Los Gatan Rebecca Moore a White House 'Champion of Change'

—Written by Claudia Cruz

A Googler has caught the attention of the White House.

Los Gatos resident Rebecca Moore, an engineering manager who initiated and leads the development of Google Earth Engine, will be honored June 20 as a Champions of Change for her use and promotion of open scientific data to better the world, the White House announced Tuesday.

Moore and 12 others share their science in a manner that the Obama administration believes "is a proven strategy for driving positive change."

The White House cited how the Human Genome Project has accelerated progress in the biomedical industry, how the open use of the Global Positioning System, or GPS satellite data, has allowed companies to innovate and how the development of smartphone apps and the creation of car navigation systems have helped consumers.

Moore's open-sourced Google Earth Engine gives scientists around the world access to satellite imagery online that can help them understand the world, the White House said.

She also developed and leads the Google Earth Outreach program, which gives the same access plus support to nonprofits, communities and indigenous peoples who want to use Google's maps for environmental conservation, human rights and cultural preservation.

Moore graduated with honors from Brown University in artificial intelligence and a master’s degree from Stanford University.

"Her personal work using Google Earth was instrumental in stopping the logging of more than 1,000 acres of redwoods in her Santa Cruz Mountain community," the White House said.

To view Moore's recognition live, visit www.whitehouse.gov/live at 10 a.m. Pacific time on June 20. To learn more about the White House Champions of Change program, visit www.whitehouse.gov/champions.