Polar charity expedition led by wounded servicemen aims to raise over £2 million
Esri UK, the country’s leading provider of geographic information systems (GIS) technology has launched an online, interactive map to track four wounded soldiers, including two amputees, taking part in a charity expedition. The ‘Walking with the Wounded’ http://walkingwiththewounded.org.uk/ expedition aims to raise over £2million by trekking, unaided, to the Geographical North Pole; Esri UK’s interactive map will track their progress and feature the team’s regular blog and picture updates.
Supported by patron HRH Prince Harry, the ‘Walking with the Wounded’ expedition is expected to take around four weeks, covering over 200 miles while exposing the team members to temperatures as low as minus 50 centigrade. Monies raised will help servicemen and women who have been injured while serving their country.
“We are extremely proud to be supporting such an inspirational expedition,” commented
Richard Waite, Managing Director for Esri UK. “The incredibly brave individuals taking part will not only raise much needed funds, but prove that disability is no barrier to endeavour and achievement.”
Esri UK is supporting the work of ‘Walking with the Wounded’ by providing an interactive, digital map on the charity’s web site. The GPS coordinates of the team are collected daily and added to the map, so that visitors to the site can track the team’s progress across the ice. By exploring the website, visitors can also visualise historic map data supplied by the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) www.RGS.org. These interactive maps, available online for the first time, allow users to compare the team’s route to those taken by other earlier explorers of the Arctic Circle. It is possible, for example, to see the journeys taken on foot by Robert Peary in 1909 and Sir Wally Herbert in 1969, as well as the remarkable expedition of Fridtjof Nansen and Fredrik Hjalmar Johansen, who attempted to reach the North Pole in an icebound ship in 1895.
To donate to this worthwhile cause and give your support to the expedition members, visit www.walkingwiththewounded.org.uk
[Source: Esri UK press release]
GIS and Science 