Rebecca Maxwell
Satellite Mapping of the Great Barrier Reef
For the first time, a complete bathymetry high resolution (30 meters) bathymetry map is available of the Great Barrier Reef. The map was produced by remote sensing company, EOMAP using satellite data and imagery.
New Detailed Maps Show Changes in Earth’s Forests
Deforestation, the clearing and removal of the Earth’s forests, has been one of the major environmental threats to the globe ...
Managing Africa’s Water from Space
Water is a vital component for human life, and one of the major problems facing the continent of Africa is ...
Marie Tharp and Mapping the Ocean Floor
As an oceanographic cartographer, Marie Tharp is credited with scientifically mapping the ocean floor in partnership with her colleague Bruce Heezen. Tharp and Heezen’s work was revolutionary, in that led to many discoveries and the theories of continental drift of plate tectonics. Tharp was a pioneer in science both as a woman and for her mapmaking.
Using Remote Sensing to Combat Poverty
Remote sensing, the practice of gathering information about objects without being physically near them, has had many practical uses for ...
Dymaxion Map Projection
What makes the Dymaxion map project unique is that the Earth is projected onto the surface of an icosahedron, a polyhedron that is comprised of twenty triangular faces and thirty edges.
The Urban Observatory Uses GIS to Seek to Better Understand Cities
The Urban Observatory is a live museum that allows access to a large amount of data about major cities around the world. The observatory allows users to compare and contrast a wide variety of GIS data covering areas such as water distribution, power grids, street networks, population density, public transit, and open public spaces.
Crowdsourcing with the USGS
The U.S. Geological Survey is putting out a call for citizen scientists (that means you) to help them track and gather geographic information on what is happening all around the globe. Here are the some of the most well-known USGS crowdsourcing projects.
California Supreme Court Rules that GIS Data are Public Record
After a lengthy battle in the court system, California’s Supreme Court has finally ruled in favor of allowing public access to the government’s GIS data in Orange County. Back in 2007, the Sierra Club sued the county for the right to use its GIS data for environmental mapping projects. Orange County resisted, however, claiming that the digital maps did not fall under the Public Records Act.
FEMA Flood Map Challenges
FEMA has been constantly updating and maintaining its Flood Hazard Mapping Program in order to provide ongoing flood risk assessments.
Mapping Antarctica’s Bedrock with Bedmap2
The map, called Bedmap2, provides a detailed look at Antarctica from its surface of ice all the way down to the bedrock. The map was compiled by the British Antarctic Survey using data from other research organizations around the globe including NASA
Mapping the Salinity of the Ocean
The European Space Agency (ESA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are mapping the salinity of the ocean to understand how the ocean helps recycle of our planet’s water resources and our climate.
Landsat 8
NASA has continued its long running earth observation data collection with the launch of Landsat 8.
Smartphone Maps Illegal While Driving but Paper Maps are Okay in California
In recent years, some states have been putting harsher laws in place to curb drivers talking on their cellphones or ...
Crumpled Maps and Backward Globes
Palomar, an Italian company, innovates map and globe design with unique features like crumpled maps, Odnom globes, and pin city/world maps.
Spatial Orientation and the Brain: The Effects of Map Reading and Navigation
Map reading and orienteering are becoming lost arts in the world of global positioning systems (GPS) and other geospatial technologies. What are the effects of navigation and map reading on the brain?
Robotic Mapping: Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM)
Simultaneous localization and mapping, or SLAM for short, is the process of creating a map using a robot or unmanned vehicle that navigates that environment while using the map it generates
Tracking Global Vegetation with Micro-Satellite Proba-V
The ESA, also known as the European Space Agency, has managed to do a lot of amazing feats in the ...