Google's Search Trends Globe Demonstrates WebGL, Australian Smallness

This globe showing the locations with the highest density of queries to Google is a neat demonstration of how WebGL can be used to make interactive sites. However, when you spin it around to Australia (which likely won't work unless you're running a WebGL-friendly browser such as Chrome or Firefox), you'll see that there's not enough query activity for us to even register. I guess that helps explain why we're relatively low on the Google priority list. [via Official Google Blog]


    Fails to work in Chrome 10.0.648.151 ... - Reported to Google already :)

      Are you on Windows? Mine's on the latest version (11.0.696.65) and it works fine.

      Angus - Not enough for us to even register? I see Australia registered with data. No where near what the U.S has but it's still there. Maybe I'm looking at it wrong?


        On my machine, Australia shows as totally dark - clearly some wrinkles somewhere!

          Australia's definitely present on my Chromium OS X build 13.0.751.0 (83482)

        Haha, no, not using Chrome inside Windows - that's like wearing a Rolex in a dingy :P

        Running under Ubuntu 10.10 :)

          Probably not the greatest turn of phrase Jess, given that sailors call any sailboat a dinghy if it doesn't have a fixed keel.
          (ie there'd be plenty of Rolex's in Dinghys on the water every weekend, quite possibly a majority or Rolex's!)

            Heh, ok, how about; It'd be like putting a playground in a construction site? Or; It'd be like using a black+white TV as a monitor for your quad SLI graphics chip? Or; It'd be like dressing George Clooney in Hobo clothes? I could do this all day :P

      Fails to work in Chrome? How ironic.
      Firefox 4 FTW

    I'm seeing spikes exactly where you'd expect them...
    Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth...

    I'm using Chrome dev build which shows that our main cities are easily up there with the American cities... ours just drop off much much faster in the surrounding areas.

    The US doesn't show many spikes for me. All the spikes are in Europe and Mexico.

    Works fine fore me, using firefox 4.

    What do you mean fail to register?

      I'm guessing the WebGL code needs work; some Chrome users aren't seeing it at all, and some people seem to be getting wildly different versions. Early adoption has its costs!

        For what it's worth, the screenshot I posted was from Chrome 11.0.696.65 in Windows XP SP3.

    Worked fine for me, and I'm still at Chrome 9 (restarting my browser is almost an annual process). Must just be flaky webGL code.

    I even got the version with Australian data - massive spikes for the state capitals, nothing in the center.

    I'm running on Chrome and can see all the usual australian places just fine.

    It's murdering the performance on my netbook though.

    I love how Japan is this tiny little speck on the globe but it's almost completely covered save for one tiny little dot.

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