Tuesday, November 3. 2009

The Gravestone Project: Graveyard Geology for air pollution and climate change information

This from one of our readers: The Geological Society of America (GSA) is using cemetery data to serve as global climate monitors. To participate all you need is a GPS and a micrometer to measure weathering. This 2 year project should help create a global map to provide data for climatologists. Watch to video to find out more:

Tuesday, October 13. 2009

Bentley Systems' CEO Comments on Economic Outlook

At a press conference today, concurrent with the BE Inspired Awards Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, Bentley Systems CEO, Greg Bentley, commented on his observations of the economic climate for his company and whether stimulus money provided by countries worldwide was having a positive impact for his business. "Stimulus is helping…but, infrastructure professionals are having a hard time. We are not seeing any upturn. Remember, infrasturure isn't for stimulus but it is for sustaining, said Bentley. 'Projects that are shovel-ready have already had their design work."

Bentley's remarks were based on the fact that the company can track software usage and that those usage levels were down at this time.

Monday, March 16. 2009

UK Launches National Centre for Earth Observation and Goce Satellite

The BBC reports that the UK's National Centre for Earth Observation (NCEO) will have as its first "official" activity the launch of Europe's Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer (Goce) satellite that will monitor a variety of environmental conditions to support the work of the European Space Agency (ESA). The NCEO was opened earlier this month on March 5.

Monday, March 9. 2009

Video: Jane Goodall - Presentation at the Map World Forum

I captured a portion of Jane Goodall's keynote presentation where she describes how she came about to use GIS technology for monitoring chimpanzee habitat and the general ecosystem near the Gombe National Forest as part of the work going on at the Jane Goodall Institute.

Wednesday, January 21. 2009

Global Warming Map "Looks Like Thermometer-Hot at the Top; Warm at the Bottom"

A worldwide map published by Dr. John Christy of the University of Alabama-Huntsville, shows that over the past 30 years, the Earth has warmed 0.4 degrees Celsius. Christy is a professor of atmospheric science and director of the Earth System Science Center (ESSC) at the school, a nationally recognized scientist on global warming and a member of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. According to a press statement from the school issued this past December, "the map shows the Earth's climate changes since December 1, 1978, (when satellite sensors started tracking the climate) and doesn't show a uniform global warming. It looks more like a thermometer: Hot at the top, cold at the bottom and varying degrees of warm in the middle." A map specifically of North America is also available.

Tuesday, January 6. 2009

SanFran Solar Map Patterns

I just had a chance to look at San Francisco's new Solar Map created by CH2M Hill. The Google Maps-based website shows the location of installed solar panels and the power company that provided the installation. And Time Magazine had a fairly comprehensive story about the plans by CH2M HILL to map 25 cities for their solar potential as well as an audio interview with SF Mayor Gavin Newsom.

Since this was relatively old news, I was looking to see if I could discern any patters to the existing solar installations. I noticed an interesting grouping of solar panels in a neighborhood south of I280 and east of James Lick Freeway which has been designated as "environmental justice program" installations. I created a average income thematic map of the area that showed it to be a low-income area which Newsom cited were "under-served neighborhoods."

If you type in a local address you will receive information on the current energy use and the potential savings by installing solar power. San Francisco is offering incentives to install solar energy solutions.