standardizes credit risk to catalyze capital to address climate change and achieve universal energy access.
  • Re Companyin New York City, New York: Re Company is a reusable packaging subscription service that supplies reuse systems with optimally designed containers and cycles them back into the supply chain at end of life.
  • Understoryin Pacific Grove, California: Understory rapidly monitors and quantifies discrete landscape changes to mitigate the effects of environmental change and deliver actionable information for land management, habitat conservation and climate risk assessment.

  When the program kicks off this summer, startups will receive mentoring and technical support tailored to their business through a mix of one-to-one and one-to-many learning sessions, both remotely and in-person, from Google engineers and external experts. Stay tuned on Google for Startups social channels to see their experience unfold over the next three months.

  Learn more about Google for Startups Accelerator here, and the latest on Google’s commitment to sustainability here.

  
  
  https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/entrepreneurs/meet-11-startups-working-to-combat-climate-change/
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  Get more out of the Google app
  • sorangutan  

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  There’s a lot you can do with the Google app – from immersing yourself in 3D augmented reality to sending a message to loved ones and searching for fashion inspiration. Here are a few of our favorite ways to use the Google app for Android and iOS to search for information and get things done through text, your voice or even your phone’s camera.

  Go beyond the search box

  With the Google app, you can go beyond using text to find information and inspiration in a variety of helpful and innovative ways. For example, you can:

  • Search with text and images at the same time: With multisearch in Lens, you can now use text and images at the same time to search for those hard to express queries. To get started, simply open up the Google app on Android or iOS, tap the Lens camera icon and either search one of your screenshots or snap a photo of the world around you, like the stylish orange dress that you actually want in green. Then, swipe up and tap the "+ Add to your search" button to add text.

  • Speak – or hum! – to Search: In addition to searching with your camera, you can also use your voice to search on the Google app instead of typing. Just tap the mic icon and say whatever it is you want to search for on Google. What about if you can’t remember the name of a song or the words, but the tune is stuck in your head? The Google app can help you figure it out. Tap the mic icon and say, “What's this song?” or click the “Search a song” button. Then start humming, whistling or singing for 10-15 seconds. Don’t worry, you don’t need perfect pitch to use this feature!

  

  • Keep up with your interests: With Discover, you can get updates for your interests, like your favorite sports teams, celebrities, fitness routines, and more. If you have personal results enabled, you can follow and unfollow topics and browse through a visual and immersive set of stories and updates tailored to your interests. You can read more about how to customize what you find in Discover on our support page. And you can save links, images, and places from Google search results to Collections within the app to easily find them later.

  Stay organized and save time

  With the Google app, you can knock out important tasks quickly and easily to take your productivity to the next level.

  • Keep your calendar updated: You can create Calendar events using Google Assistant, and also see Calendar updates, like important meetings that are upcoming. You can also get notifications when it’s time to leave for your event.
  • Copy your handwritten notes: If you’ve taken notes on paper, you can use Lens to quickly copy and paste the text to your phone, or to another signed-in device with Chrome like your computer. No more retyping those handwritten notes!

  

  • Make calls and texts: Want to get in touch with someone quickly? The Google app lets you use Google Assistant to send messages (or make calls) with your voice – no need to even open up your texts to type something out.
  • Simplify your checkout: Forgot to order a cooler for your upcoming camping trip? With the Google app, you can autofill saved info – like your addresses or payment info – for a seamless checkout.

  Learn new facts, concepts and skills

  There are many ways you can use the Google app to help you learn new things – immersing yourself in new concepts and getting help breaking down complex problems.

  • Translate: Learning a new language, or did you come across a photo with text in another language? Lens can translate more than 100 languages, such as Spanish and Arabic, and you can tap to hear words and sentences pronounced out loud.

  

  • Get homework help: You can use Lens to get help on a homework problem. With step-by-step guides and videos, you can learn and understand the foundational concepts to solve math, chemistry, biology and physics problems.
  • Immerse yourself in AR: Augmented reality is also a powerful tool for visual learning. With Lens, you can view and interact with 3D objects and concepts – from animals, to STEM concepts, to world monuments, to your favorite athletes – right from Search. Placing these 3D objects directly into your own space can give you a sense of scale and detail.

  

  The Google app offers the best way to search – enabling you to go beyond the search box to uncover new information, enhance your productivity, and have fun along the way.

  
  
  https://blog.google/products/search/google-app-tips/
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  For Earth Day, an update on our commitments
  • sorangutan  

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  In 2020, as part of our third decade of climate action, we established a bold set of goals to help build a carbon-free future for everyone. Today on Earth Day, we’re sharing recent progress we’ve made including new investments to help partners address climate change, product updates that allow everyone to make sustainable choices and highlights from our journey to net zero.

  Helping our partners address climate change

  To provide deeper insights into climate change data — like increased food insecurity, the nexus of health and climate and extreme weather events — we need to enable everyone to create solutions. We’ve continued to provide organizations, policymakers, researchers and more with the data, technology and resources they need to address climate change. Today we announced that Data Commons — our open-source platform built to organize public data and enable standardized, universal access to anyone — is now one of the world's largest knowledge graphs on sustainability. Data Commons has grown to include more than 100 data sources about the climate, health, food, crops, shelter, emissions and more.

  Other initiatives we’ve recently announced to help partners include:

  • A Google.org Sustainability Seed Fund in Asia Pacific: This new $6 million fund provides organizations in areas experiencing the brunt of climate change with additional resources to address issues like air quality, water preservation and renewable energy access.
  • Our research shows, 75% of companies think technology will play a key role in their ability to reach sustainability goals: Our recent Google Cloud survey of nearly 1,500 executives across 16 countries found that sustainability tops business priorities, but few business leaders know how to begin or measure impact.
  • Helping build a free carbon calculator for businesses: For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) finding the resources to measure and manage emissions is challenging. We partnered with the Sweden-based company Normative to provide funding and support to develop a free Business Carbon Calculator that is now available through the UN Race to Zero backed SME Climate Hub.

