Check this out. I so wish I could afford one of these… or maybe two
[flash http://www.youtube.com/v/1yHB40jeTOw&hl=en]
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Note the appearance of Google Earth in the video. The person we can thank for this is Jeff Han. Fast Company has an article about him and the company set to produce these, Perceptive Pixel. Data Mining has more if you’re curious.
Globe and Mail had a story on February 1, 2007 on the work of MapAction, a British volunteer organization that uses satellite maps and geographic information system (GIS) software to assist in humanitarian relief efforts. Most recently, the group helped relief efforts during severe flooding in Kenya. MapAction volunteers assisted workers and the Kenyan government in identifying the worst-hit areas and moving resources quickly to where they were needed most.
More from the Globe and Mail:
More and more, relief groups and rescue organizations are turning to satellite-based mapping that can give them a bird’s-eye view of a disaster area. GIS software can provide such life-saving information as which way winds are blowing a forest fire, a way of identifying and contacting people who live in an affected area and where food and shelter are available.
During record flooding in Alberta in 2005, for example, Emergency Management Alberta relied on a GeoExplorer system from Telus Geomatics, a unit of Burnaby, B.C.-based Telus Corp., to manage relief efforts. Rick Brown, acting executive director of the provincial agency, says EMA superimposed more than 375 layers of data on maps of the province that showed current weather conditions, the latest information on homes evacuated as well as the location of roads, waterways, oil and gas wells, residences and other infrastructure.Before GIS, the agency relied on paper maps tacked up on walls and people in the field calling in information. Numbers written on maps would correspond to notes on separate situation boards, a process that proved to be slow and cumbersome.
You can view some of MapAction’s Kenyan flood maps here.
Apparently a line of research into ‘subjective well-being’ has had enough research done (Adrian G. White, University of Leicester) to map it:
From White’s paper: “It is immediately evident that there is an effect of poverty on levels of SWB. The map itself mirrors other projection of poverty and GDP. This data on SWB was compared with data on access to education (UNESCO, 2005), health (United Nations, 2005), and poverty (CIA, 2006). It was found that SWB correlated most strongly with health (.7) closely followed by wealth (.6) and access to basic education (.6). This adds to the evidence that from a global perspective the biggest causes of SWB are poverty and associated variables.” But most research takes place in happy countries.
The Downtown Los Angeles Homeless Map illustrates the sad homeless situation in LA. The map – actually it’s a time-series of four maps last updated on 12/15/06 – was produced and is maintained by LA-based cartography company Cartifact. From the site:
Downtown Los Angeles is the epicenter of the largest homeless population in the United States. The Downtown Los Angeles Homeless Map takes raw data about those sleeping on the streets and transforms it into a visual tool for understanding the situation.
The purpose of the downtown Los Angeles Homeless Map is to visually tell the story of downtown’s homeless population. Before a problem can be solved it must be understood. These maps exist to convey the situation on the streets to City leaders, the Police Department and all those who are concerned with homelessness in our city.
Via The Map Room and Maps-L, a letter in the Dec. 4 issue of The Hill Times, a weekly newspaper covering the Canadian government, from Heather McAdam of the Association of Canadian Map Libraries and Archives argues that while paper topographic maps have been saved, much still remains to be done: “It is ironic that at a time when we can almost instantaneously update satellite imagery of our country, over half of the Canadian topographic maps are now more than 20 years old. While Minister Lunn’s decision has protected our printed maps, his decision must be only the first step toward reinstating Canada’s reputation as a leader in mapping.:
Also, a gratuitously self-congratulatory statement in the House of Commons by government backbencher Pierre Lemieux on November 28.