Layering the Oil Spill Fall Out

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has generated lots of computer models, applications and Web sites. Here's another one: Geoplatform.gov, developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric and Administration.

The site, which still is in beta and expected to launch June 8, "will let the public see much of what the Coast Guard sees when tracking the Gulf oil spill: Oil trajectories, loop currents, wind conditions, and the well-being of birds and fish," Seattlepi reports.

In the next version, a focused effort to remove the bureaucratese with plain English and easier navigation may make the site a bit more accessible to the public. But it has "only" been 43 days since the oil spill began.