Maps In Motion

Google’s Time Lapse project is giving Internet users around the world a rare perspective on how certain areas have changed over time.

Las Vegas, Nevada

This timelapse, which spans 1984 to 2012, shows how Las Vegas, Nevada—one of the the fastest-growing cities in the U.S.—over the course of nearly 20 years, thanks to images that the United States Geological Survey has been collecting since 1972.

As the strip grows, it’s also clear that Lake Mead (at right) shrinks).

“Each frame of the timelapse map is constructed from a year of Landsat satellite data, constituting annual 1.7-terapixel snapshot of the Earth at 30-meter resolution,” Google’s team says.

Raleigh, North Carolina

In this timelapse, Google shows the suburban growth around Raleigh North Carolina

Deforestation, Farm Land, Human Settlements And Our Changing Planet

The Environmental Defense Fund used Google’s tool to showcase these four areas around the world whose development the group says “will open your eyes to our changing planet.”

Create Your Own Timelapse

Want to see how your hometown has changed over time? Zoom into your area (or any area of interest) on the Google Timelapse viewer and hit “share” to send to social media, or to family or friends.