  Helping everyone make more sustainable choices

  Individuals are also looking for ways to take care of the planet. We’ve been looking at building more ways for our products to give people access to the information and tools needed to make more sustainable choices.

  Today, when you go to Google.com, you’ll see timelapse imagery from Google Earth Timelapse and other environmental organizations that illustrates the effects of climate change. This is part of our ongoing efforts to spotlight the impact of climate disasters and help people learn what actions they can take to minimize the effects. Last October, we partnered with the United Nations to make it easier for people to find climate change information. When you search for ‘climate change’ in certain languages, you’ll see information panels and visuals on the causes and effects of climate change and individual actions they can take to live more sustainably. This was already available in English, French and Spanish, and today we expanded to include Arabic, Chinese, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Thai and Vietnamese.

  Here are more ways our products are helping people make sustainable choices:

  • Saving energy with Nest: Since Nest launched its first smart thermostat over ten years ago, it has helped people save nearly 100 billion kilowatt-hours of energy — that’s enough energy to light up the entire planet for ten days! Now compatible Nest thermostats can do even more with Nest Renew, a thermostat service announced last year in the U.S. When Nest Renew customers take actions at home that save energy, they earn ‘Leafs’. Once customers reach Leaf milestones, they can vote to direct funds to one of our Energy Impact Program partners, Elevate and GRID Alternatives. These funds have gone toward energy-efficient upgrades to affordable housing in Chicago and the expansion of solar installation programs in California. Nest Renew is currently available in early preview, sign up to join the waitlist.
  • More sustainable transportation options: Over ten years ago, cycling directions came to Google Maps. Today, it’s available in over 30 countries. In 2021 alone we added over 170,000 kilometers of bike lanes and bikeable roads, bringing more options to people looking for sustainable transportation alternatives.

  Building a carbon-free future at Google

  Lastly, we’ve always believed that to enable others we need to be leaders in the way we address our impact on the planet. In October, we set a goal to achieve net-zero emissions across all of our operations and value chain, including our consumer hardware products, by 2030. We aim to reduce the majority of our emissions (versus our 2019 baseline) before 2030, and plan to invest in nature-based and technology-based carbon removal solutions to neutralize our remaining emissions.

  We’ve recently shared more on how we’re driving toward net zero:

  • 24/7 carbon-free energy priorities: For emissions associated with powering our data centers and offices, we have an ambitious goal to operate on 24/7 carbon-free energy by 2030. This will require new technology to help with grid decarbonization, like our first-ever battery-based system for backup power at a hyperscale data center that is now operational in Belgium. Additionally, governments will need policies that speed up the transition to clean energy. Last week, we published a roadmap outlining policy priorities ​​that accelerate the decarbonization of electricity grids across the world and our commitment to advancing them.
  • Investing in carbon removals and carbon markets innovation: Beyond our value chain, we’ll build on our leadership in high-impact methane reduction and destruction projects. We’ll also invest in emerging companies developing technology-based and nature-based carbon removal solutions, like our recent $200 million limited partnership in Frontier. And we will help strengthen carbon markets through our Google.org contribution to Gold Standard’s digitization efforts and our $2 million contribution to the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Markets.

  We all have to act now and act together if we’re going to avert the worst effects of climate change. At Google, one of the most powerful things we can do is build technology that allows us, partners and individuals to take meaningful action. We plan to continue this critical work and do what we can to protect the planet.

  
  
  https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/sustainability/earth-day-2022/
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  Data Commons: Making sustainability data accessible
  • sorangutan  

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  At Google, we believe that giving everyone easy access to data can be revolutionary — especially when it comes to solving the world’s most pressing problems like climate change.

  Take Google Maps for example. Before Google Maps, information — like satellite imagery, maps of roads and information about businesses — was found in different places. Google Maps brings all this helpful information together, so people can use it not only to navigate and explore the world with ease, but also to find solutions to problems facing their communities. We’ve seen people use Google Maps to help do everything from giving communities access to emergency food services to fighting the opioid crisis by highlighting drug drop-off centers.

  Despite the critical urgency to combat the effects of climate change, finding data around sustainability is where mapping data was 15 years ago. It’s fragmented across thousands of silos, in a cacophony of schemas, and across a multitude of databases. In 2017, we started the Data Commons project to organize all this data to create standardized, universal access for consumers, journalists, policymakers and researchers. Today, Data Commons is one of the world's largest Knowledge Graphs on sustainability, spanning more than 100 new sources of data about climate, health, food, crops, shelter, emissions and more.

  The graph contains nearly 3 billion time series across over 100,000 variables about 2.9 million places. Anyone can access, explore and understand this data using Google Search or our free dashboards and visualization tools. Or they can use our open and free APIs to build new tools based on this data. For enterprise customers, this data is available via Data Commons on the BigQuery Analytics Hub.

  

  The Data Commons Knowledge Graph is a single knowledge graph that includes more than 100 sources of sustainability data and more.

  Connecting the dots on climate data

  The effects of climate change are going to worsen food insecurity, health outcomes, economic inequities and other social issues. There is a dire need to create data-driven solutions that can mitigate these effects so we can take collective action. We’re working closely with the broader community — including universities, nonprofits and researchers — to use Data Commons to uncover insights and create solutions. Take a look at some of the work being done:

  • Temperature and health: Professor Arun Majumdar of Stanford University, who was also the Founding Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), is using Data Commons to look at the intersection of temperature and human health. When humidity and temperature reach a critical threshold, the human body can no longer regulate its temperature. Arun and his team are identifying which places will reach this critical threshold first. With this information, local governments can take proactive steps to mitigate these effects, like building infrastructure that provides cooling to communities.
  • Water for everyone: Professor Balaraman Ravindran of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras is working with Data Commons to add India-based data on water quality. With this data, communities can get a better understanding of water use, quality, availability and more.
  • Understanding food scarcity challenges: Feeding America is a nationwide network of 200 member food banks serving tens of millions of people in need in the United States. Data from their annual Map the Meal Gap studyis accessible in Feeding America Data Commons so anyone can explore food security and how it intersects with variables like health, climate and education. For Feeding America, this data allows them to quickly identify U.S. locations where food insecurity is most exacerbated by other root causes of disparities and hardship.

