AAG Starts Fund for Impacted Geography Departments, Others

A post to the AAG website by Executive Director Doug Richardson describes “an online clearinghouse” and “fund to support geography departments and others impacted by the storm.” The former will attempt to collect lists of needed items and share that with those who can contribute items like text books, maps and the like. I commend the organization for helping “their own” as well as others in need.

Geographers Run Amuck in the Media after Katrina

I confess that I’ve not been looking for geographers addressing the situation in New Orleans, but they keep popping up. Friday morning as I listened to National Public Radio in that half awake state I heard Craig Colten, a professor at Louisiana State (the Carl O. Sauer Professor of Geography and Anthropology, for those who came in to geography from the cultural side, as I did) address the topic. He recently wrote a book An Unnatural Metropolis: Wresting New Orleans from Nature which made him a key resource. (The name struck me as Mr. Colten was the speaker in 1986 when I traveled to Rockford Illinois to receive a geography accommodation. He was then at the Illinois State Museum. I can’t say why I recalled his name.)

That evening, in continuing coverage of the aftermath of Katrina, I heard NPR’s Tom Ashbrook thanking Susan Cutter for speaking with him. Susan Cutter was president of the Association of American Geographers back when I was more actively involved. She’s now Carolina Distinguished Professor of Geography at the University of South Carolina and Director of the Hazards Research Lab, “a research and training center that integrates geographical information processing techniques with hazards analysis and management.”

I’m most pleased the geographic perspective is providing some insight into this disaster.

More on Google and LBS

You’ve likely heard that Om Malik (of Business 2.0, but I heard him on NPR recently) reported that Google is buying up “dark fiber” to among other things, offer free Wi-Fi. It goes further, according to an article at ClickZ: “This experiment with location-based services and advertising will be something you’ll hear more about from Google in 12 to 24 months,” Om told the writer. Another worthy quote from the article: “As my colleague Rebecca Lieb wrote last year, as search gets bigger, it must get smaller—as in niche, including local.”
 

GPS Receivers on Loan at Hotels

Rosewood Hotels & Resorts now offers use of handheld GPS navigators free at select properties. The Carlyle in Manhattan and The Mansion on Turtle Creek and Hotel Crescent Court, both in Dallas, will Garmin iQue M3 GPS Navigators for guests who want guidance in their walking or driving routes.

SDSU and EROS Partner for Geographic Information Science Center of Excellence

South Dakota State University and EROS will draw on “the world’s largest collection of satellite images” and new staff to study habitat development and natural hazard risks.

“This will add really powerful research capabilities to the technology EROS has been operating for years,” said Tom Loveland, an EROS research geographer and director of the USGS Land Cover Institute. “We’ve got a very strong research program at EROS already. This moves us to another level in our work.”

Thirteen geospatial professionals are being assembled to the lead the efforts. According to an article in the local paper, 200 people applied, 20 were interviewed and five who were offered positions took them.