The earthquake in Haiti, a human tragedy on the ground, has brought requests to remote sensing and geosciences experts from humanitarian relief agencies for help in mapping the disaster. This article, originally published 19 January 2010 by Der Standard, quotes Earthzine Deputy Editor Christoph Aubrecht, who is a remote sensing and geoinformation scientist at the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology working on geospatial issues of disaster management. Aubrecht translated and adapted this article for Earthzine.
AIRNow-International: The Future of the United States Real-time Air Quality Reporting and Forecasting Program with GEOSS participation
The goal of AIRNow-International is to strengthen relationships among governments and international organizations by sharing the technology to transform air quality data into vital information. AIRNow-International is poised to become the centerpiece of the United States Environmental Protection Agency‘s (EPA) real-time air quality reporting and forecasting program. The system is a redesign of the AIRNow information technology infrastructure that distributes current air quality information for the United States and Canada. The AIRNow-International software suite is being built to support and embrace the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) concept.
Space-bound in South Africa: A Down-to-Earth Conversation With Dr. Phil Mjwara
A month after South Africa succesfully launched it’s second Earth observation satellite, Sumbandila, Earthzine contributor Peter Fairley talks with Dr. Philemon Mjwara, Director General of South Africa’s Department of Science and Technology, about the launch, the benefits South Africa expects to reap from the satellite, and what’s in store for the future of developing countries’ involvement in Earth observation and sustainability.
Group on Earth Observation Measures GEOSS Progress at GEO Plenary VI
The GEO Plenary VI in Washington, DC Nov. 17 and 18 drew an international and dedicated assembly of delegates from its 80 Member nations, the European Commission, and 56 affiliated organizations who reported their progress toward achieving the goals of the Global Earth Observation System of Systems by 2015. Read more here.
Education Around Earth – Analyzing the Spatial Distribution of 4 Crops with a Geographic Information System
For centuries, maps have stirred imaginations and inspired explorations of the unknown. For the past 40 years, GIS has quietly transformed everyday decision making in academia, government, nonprofit, and in business through the manipulation of satellite imagery, maps, graphs, databases, and multimedia in a decision-making framework. Agriculture was one of the first fields to embrace GIS, applied to everything from precision agriculture to invasive weed eradication to sustainable practices.
The Poop On Finding Penguins: Follow The Guano
Using satellite imagery, scientists are now more able to locate emperor penguins in the vast Antarctica.
Indigenous Perspectives in GEOSS: An Interview with Dr. Gregory Cajete
Earthzine’s Editor-In-Chief Paul Racette speaks with Dr. Gregory Cajete – a Tewa Indian from Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico and author of five books on Native American education, history and philosophy – about Native American science and the role Indigenous perspectives have in realizing an integrated Earth observing system.
UK sat firm plans low cost mapper
A UK firm believes its latest satellite design can dramatically reduce the cost of high resolution space imagery.
Applications of SPOT for Disaster Response
SPOT Image has had a presence of over 20 years in the market for satellite-based geographic information, where it has played a driving role through the precursor series of SPOT satellites. Since the first SPOT data were released commercially in 1986, the company has done a great deal to develop this market.