  Our quest to organize the world’s sustainability information

  Climate change is a defining crisis of our time, but together we have the potential to curb its effects. At Google one of the ways we can continue to contribute to solving it is through our mission to organize information and make it easily accessible. Data Commons’ data and code is open source so anyone can use it, and it’s built collaboratively with the global community. Join us in using Data Commons to tackle climate change, and see other progress we’ve made toward the sustainability commitments we made as part of our third decade of climate action.

  Read Article

  Our third decade of climate action: Realizing a carbon-free future

  Sustainability has been a core value for Google since our founding. Now we're going further to help build a carbon-free future for everyone.

  Read Article

  
  
  https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/sustainability/data-commons-sustainability/
• 

  Resilience tips from a Google expert
  • sorangutan  

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  At Google, we define resilience as your ability to respond to and recover from stress. There’s maybe no time where this is more relevant than during a pandemic. Lauren Whitt, Google’s Head of Resilience, and her team spend their days helping Googlers perform at their best.

  This week, to help even more people build their resilience, Lauren and her team launched a new podcast series that anyone can listen to and learn from. The series helps uncover the science behind resilience and high performance, and contains strategies from a wide array of experts to help listeners with whatever challenges they may be facing. We chatted with Lauren about her role, the podcast and expert tips for staying resilient during times of uncertainty.

  How would you describe your job at a dinner party?

  I lead Google’s Global Resilience program. Our team, including coaches based around the world, are focused on helping Googlers reach peak mental performance, maintain their wellbeing and cope with work-related stress. Some ways we do this are through internal speaker series, individual consultations and training programs.

  What’s one thing that you want people to know about stress and resilience?

  Stress is an inevitable aspect of our lives. Extreme levels of stress can lead us to feel overwhelmed and exhausted, but when managed appropriately, moderate stress can actually motivate us to perform at our best.. There are easy ways we can manage stress more effectively. For example, we know that self-awareness is the foundation of behavior change, so one thing we created on our team is what we call the “T.E.A check-in” — as a way for individuals and teams to reflect on their thoughts (T), energy (E) and attention (A).

  How do you deal with stress in your own life?

  For me, enjoying the outdoors plays a huge role in stress management. When the pandemic first started, my family and I relocated to a condo in a Florida Panhandle beach town. It has really provided me with a fresh perspective. Many days, my mornings begin with a walk on the beach listening to a podcast and taking in fresh air. In the evenings, when my husband arrives home from work, we close our laptops and shift to family time. We’ll end our days with a walk on the beach or by watching the sunset.

  You just launched a new podcast on resilience. What can you tell us about it?

  This project has been in the works for a while, and we’re thrilled to finally share it with the world. We’ve paired leading neuroscientists and psychologists with mental performance coaches to uncover the science behind resilience and high performance. Each episode — there are four in total — is filled with strategies that listeners can put into place right now to help them with whatever challenges they may be facing.

  What are some of your favorite tips from the podcast?

  There are so many! One I really love is about how fresh starts are one of the best times for setting new goals. This one is particularly timely as many Googlers just started their hybrid work weeks earlier this month. Many people naturally think about this on January 1 and create resolutions each year, but there are many other moments that provide a fresh start – such as the start of a new week, the start of a new month, the celebration of a birthday or the start of a season. Because we don’t think about time linearly, we create these chapters in our life stories. And when we feel we’re closing one chapter and opening another, we feel a renewed optimism about what we can achieve.

  What are you hoping listeners take away?

  I hope the podcast helps spark new conversations about how to prepare for and thrive in a hybrid work environment. As we move forward in our own hybrid workplace, there are new skills we need to put in place to manage the next era of workplace success. The podcast combines experts discussing the science and coaches who share the practical applications of these initiatives.

  ---

  To listen to the podcast, subscribe via Resilience at Google.

  Read Article

  Tips from Google’s resilience expert on avoiding burnout

  Lauren Whitt, Head of Global Resilience at Google, shares what resilience means, why it’s important to develop it and a few ways you can ...

  Read Article

  
  
  https://blog.google/inside-google/googlers/resilience-podcast/
• 

  New cookie choices in Europe
  • sorangutan  

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  If you’ve visited a website in Europe, chances are you’ve seen a cookie consent banner. Cookies help sites remember information about your visit, so they can do things like display text in your preferred language, make sure you’re a real user and not a pesky bot, or estimate whether or not an ad campaign is working.

  In the past year, regulators who interpret European laws requiring these banners, including data protection authorities in France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain and the U.K., have updated their guidance for compliance. We’re committed to meeting the standards of that updated guidance and have been working with a number of these authorities.

  Based on these conversations and specific direction from France’s Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés (CNIL), we have now completed a full redesign of our approach, including changes to the infrastructure we use to handle cookies.

  

  Our new cookie banners began rolling out earlier this month on YouTube in France and will soon be coming to all Google users in Europe

  Soon, anyone visiting Search and YouTube in Europe while signed out or in Incognito Mode will see a new cookie consent choice. This update, which began rolling out earlier this month on YouTube, will provide you with equal “Reject all” and “Accept all” buttons on the first screen in your preferred language. (You can also still choose to customize your choice in more detail with “More options.”)

  We’ve kicked off the launch in France and will be extending this experience across the rest of the European Economic Area, the U.K. and Switzerland. Before long, users in the region will have a new cookie choice — one that can be accepted or rejected with a single click.

