Social Earth Observation – Blog Edition

EarthzineEarth Observation, Original, Quick Looks, Technology

We’ve compiled a list of our favorite blogs on Earth observation and remote sensing.

An image from NASA’s Earth Observatory depicting Bowknot Bend, part of the Green River canyon in eastern Utah. The image was taken by the Expedition 38 crew from the ISS. Credit: NASA Earth Observatory.

An image from NASA’s Earth Observatory depicting Bowknot Bend, part of the Green River canyon in eastern Utah. The image was taken by the Expedition 38 crew from the ISS. Credit: NASA Earth Observatory.

Following Earth observation news doesn’t have to be a chore. As a complement to our must-follow Twitter feeds, we’ve compiled a list of essential blogs that focus on Earth science, Earth observation, and remote sensing.
•  AGU Blogosphere – The American Geophysical Union has collected blogs on topics ranging from weather to geology, and AGU official blogs are at the bottom of the page.
• Col. Chris Hadfield  –Hadfield, a retired astronaut of the Canadian Space Agency, posts photos of Earth from the space station, as well as his personal insight and other space-related goodies.
• Directions Magazine – Directions Magazine is an online magazine dedicated to various topics in the geospatial community.
•  Dot Earth – Part of The New York Times’ online Opinion section, Dot Earth focuses on the human impact on our planet, with posts on climate change, environment, energy, and food and water security.
• Earth Observation and Remote Sensing Research in Ireland – This blog provides frequent updates on Earth observation and remote sensing activities, with a focus on Ireland and Europe.
•  Energywise – Published by IEEE Spectrum, Energywise focuses on green technology, energy, and climate.
• ESA: Campaign Earth  – Campaign Earth follows the European Space Agency’s Earth science campaigns from the North Pole to the South.
• The Field Guide – The Field Guide focuses on topics in the geospatial community, mostly on stories surrounding ERDAS IMAGINE, a raster-based remote sensing application.
• From GIS to Remote Sensing – From GIS to Remote Sensing is dedicated to sharing software tutorials and tips for GIS (Geographic Information System) and remote sensing software, with a particular focus on open-source software.
• Google Earth Blog – Google Earth Blog shares interesting applications and uses for Google’s free mapping program.
• ImaGeoOsha of Earthzine covered ImaGeo back in September 2013. The blog showcases visualizations and images of Earth.
• NASA Earth Observatory blogs – NASA’s Earth Observatory offers daily stunning images of our planet, and also boasts two blogs that are usually updated weekly. Earth Matters showcases Earth images and activities, while Notes from the Field features posts on upcoming and ongoing Earth observation missions.
• National Ocean Service Blogs –This collection of blogs from NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) rounds up the blogs of its various ocean services programs. Some highlights of the list include the Marine Debris blog, the Coast Survey blog, and Ocean Science blog.
• Northern Lights – Tromso 2014 – Covered by Earthzine’s own Elise, Northern Lights – Tromso 2014 chronicles the expedition of three scientists and educators as they chase the Northern Lights.
• Operation IceBridge – IceBridge is a six-year NASA mission designed to maintain the stream of polar ice measurements in between dedicated ice-measuring satellites. This blog documents the progress and challenges faced by mission scientists.
• Planet Earth Blog – A project of the National Environmental Research Council, the Planet Earth Blog focuses on issues of climate change, environment, and Earth observation.
• RealClimate – RealClimate’s contributors are working climate scientists, and they aim to cover breaking climate stories from an accurate scientific perspective.
SkyTruth – SkyTruth focuses on Earth observation and remote sensing, with frequent tie-ins to relevant breaking news stories.
• World Resources Institute – The blog of the World Resources Institute focuses on its areas of research, including climate, energy, food, forests, water, cities, and transport.
 
Do you read any other great Earth observation blogs? Tell us about them in the comments or send suggestions to sarahfrazier15@gmail.com.