Carlos Labs, a data architecture and data integration firm in Australia, has developed two Google Maps-based widgets that demonstrate the range of atomic weapons and the size of areas that could be affected by asteroid impacts.
Ground Zero shows the size of an area that would be affected by the impact of an asteroid or the detonation of an atomic bomb. Type a city name into the Ground Zero widget to see a representation of the size of the area affected by an atomic bomb or asteroid impact.
Missile Range Map Tool is a widget that shows the range of various weapons. Select a weapon from the list then Missile Range Map Tool will show the range of that weapon.
Both the Ground Zero and Missile Range Map Tool are widgets that can be embedded into your blog or website. I’ve embedded the Ground Zero widget below.
H/T to Instructify for the Ground Zero widget.
Applications for Education
One of the challenges history teachers face when explaining the impact of Harry Truman’s WWII decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan is getting students to understand the gravity of Truman’s decision. The Ground Zero widget allows teachers to move the bomb over a familiar location so that students can better visualize the impact of atomic bombs.
Here are some related items that may be of interest to you:
10 Resources for Teaching and Learning About WWII
National Atlas Map Maker
Atlas of World War II