  Not just a new button

  This update meant we needed to re-engineer the way cookies work on Google sites, and to make deep, coordinated changes to critical Google infrastructure. Moreover, we knew that these changes would impact not only Search and YouTube, but also the sites and content creators who use them to help grow their businesses and make a living.

  We believe this update responds to updated regulatory guidance and is aligned with our broader goal of helping build a more sustainable future for the web. We’ve committed to building new privacy-preserving technologies in the Privacy Sandbox for the same reason. We believe it is possible both to protect people’s privacy online and to give companies and developers tools to build thriving digital businesses.

  
  
  https://blog.google/around-the-globe/google-europe/new-cookie-choices-in-europe/
• 

  The city using Google tools for environmental education
  • sorangutan  

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  Since launching Google’s Environmental Insights Explorer (EIE) in 2018, my team and I have seen how data can help local governments develop relevant climate plans.

  EIE is a free tool designed to help measure emission sources and identify strategies to reduce emissions. In Pune City, India, the local government has used data from EIE to better analyze trip emissions. In Australia, Ironbark Sustainability and Beyond Zero Emissions have developed Snapshot Climate, a community climate tool that incorporates EIE transportation and emissions data — and shares it with local councils and other organizations across the country.

  So far, over 320 cities worldwide have made their data available for the public to view through the platform — including West Nusa Tenggara, in Indonesia, the first place in Southeast Asia to adopt EIE.

  While we have seen how EIE has helped cities shape their efforts to reduce emissions using data, that’s not the only benefit that the tool offers. Cities like Yokohama in Japan are also using it to educate their citizens.

  I wanted to learn more about this initiative — so in the lead-up to Earth Day this week, I sat down with Hiroki Miyajima, the Executive Director of the General Affairs Department in the International Affairs Bureau of the City of Yokohama.

  Hiroki-san, it’s wonderful to know that Yokohama City uses Google’s Environmental Insights Explorer (EIE). What motivated the city to use this tool?

  I was introduced to EIE back in 2020 and found it to be an excellent tool with visual capabilities and accessible simulation features for us to understand our city better. As we already had data on greenhouse gas emissions, I saw the tool as a great way to build awareness around sustainability among our citizens.

  Households in Yokohama generate about 25% of our current CO2 emissions. With our mayor having announced a goal of reducing emissions by 50% by 2030, we need to encourage our citizens to change their behavior as we work towards decarbonization. That starts with education, in particular for children and young people: our next generation. We’ve begun incorporating EIE into education programs from junior high school to universities. By exploring EIE, these students can visualize and better understand the impacts of CO2 emissions.

  

  A student using the Environmental Insights Explorer in class.

  What impact have you seen since the education programs have rolled out?

  I’ve heard several anecdotal stories from teachers. After attending one class, a junior high school student commented that he would make sure to turn off unnecessary electricity if he saw no one using the classroom. Another student said he plans to incorporate energy-saving ideas at home and share what he learns with his parents.

  At universities, we see student teams incorporating EIE data into their projects. For instance, one group created a report on promoting the use of electric vehicles and shared their presentation at an international conference held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

  I’m incredibly encouraged knowing that our younger generation cares about their city and this planet. We can motivate them to take practical action through education, no matter how big or small they are. We look forward to bringing EIE to more institutions.

  Why should other cities consider getting on board in using EIE with city planning?

  We’ve been collaborating and supporting urban development projects with emerging cities in Southeast Asia. We’ve noticed that many of these cities have not had the chance to calculate the amount of GHG emissions they generate. One reason for this is that calculating emissions can be time-consuming and requires significant funding. However, using EIE, it’s possible to get insightful data efficiently and effectively.

  If you’re part of a local government and interested in what EIE can do for your community, fill out this formto get in touch with our team, or visit our website.

  
  
  https://blog.google/around-the-globe/google-asia/google-tools-environmental-education/
• 

  Find great extensions with new Chrome Web Store badges
  • sorangutan  

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  Since 2009, publishers have been hard at work building extensions that make Chrome more powerful, useful and customizable for users. It has always been our mission to make it easy for users to find great extensions while recognizing the publishers who create them. Today, we’re announcing two new extension badges to help us deliver on our goal: the Featured badge and the Established Publisher badge. Both badges are live on the Chrome Web Store today.

  Featured badge

  

  The Featured badge is assigned to extensions that follow our technical best practices and meet a high standard of user experience and design. Chrome team members manually evaluate each extension before it receives the badge, paying special attention to the following:

  1. Adherence to Chrome Web Store’s best practices guidelines, including providing an enjoyable and intuitive experience, using the latest platform APIs and respecting the privacy of end-users.
  2. A store listing page that is clear and helpful for users, with quality images and a detailed description.

  Established Publisher badge

  

  The Established Publisher badge showcases publishers who have verified their identity and demonstrated compliance with the developer program policies. This badge is granted to publishers who meet the following two conditions:

  1. The publisher's identity has been verified.
  2. The publisher has established a consistent positive track record with Google services and compliance with the Developer Program Policy.

  As our goal is to help users find great extensions, publishers cannot pay to receive either badge. They can, however, submit a request for their extension to be reviewed to receive the Featured badge in the one-stop support page (under My item → I want to nominate my extension…) .

  If you’re a publisher, learn more about badging and discovery on Chrome Web Store.

  
  
  https://blog.google/products/chrome/find-great-extensions-new-chrome-web-store-badges/
• 

  Humans Behind Search: Hadas, software engineer and trends expert
  • sorangutan  

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  Hadas Jacobi is a software engineer working in Search on Google Trends. Hadas has been with Google, based in Tel Aviv since February 2019. She spoke to The Keyword about how Trends has developed over the years and what may lie ahead for the popular Search feature.

  Can you tell us a bit about how Google Trends works?

