New Tool to Help Monitor the Environment

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Photo showing a bunch of hands holding up the earth. Photo: Gandee Vasan/Getty Images

Photo showing a bunch of hands holding up the earth. Photo: Gandee Vasan/Getty ImagesToo much data coming from too many sources that use too many different computer systems can be downright confusing. That’s happening with the numerous programs observing events that affect the Earth’s health. The complex programs—developed by governments and organizations involved in environmental research—capture all sorts of data along with the geographic coordinates of the places where each measurement is made. These coordinates are then used to map the data. This may sound simple enough, but it’s not.

Putting Earth Observation Data to Work: The EuroGEOSS Broker (Max Craglia interview)

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Photo showing a bunch of hands holding up the earth. Photo: Gandee Vasan/Getty Images

image of max craigliaThe first step in making sense of the processes and events that impact the Earth is to observe and analyze them. The next step is to share those observations and analyses with your peers in the context of a shared infrastructure. Today, however, there are dozens of such shared infrastructures, each with its own set of policies, terms and protocols. How can all this information be shared?

GEO Monitors, Analyzes, and Distributes Data on the Japan Disaster

EarthzineDisaster Management Theme, Earth Observation, GEO/GEOSS News, Original, Sections, Themed Articles

The above images show a large flooded agricultural area at Mississippi River Mile 502, south of Pittman Island in Issaquena County, Mississippi. Left to right, from top to bottom: Location of the following subset images (red box),NASA UAVSAR color composite image for Flight 09044 (June 2009), UAVSAR color composite image for Flight 11033 (June 2011), and inset showing red pixels classified as water that was present in the 2011 UAVSAR image.

Satellite imagery of the Japanese earthquakeInternational Earth observation agencies are cooperating in the creation of online resources to aid rescue efforts and advance scientific understanding in the wake of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. Available visualization products relate to a range of issues, including historic and present seismic activity, landslides, deformation areas, floating objects and more.