…from Presentation Zen…
”People often ask if technical or science-related presentations can be as compelling as presentations covering other less technical topics. Now, not every presentation has earth-shattering, Nobel-Prize winning significance, but I assume if you are talking about your research or current issues in your field, etc. that your words have a benefit for someone else. I assume it is important, otherwise why waste your time and the time of others?”
The Alaska Geospatial Data Clearinghouse offers easy and real-time access to a plethora of public domain geospatial data about the state.
“The National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) is the surface water component of The National Map. The NHD is a comprehensive set of digital spatial data representing the surface water of the United States using common features such as lakes, ponds, streams, rivers, canals, and oceans. These data are designed to be used in general mapping and in the analysis of surface-water systems using geographic information systems (GIS). In mapping, the NHD is used with other data themes such as elevation, boundaries, and transportation to produce general reference maps. Customized maps can be made to meet specific needs of the user by emphasizing certain aspects of the data. A map emphasizing hydrography can be produced by displaying more of the content embedded in hydrography.
“The NHD often is used by scientists, specifically in surface-water analysis using GIS technology. This takes advantage of a rich set of embedded attributes that can be processed by a computer system to generate specialized information. This information can then be portrayed in specialized maps to better understand the results. These analyses of hydrography are possible largely because the NHD contains a flow direction network that traces the water downstream or upstream. It also uses an addressing system to link specific information about the water such as water discharge, water quality, and fish population. Using the basic water features, flow network, linked information, and other characteristics, it is possible to study cause and affect relations, such as how a source of poor water quality upstream might affect a fish population downstream.”
…from The Medical News…
“Fourteen veterinarians from Indonesia are learning how to track and stop the spread of animal borne diseases in a three-week training program hosted by the University of Sydney. The program is part of the Australian Aid Agency (AusAid) Australian Leadership Awards Fellowships (ALAF) program and aims to equip Indonesian veterinary epidemiologists with important skills to improve surveillance, detection and monitoring of animal borne diseases.”
…from Government Technology…
“California launched a new online data repository on Thursday that makes state data files, databases, geographic data and other sources easier to find, state CIO Teri Takai announced Tuesday.”
UNOSAT has released a report titled “Analysis of Somali Pirate Activity in 2009” covering the time frame of 01 January 2009 to 20 April 2009. Among the findings: the overall hijacking success rate for this period of 2009 was 23% (down from 40% in 2008), and the distance from the coast has increased over the last year.
GIS and Science 