  What Google Trends does is take a sample of the searches people make on Google to figure out how high the search interest for a given keyword is at any given time — relative to the total amount of searches. For example, after the now infamous Will Smith Oscars incident, we saw searches for “Will Smith Oscars” increased by 500 times.

  We also make an educated guess about where the searches are coming from, and that’s how we are able to display a map of search interest in different places. We do this based on the data flowing through Google Search day in and day out — so we’re able to see the search interest from 2004 all the way up to just a few minutes ago. This is really helpful in understanding how the interest in different topics changes over time and in different places.

  A lot of researchers and journalists use Trends as sort of an anthropological tool to give them a view into what interests people in private, but may not be in the collective consciousness. For example, you can use Google Trends to help detect local disease outbreaks long before disease control centers detect them, simply by looking at where people were using Google to look up their symptoms.

  What excites you about the future of Trends?

  We’re working a lot on how Google Trends can help the world of journalism. As I mentioned earlier, it gives us this unique view into what interests people. We know journalists use Trends to research their stories, but the tool also gives them insight into what topics people are currently interested in, which allows them to tailor their content to their readers' interests.

  We’re really working on figuring out ways to help journalists enhance their storytelling by making the data more relevant to their needs, exploring ways to make things better, faster and more useful for local journalists.

  What were people searching most for last year?

  First up, “feta pasta.” It was a huge trend last year — and I even made some myself at one point — but seeing that it made the list of top trending five food searches globally did shock me. It can be surprising to see some of your own searches there. There were also a lot of cryptocurrency terms among the top trending searches — things like “ethereum” and “dogecoin.”

  What are the challenges of running a product like Trends?

  Trends is huge in terms of the scale of data that runs through it. We process a sample of the billions of searches that are made every day around the world, and the amount of daily searches just keeps on growing. We also have to be able to make all of this available to Trends users so that they can look up whatever keywords they want for any time and any place.

  It’s pretty crazy the amount of engineering work that has gone into making all this run smoothly over the years — the amount of data grows faster and faster because people are searching more on Google every year. It always amazes me that of the trillions of searches we see every year, 15% are brand new every day.

  Looking at Search as a whole, what direction do you see the product taking in the future?
  
  I can certainly talk about what I’d like to see. I love it when it feels like the technology just gets me and knows what I’d like to do next. For example, when searching for a TV show, Search brings up the cast because it just knows that it’s something I might instinctually be interested in.

  I’d like to see this mature into other areas. For example, Search could suggest related topics or other things I might be interested in based on my habits and what I just searched. Essentially anything that helps me to continue exploring my curiosities around a particular search I would love.

  So if I searched for “weekend hike” it would suggest “local wildlife field guide” and then “baby deer season” because it’s possible I might be interested in that without even knowing that I was. So for me, I’d love to see a continuation of timely, topical suggestions as you go.

  
  
  https://blog.google/products/search/humans-behind-search-trends-hadas/
• 

  Transforming Miami into the tech hub of the Americas
  • sorangutan  

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  As the “gateway to Latin America,” it’s no wonder more entrepreneurs from around the world are choosing to build and grow their businesses in Miami. Florida added 119,000 jobs in the tech and e-commerce industries between 2017 and 2021, and Miami startups raised close to $1 billion in venture funding in 2020 alone.

  Ever since establishing local operations in Miami more than ten years ago, Google has been proud to help make tech entrepreneurship accessible in the Sunshine State. In 2021, Google helped provide $31 billion of economic activity for hundreds of thousands of Florida businesses, hosted aSales Academy for Florida entrepreneurs, and most recently, announced a partnership with Miami-Dade County to help train low-income residents for in-demand tech jobs.

  While Miami is quickly establishing itself as a global tech hub, we need to continue bridging divides to build a sustainable and inclusive startup community. Yesterday at the annual eMerge Americas summit — which, along with Miami Tech Summit, is the cornerstone of the ongoing Miami Tech Week — Google for Startups announced it is partnering with eMerge Americas over the next year to deepen Google’s support for the Latino founder community across the Americas. eMerge Americas is a leading organization growing the South Florida entrepreneurial and tech world through year-round executive summits, innovation challenges, startup pitch competitions, masterclasses and webinars. Our partnership will bring the best of Google’s products, programming and expertise to eMerge startups, and will help connect the Latin American and U.S. markets by combining our networks of support.

  As part of our announcement, I was personally honored to name two of the first recipients of the Google for Startups Latino Founders Fund, an award we introduced last year as part of a$7 million commitment to the Latino startup community. Dani Vega and Francisco Cornejo, co-founders of Storybook, an app that helps parents combine bedtime stories with infant massage to improve sleep in babies and children, will receive $100,000 in non-dilutive cash funding. Originally from Ecuador and now both Miami residents and active members of the eMerge community, Dani and Francisco will also receive Cloud credits and hands-on Google programming and support to help bring Storybook resources to families around the world. We look forward to working with Storybook, and are excited to announce the other recipients of the Google for Startups Latino Founders Fund later this year.

  By connecting the dots — between talent, capital, partner organizations like eMerge Americas and entrepreneurs like Dani and Francisco — we can foster the kind of diverse startup communities that fuel innovation and create opportunity, in Miami, Latin America and beyond.

  
  
  https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/entrepreneurs/miami-tech-hub/
• 

  Stay on top of your money with Google
  • sorangutan  

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  Staying on top of your finances can be tricky and confusing. With a ton of information available, it’s tough to know where to start — or what information to trust — when it comes to managing your money and learning about finance.

  People come to Google to ask questions about a wide range of financial topics, from budgeting, home ownership and unemployment benefits to digital currencies and investment trends. April marks Financial Literacy Month, so here are some quick and easy ways Google can help you take stock of your money.

