eWEEK Europe UK: Microsoft Pushes Green Mapping Amid Copenhagen Talks

Tech giant Microsoft has joined the likes of Cisco and Intel, who are keen to bask in the green glow from the summit

Microsoft has joined the ranks of IT companies showing off their green credentials at the Copenhagen climate talks with the launch of its Environmental Atlas of Europe project.

The tool, announced this week, is essentially an online portal built on top of the software giant's Bing Map service and allows users to read specific stories about how climate change is impacting countries across Europe. A joint project with the European Environment Agency (EEA), the Atlas will initially only cover nine countries - Denmark, Finland, Georgia, Ireland, Italy, Lapland, Netherlands, Poland and Russia - Microsoft said in a statement.

“As the world’s leading software company, we believe technology will play a vital role against tough issues facing the world like climate change,” said Rob Bernard, chief environmental strategist at Microsoft. “With the help of our Bing Maps visualisation technology, Atlas enables people to connect to the issue by visualising the changes occurring to our world today and provides another tangible example of how technology can contribute.”

The Atlas is the latest project in Microsoft's partnership with the EEA which also includes the Eye on Earth portal that reports on air and water quality across Europe. "The Eye on Earth platform has already made environmental information more accessible, allowing people to grasp what is happening to the environment in their neighborhoods and across Europe," said Jacqueline McGlade, executive director of EEA. "Atlas now takes this one step further by allowing people to share their stories of climate change’s impacts and their responses, broadening understanding and inspiring others to act.”

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