Articles
What’s in a Map? Exploring the Elements of Cartography
Maps visualize geographic data, and contain elements like data frames, legends, titles, north arrows, scale bars, citations, borders, and inset maps.
Nunataks: Glacial Islands
Nunataks are isolated mountain peaks visible above ice sheets in polar and high-altitude regions.
Study Models How Well Marine Protected Areas Overlap Fish Habitat
A study found that most marine protected areas (MPAs) don't adequately cover key habitats of diadromous fish with only 50% of core habitats protected.
Understanding the Earth’s Structure: A Guide to Tectonic Plates
The Earth's lithosphere is divided into tectonic plates, which are in constant motion. Learn where to find GIS data on tectonic plates.
Using GIS to Design Child-Friendly Cities
Using GIS, cities can design child-friendly pedestrian pathways that prioritize children's interests and safety, promoting urban living and sustainability.
What is an Ice Arch?
An ice arch forms when sea ice buckles under pressure, creating a natural arch-shaped structure in polar regions, often blocking the movement of ice.
Polynyas: Natural Openings in Polar Ice
Explore the geography of polynyas, unique open water areas in polar ice, and learn about their formation, ecological impact, and role in climate dynamics.
What is at Zero Degrees Latitude and Zero Degrees Longitude?
What can be found at zero degrees latitude and zero degrees longitude?
Urban Tree Canopy Affects How Heat Stress Impacts Residents
Minority and low-income neighborhoods have 11% fewer trees, are 1.5°C hotter, and have 14% more impervious surfaces than wealthier, whiter areas.
Types of GIS Data Explored: Vector and Raster
Explore the key differences between GIS vector and raster data, and how each type supports diverse spatial analysis tasks.
Building a GIS Career
Geospatial technology is widely used across industries, with evolving GIS skills. Here are tips to prepare for a GIS career.
Acequias in the Southwest U.S.
In New Mexico and other Southwestern states, acequias are channels that are dug to divert water from snow runoff and rivers in order to irrigate fields.
Latitude and Longitude Explained: How to Read Geographic Coordinates
Learn more about lines you see on a map running east-west and north-south called latitude and longitude.
Finding Penguin Colonies from Space
Satellite observations help researchers track penguin populations in some of the most remote regions of Antarctica.
When Rivers Become Ice Roads
During the cold winter months, parts of Canada's Mackenzie River become a ice road that trucks up to 22,000 pounds can navigate.
Will Cool Air Pooling Protect Some Forests from Climate Change?
Researchers looked at the link between cool air pooling and cold-adapted forest composition.
5 Ways GIS Users Can Broaden Their Geospatial Skills
From programming and remote sensing to volunteering and networking, there are many ways to build new geospatial skills.
Forecasting PhytoclimatesÂ
A study of 135,153 vascular plant species predicts that by 2070, 33-68% of land on Earth will experience significant phytoclimate changes.
The World’s Smallest Mountain Range
Surrounded by flat farmland, the Sutter Buttes are an isolated volcanic landform often described as the world's smallest mountain range.
Human-Driven Extinction of Birds
Researchers using models and historical records estimate that up to 11% of all bird species have gone extinct since the Late Pleistocene.
Learning GIS Programming
Having some competence in programming has become a critical requirement for many geospatial positions. So which languages should you learn for GIS programming?
This Bird is Not the Only Crested Jay West of the Rocky Mountains
Since the 1960s, blue jays have steadily expanded their range beyond the Rocky Mountains into western North America.
Choosing the Right Satellite Bands for Remote Sensing
Learn how different satellite sensors respond to Earth's features and which spectral bands are best for remote sensing.
Adapting Time Series Data for Earth Observation
UniTS is a tool designed to simplify the process of using multiple time series datasets created over different time periods and for different geographic resolutions.
Weather Forecasting Using Artificial Intelligence
GraphCast is a Google DeepMind effort that uses deep learning to improve medium-range weather forecasting.
Relief Inversion
Telling the difference between a canyon and a mountain on aerial or satellite imagery can sometimes be tricky due to an optical illusion known as relief inversion.