  Check the source

  Search interest in “how to become a crypto millionaire” increased by 3,500% in the past year across the U.S. There’s a lot of buzz about ways to make money and new investment options, and it can be difficult to decide what information is trustworthy. If you’re looking into a new digital currency, searching for investment tips, or just want some peace of mind about financial topics, it’s important to get information from a reliable source. With the About This Result feature on Google Search, you can quickly and easily learn about sources to get a sense of how they describe themselves, and how other people on the web describe them. You can also get additional context about the topic you’re looking up, like top news coverage, to see what a wide range of sources have to say.

  

  Balance your budget

  In the last year, many of our top “how to” money questions on Search were asking how to do important life tasks — like eat healthy, plan a wedding or travel — on a budget. One of the best places to start is by looking at how much you’re spending. Google Sheets can be a great tool for recording your monthly expenses, income and investments, and more to understand your financial footprint. You can start from scratch on a Sheet or use templates to do things like build your budget from the ground up, manage a financial to-do list and track your finances.

  Take it one step further by using the Google Pay app to track your spending in real time. You can see your spending by category or business. For example, if you search for “food,” you will see a list of all your transactions related to food. You can get even more specific, for example searching for “juice” or for a specific business like your favorite juice or smoothie bar. You can also quickly see which bills you have coming up and keep track of all your recurring subscriptions, to help you trim your expenses for that dream vacation. Google Pay also lets you pull receipts from your Gmail or Google Photos accounts, keeping all your finances organized in one place.

  

  Do your home-owning homework

  Home ownership is an important goal for many people across the U.S. In fact, search interest in “should I buy a house in 2022” increased by 1,800% in the US this past year. For people looking for mortgages, it’s easy to find digestible and helpful information on this complex topic right on Search.

  When you search for “mortgage process,” you’ll find easy-to-follow steps to help guide you, wherever you may be in the mortgage process. Our feature connects you to helpful news articles, industry definitions and terms and a calculator to help you understand what your monthly payments might be. This mortgage information is provided by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

  Understand your options

  Across the country, many people have faced changes in their employment situation, and getting help isn’t always easy. Information about unemployment benefits eligibility and other government services can be hard to understand, making it difficult to navigate the process and make informed decisions about your financial situation. When looking online for unemployment benefits, we have updated our search experience to make it easy to get information on eligibility, how to apply, and get locally relevant resources for your situation.

  
  
  https://blog.google/products/search/stay-top-your-money-google/
• 

  Preserving cultural heritage worldwide
  • sorangutan  

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  This article was also published on the U.S. Department of State website.

  Have you ever wanted to explore a cultural heritage site in another country, but didn’t know where to start? There’s a platform for that! On World Heritage Day, we invite you to join the U.S. Department of State’s Cultural Heritage Center for a virtual exploration of our heritage preservation projects at sites around the world. Whether you’re a student in Indonesia, a museum curator in Egypt, a teacher in my home state of South Carolina, or an aspiring archaeologist in Argentina, you can now access heritage sites around the world through Google Arts & Culture. We’re excited to partner with Google Arts & Culture so you can explore these sites from anywhere – and perhaps even plan your next travel adventure.

  Cultural heritage sites, objects, and traditions are a point of pride for people the world over, but they also require care and vigilance. That’s why the State Department’s Cultural Heritage Center works with governments and organizations to preserve and protect cultural heritage from both natural and man-made threats through the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP). Whether it’s deterioration from years of exposure to the elements, damage from looting, trafficking, and conflict, or the effects of natural disasters and climate change, the AFCP works tirelessly to protect and preserve heritage and they’ve been doing this work for over 20 years!

  Launching for the first time on Google Arts & Culture, the Cultural Heritage Center is sharing examples from over 1,100 Ambassadors Fund projects in 130+ countries. Perhaps you’ll be drawn to learn about the former royal residence of Nepal’s kings, Gaddi Baithak. Damaged in a major earthquake near Kathmandu in 2015, it was restored through funding from the Ambassadors Fund.

  Tour the history and ingenuity of Great Zimbabwe (11th–15th century). Today, the World Heritage site is threatened by invasive plants and the Ambassadors Fund is working on ecological restoration and preservation.

  Dive into over 100 new images of sites like a 13th-century mausoleum in Cairo or a Buddhist temple in Thailand. I encourage you to tour the Ambassadors Fund projects that launched on the platform today and consider how to protect heritage in your community.

  To discover how people around the world are using technology to protect their cultural sites against climate change, continue exploring heritage sites on Google Arts & Culture with Heritage on the Edge.

  And, we’ll add more stories and sites to the platform in the future.

  This new partnership aims to make cultural heritage more accessible and highlight the need to protect heritage in all its forms — so keep an eye on the Cultural Heritage Center’s page to experience new stories of unique cultural preservation. You can also engage with us on Twitter at @ECA_AS and @HeritageAtState, and on Instagram at @ExchangeOurWorld.

  
  
  https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/arts-culture/preserving-cultural-heritage-worldwide/
• 

  Get more of the game in the NBA and Google Pixel Arena
  • sorangutan  

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  The NBA Playoffs are back this Saturday, and we have a game-changing virtual experience to take the game you love to the next level. The NBA and Google Pixel Arena is a virtual space based on live in-game action where you can create, play, share and celebrate your 2022 NBA Playoffs skills.

  Access the experience during halftime or between games via the NBA App — and keep tabs on all the action throughout the NBA Playoffs presented by Google Pixel, and NBA Finals presented by YouTube TV.

  Once inside the Pixel Arena, pick a game to enter — including past games — and immerse yourself into a 3D virtual arena using your phone’s gyroscope to navigate around. You can even create your own avatars, and outfit them in your favorite team’s gear and accessories.

  

  The experience brings a whole new meaning to courtside. During half time and post-game, you can relive how top scorers and teams performed with a 3D shot recaps that map shots to the Pixel Arena court based on real-time NBA data from the first half of the game. Want to test your basketball trivia expertise? At halftime, challenge your NBA knowledge with game-specific trivia based on live NBA data feeds. With each game you attend, you have more opportunities to climb the leaderboard, create shareable content and unlock new levels and swag for your avatar.

