From the monthly archives:
The UK Centre for Sustainable Energy, part of the Department of Energy and Climate Change, has developed a heat map that maps heat use at the building level. The aim of the effort is to determine which areas are best suited to district heating where groups of buildings share the same boiler and drive down [...]
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Geodesign is in its infancy, yet there is so much thought and academic practice that can inform a new approach to how we design with the landscape and nature in mind. Stephen Ervin, lecturer in Landscape Architecture and Assistant Dean for Information Technology at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University, provided an excellent [...]
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Google is working with the University of Washington on an open source field data collection tool called the Open Data Kit that enables easy data collection. The system is based on Google’s Android system, with support in many languages. It supports GPS data collection, the integration of images from a phone camera sensor, the capture [...]
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Eyes on Earth is an interactive visualization site for images and data from NASA’s 15 currently operating earth satellites. There are a number of new features, with timelines, an image gallery, an improved interface, and up-to-date data for sea level height and surface temperature. The aim is a daily view view of our dynamic planet [...]
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Cal-Adapt is a data clearinghouse and visualization portal that consolidates details related to climate change and impacts for the state of California, bringing global issues down to the local level. The website provides details to the general public, to local planners, and to researchers (with access to raw data). The site includes more than 150 [...]
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David Thau, senior developer advocate for Google Earth Engine, gave the keynote speech at this morning’s ASPRS Annual Meeting. The talk began with a discussion of Stewart Brand’s campaign to see a picture of the whole earth from space, which has been said to have kicked off earth day, the ecology movement, global politics, and [...]
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There’s a new study from New York’s Department of State and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that maps and analyzes coastal areas to determine the best viable spots for wind power. The study identifies ecological information to support plans to balance ocean uses and environmental conservation, including critical bird and fish habitats to ensure [...]
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Researchers at Harvard University have discovered a new means to detect ancient settlements using both hyperspectral imagery from NASA’s Terra satellite along with SRTM digital terrain models. Ancient soils called anthrosols are lighter than surrounding soil, and much richer in organic matter, which shows up in hyperspectral imagery. The digital terrain model helps measure that [...]
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The U.S. Census Bureau is set to release details from the 1940 Census, including details on the impacts of the Great Depression. The data will be released on April 2, with much anticipation from researchers who look to mine this data for the Depression’s impact on daily life, as well as personal genealogy. The 1940 [...]
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The bittorrent site Pirate Bay has announced plans to use GPS controlled drones to create Low Orbit Server Stations (LOSS) in order to keep itself safe from law enforcement. The ability to hide server locations has served the company well in its battles with law enforcement so far. This new hosting by drone approach over [...]
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