Mapping the Ionosphere

Client: Google // Director: Mike Ruiz

Demystifying the power of space weather is exactly as cool as it sounds. About 50–1,500 kilometers above Earth is a section of the atmosphere called the Ionosphere. It's what causes the Northern and Southern Lights, protects us from solar radiation, and can do a number on your phone's GPS.

This interference is what inspired a global team of Google engineers to study the upper atmosphere and develop a way to use billions of Android across the globe to improve location-based services for industries that rely on GPS, such as aviation, emergency response, and agriculture, along with helping you get to wherever you need to go, no matter where you are.