  • Phone screen showing 3D shot recaps

    Enter the Pixel Arena during halftime of NBA Playoff games to show your team spirit with a personalized avatar, view 3D shot recaps and play trivia games based on live NBA game action.

  • Phone screen showing jumbotron with Halftime animation

    Enter the Pixel Arena during halftime of NBA Playoff games to show your team spirit with a personalized avatar, view 3D shot recaps and play trivia games based on live NBA game action.

  • Phone screen showing halftime trivia game

    Enter the Pixel Arena during halftime of NBA Playoff games to show your team spirit with a personalized avatar, view 3D shot recaps and play trivia games based on live NBA game action.

  This is the first immersive experience jointly developed by Google and the NBA to connect fans to the game and each other during live games. And, staying true to our tagline “For all the fans,” the Pixel Arena will be available to everyone — regardless of what device or operating system you use.

  We’ll see you in the Pixel Arena!

  
  
  https://blog.google/products/pixel/nba-google-pixel-arena/
• 

  Office spotlight: Singapore
  • sorangutan  

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  From the Shiok cafe in Google’s Singapore office, you can catch a glimpse of the docks along Singapore’s west coast — and beyond that, the Singapore Strait, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. It’s a reminder of Singapore’s long-standing role as a hub for global trade.

  We first opened a Singapore office in 2007 — a tiny space in the business district — before moving to a new, purpose-built space in 2016. Today, Singapore is our Asia Pacific headquarters, located at the center of Asia’s vibrant digital economy, and home to more than 2,000 Googlers. Like Singapore itself, the office is a melting pot of cultures, languages, ideas and (importantly) incredible food. It gives us a platform to understand, build for and invest in the entire region. But it’s also deeply anchored in the local community: from the names of the kampongs (village in Malay) and meeting rooms where Googlers work, to the outreach programs we run in support of Singaporean developers, nonprofits and students. Let’s take a closer look…

  Shared spaces and a close-knit community

  Exploring the office, you may see people sharing ideas for products in the Maker Space, going for a stroll in the rooftop garden or catching up with colleagues over kopi in one of our cafes. Over the past few months, Googlers in Singapore have been gradually (and safely) returning to the office, as local restrictions ease. Right now, only a certain percentage of Googlers are able to be in the office at any one, while others work from home. It’s part of our new, hybrid approach to work — which focuses on flexibility, giving Googlers more options for where and how they work in the future.

  • A Googler shows four children how to use a tool attached to a cell phone. In the background are construction tools like hammers, mallets, pliers and saws. In the foreground is a sketch of a cartoon character, a mouse and laptop.

    The office’s Maker Space is a place where Googlers and collaborators can brainstorm, explore and build quick prototypes to bring their ideas to life.

  • A room with a couch, a table, a tablet and different kinds of lights and decor placed around the room. One wall is decorated with a “#heygoogle” sign.

    In the Google Assistant Experience Room, visitors to Google Singapore can interact with the Google Assistant and understand the helpfulness it can provide in their everyday lives.

  • A woman raises her arms as she slides down a slide. Around her are plants, planters and a staircase through the garden.

    The rooftop gardens include lush greenery, walking paths and even a slide.

  • A Google sign in a lobby is decorated for Lunar New Year with pink, red and white flowers. On the right is a tiger standing with a pile of gold pieces.

    Throughout the year, spots around the office such as staircases and the lobby are decorated to celebrate occasions like Lunar New Year and Pride Month.

  • An airy dining area with high ceilings and large windows overlooking other buildings. Tables are surrounded by chairs and decorated with plants. In the background two people walk by.

    Shiok cafe showcases different cuisines of Singapore, including Hawker fare. If you're lucky, you might be able to try our Chef's Chicken Rice!

  Whether at the office or working from home, Googlers often connect through clubs, cultural celebrations and employee resource groups (ERGs). ERGs are communities where members support each other in personal and professional development. Googlers also support each other through groups such as the Blue Dot peer support network, which aims to destigmatize mental health conversations. Clubs give Googlers an opportunity to share hobbies, such as the gardening group that grows herbs for our cafes. Google Singapore is home to one of the largest board game groups of any Google office, with more than 600 members and more than 200 games in their collection.

  Another big part of life at Google Singapore is volunteering time and space to support the local community.

  • A workspace with three wooden tables surrounded by chairs spread around the room. In the background are shelves with plants, colorful signage, and an Android statue.

    Developer Space @ Google Singapore brings together resources to help Southeast Asian developers, entrepreneurs and community groups grow and benefit from insights, hands-on mentorship and networking opportunities with various Google teams.

  • A video conference call of 50 people smiling or waving to the camera.

    The Skills Ignition SG program helps Singaporeans and permanent residents get the skills they need for a shifting job market, such as digital marketing and cloud-related skills. Here's a photo of an onboarding session with the 100 trainees from the program who have been assigned to 18 different teams in the Google Singapore office, including our data centers, for six months.

  • Googler volunteers and students stand around tables working on craft projects. The background are lights and maker space tools along a wall.

    The Code in the Community program provides multi-year, multi-level computer science computer science education to thousands of young Singaporeans from less well-to-do backgrounds. That can even include a trip to the office Maker Space, where students get to experience Google’s maker culture and learn the basics of creative and design-thinking.

  Singapore Googlers work on many different Google products and in areas like sales, marketing, finance and business operations. Here’s a look at some of the cool stuff Googlers here help build.

  Google Pay

  

  Google Pay’s Menu Discovery feature in action

  This team is working to make payments more simple, helpful and inclusive for users around the world. For example, the idea for Google Pay’s new Menu Discovery feature came about when a few Singapore Googlers noticed how food and beverage shops were facing a drastic drop in business during the pandemic lockdown and brainstormed how to create more opportunities for food merchants to bring their businesses online. The result: a new local feature that helped to bring over 250 merchants and their menus online for free, boosting their online presence during a challenging time. The number has grown to nearly 2,000 food merchants on Google Pay.

