…from GeoSpatial Today…
“It will not be an exaggeration to say that our planet is at crossroads. If humans do not take measures to address the serious environmental issues of earth, the consequences will be unimaginable. Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions—a smaller carbon footprint is the need of the hour. Renewable Energy is a viable option to traditional fossil fuel and with GIS technology the path to a greener tomorrow becomes that much easy.”
…from National Woodlands, Winter 2009…
“Fossil fuel emissions from manufacturing, transportation, and energy production lead to a host of problems including global warming. Forest researchers have developed a means of monitoring and counterbalancing our need for goods and services with nature’s ability to cleanse the atmosphere of harmful emissions to the air. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are very useful tools to measure and better recognize these trade-offs. It also provides a basis for designing land management plans. These systems have the capability to combine many layers of data, model those data in many ways, and generate reports and maps that make it easier to comprehend a complex problem.
“One of the greenhouse gasesthat contribute to global warming is carbon dioxide (CO2). Natural processes that have evolved over eons offset the impact of greenhouse gases with reservoirs such as forest and oceans. In these places photosynthesis removes carbon from the atmosphere. Growing trees convert, or sequester, CO2 from the atmosphere and turn it into wood. Foresters are using geographic information systems (GIS) to analyze forests’ carbon sequestration rates. This technology can also be implemented to reveal opportunities in carbon trading to gain economic advantages from sustainable forest management.”
A new book from the Committee on Learning Science in Informal Environments, National Research Council…
“Informal science is a burgeoning field that operates across a broad range of venues and envisages learning outcomes for individuals, schools, families, and society. The evidence base that describes informal science, its promise, and effects is informed by a range of disciplines and perspectives, including field-based research, visitor studies, and psychological and anthropological studies of learning.
“Learning Science in Informal Environments draws together disparate literatures, synthesizes the state of knowledge, and articulates a common framework for the next generation of research on learning science in informal environments across a life span. Contributors include recognized experts in a range of disciplines–research and evaluation, exhibit designers, program developers, and educators. They also have experience in a range of settings–museums, after-school programs, science and technology centers, media enterprises, aquariums, zoos, state parks, and botanical gardens.
“Learning Science in Informal Environments is an invaluable guide for program and exhibit designers, evaluators, staff of science-rich informal learning institutions and community-based organizations, scientists interested in educational outreach, federal science agency education staff, and K-12 science educators.”
What new functionality in ArcGIS 9.4 supports the work of scientists?
ESRI continues to move spatial modeling and analysis tools to the next level. The upcoming ArcGIS 9.4 release will include a number of improvements in the ArcGIS geoprocessing framework and new tools. Coming GIS technology enhancements that will benefit the work of science include:
…from Transactions in GIS…
“In a project to classify livestock grazing intensity using participatory geographic information systems (PGIS), we encountered the problem of how to synthesize PGIS-based maps of livestock grazing intensity that were prepared separately by local experts. We investigated the utility of evidential belief functions (EBFs) and Dempster’s rule of combination to represent classification uncertainty and integrate the PGIS-based grazing intensity maps. These maps were used as individual sets of evidence in the application of EBFs to evaluate the proposition that “This area or pixel belongs to the high, medium, or low grazing intensity class because the local expert(s) says (say) so”. The class-area-weighted averages of EBFs based on each of the PGIS-based maps show that the lowest degree of classification uncertainty is associated with maps in which “vegetation species” was used as the mapping criterion. This criterion, together with local landscape attributes of livestock use may be considered as an appropriate standard measure for grazing intensity. The maps of integrated EBFs of grazing intensity show that classification uncertainty is high when the local experts apply at least two mapping criteria together. This study demonstrates the usefulness of EBFs to represent classification uncertainty and the possibility to use the EBF values in identifying and using criteria for PGIS-based mapping of livestock grazing intensity.”
Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel, Los Angeles, California
September 30 – October 2, 2009
GIS and Science 