Applied Geography

Archive for April 16th, 2009

The GEOSS GEOportal

In Climate Change, ESRI, Earth Systems Science, Environmental Science, GIS, Geography, Science, Visualization on April 16, 2009 at 10:38 am

image_galleryThe Group on Earth Observations (GEO), which is coordinating efforts to build a Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), operates a portal (GEOportal) which provides a single Internet access point for data, imagery, and analytical software packages covering the entire Earth.

“The GEOportal provides an entry point to access Earth Observation information and services. It will connect to a system of existing portals, addressing the GEO Societal Benefit Areas globally and provide national to regional perspective to achieve synergy and leverage.

“Derived from ESA’s Earth Observation Community Portal www.eoportal.org. this proposed contribution to the GEOportal will put the accent on remote sensing, geospatial-static and in-situ data, information and services.

“Maps, forecasts and other decision support tools, derived from, among others, satellite imagery and in situ observations play an important role in the work of decision makers, sustainable development planners and humanitarian and emergency managers in need of quick, reliable and up-to-date user-friendly cartographic products as a basis for planning and monitoring their activities.”

Computer Derives Natural Laws from Raw Data

In Modeling, Science on April 16, 2009 at 9:41 am

Interesting article in ChronicleOnline at Cornell University

“If Isaac Newton had had access to a supercomputer, he’d have had it watch apples fall and let it figure out what that meant. But the computer would have needed to run an algorithm developed by Cornell researchers that can derive natural laws from observed data.”