  Google Cloud

  Singapore is the first Cloud region we opened in Southeast Asia and the team here has grown significantly since.

  

  The Cloud Marketing team hosted their first 2022 in-person customer kick-off event, Singapore Leaders Forum, at the ArtScience Museum in Singapore after COVID-19 lockdowns.

  Googlers on our Cloud team help organizations around the world serve their customers and build what’s next for their businesses with Google's cutting-edge, enterprise-grade technology – all on the cleanest cloud in the industry. Want to keep track of what the Cloud team is up to? Follow our SG Cloud Twitter feed.

  Data Centers

  More new internet users come online every day in Asia than anywhere else in the world. Our Singapore data centers help us to make sure that our users here have the fastest and most reliable access possible to all of Google’s services, and then some. These facilities are also some of the most efficient and environmentally friendly in Asia.

  

  Our Singapore data center lights up the night

  YouTube

  Members of the YouTube team work together to give everyone the power to share their story, explore what they love and connect with one another in the process. Singapore is the regional hub for YouTube, and the teams here focus on growing the creator environment in the region and creating locally relevant experiences for our users.

  

  YouTube's teams in Singapore support the Asia Pacific's vibrant creator ecoystem

  And that’s just some of the work being done at this office! Interested in learning about job opportunities on these or other teams at Google Singapore? Check out our Careers Site to explore open roles.

  
  
  https://blog.google/inside-google/life-at-google/office-spotlight-singapore/
• 

  Pixel creators document what it means to be truly seen
  • sorangutan  

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  Back in February, many of you saw our Super Bowl ad, “Seen on Pixel.” The spot told the story behind Real Tone, Google’s years-long effort to ensure all our camera and imaging products accurately represent all skin tones.

  “Seen on Pixel” doesn’t just represent Google’s commitment to image equity, it's an invitation for all Pixel owners to take more beautiful, more equitable images. So for Season 6 of Creator Labs, we invited 23 artists to tell their stories.

  While these 23 artists — our largest Creator Labs incubator to-date — come from varying backgrounds, identities and places, common themes emerged from their respective interpretations of “Seen on Pixel” as their prompt. They focused on things like individuality, community and identity.

  • A photograph of a person in all black with a large black skirt against a lit up background that fades from green to red.

    Micaiah Carter

  • A photograph of two people with their faces near one another. They both have facial tattoos.

    Mayan Toledano

  • A photograph of an older woman and a younger woman sitting on an outdoor patio under a sunny, blue sky.

    Texas Isaiah

  MaryV, Coyote Park and Anthony Prince Leslie turned the camera on themselves, exploring what it means to be “seen” through your own lens. New artist Coyote Park says they want their work to speak to trans, Indigenous youth. “I want them to know that we are powerful and beautiful,” Coyote says. “For me, the act of shapeshifting is spiritual and a mode of self love. It allows me to embrace myself in my entirety.”

  

  Coyote Park

  Chiara Gabellini and Tim Kellner also wanted to capture a sense of vulnerability in their projects, while Natalia Mantini and Andy Jackson took intimate portraits of their chosen families.

  

  At right: Chiara Gabellini's work; at left: Tim Kellner's work

  

  At right: Andy Jackson's work; at left: Natalia Mantini's work

  Shikeith and Lawrence Agyei photographed churches, as well as the youth boxers of The Bloc Chicago. They both focused on the idea of what it means to be Black, queer and spiritual

  

  At left: Shikeith's work; at right: Lawrence Agyei's work

  Andre Wagner documented Black skate culture. He photographed his subject, Ant Lava, who finds reprieve in the roller rink, where he says he feels safe.

  

  Andre Wagner

  Myesha Evon Gardner, who photographed her hometown of Cleveland, was inspired by a childhood memory: “My mother had a kitchen towel set that depicted a honey bear with a variation on the phrase ‘home is where the honey is,’ which inspired and shares the name of this project,” Myesha says. “I wanted to show the complexities of Cleveland in a light that goes against its negative associations.”

  • Photography of a woman in a gown posing against a brown wall outside.

    Myesha Evon Gardner

  • A black and white photograph of two young men sitting on bicycles outside; they're looking into the camera.

    Myesha Evon Gardner

  • A photograph of the top of a person's head. Two hands are in the photograph fixing their hair.

    Myesha Evon Gardner

  Ultimately, that’s what Season 6 is about: Celebrating what it means to truly be yourself in spaces that feel sacred to you — where you feel seen.

  Other artists who were part of this season include: Kennedi Carter, Glassface, MaryV, Adrian Octavius Walker, June Canedo, Anthony Prince Leslie, Aidan Cullen, Zamar Velez, Chiaara Gabellini, Pegah Farahmand, Neva Wireko and Myles Loftin.

  
  
  https://blog.google/products/pixel/pixel-creators-document-what-it-means-be-truly-seen/
• 

  Register for Google Marketing Live: May 24, 2022
  • sorangutan  

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  It’s almost time for Google Marketing Live, our annual event showcasing the latest product innovations to help your business thrive. This year’s virtual event will take place on Tuesday, May 24 — starting with a keynote from 9:00 - 10:30 a.m. PT that will be livestreamed across the globe.

  After the keynote, you’ll be able to join a variety of on-demand breakout sessions designed to help you meet your business goals. Here’s a sample of what’s in store:

  • Supercharge your full funnel video strategy on YouTube
  • Be ready for the future of commerce
  • Achieve better business results today with measurement that prioritizes privacy

  And here’s a sneak peek into our speaker lineup:

  

  Register now to reserve your (virtual) front-row seat. And keep up with the conversation on social media at #GML2022. See you on May 24th!

  
  
  https://blog.google/products/ads-commerce/register-gml2022/