Can you map music?

That's the question asked by GIS consultant Madeleine Ratcliffe, who works for ESRI.

On a recent LinkedIn post she described the inspiration for an ESRI StoryMap she has created.

I first heard Smetana's Vltava (or The Moldau) while driving with my mum. We're both flautists, and she knows the piece well. As we listened she explained how it traces the course of the Vltava River through Czechia. It begins where two mountain streams meet, represented by two intertwining flutes. From there, the music carries you downstream past hunters in the forest, a village wedding, moonlit dancing by the water, the dramatic St. John's Rapids, and finally to Vyšehrad Castle in Prague. 

She gave a running commentary as we listened, and it completely changed how I thought about music. I hadn't realised it could tell such a vivid geographical story.

When I joined Esri UK two years ago, I couldn't shake the idea of bringing this piece to life on a map.

Using an ArcGIS StoryMap, I've traced the journey of Vltava along the river itself. As you explore, you can listen to each section of the music, discover the historical and cultural context behind it, and see how the landscape, geography and composition are all woven together.

Thanks to Brendan Conway for the tipoff to Madeleine's work.

QuickGIS

Andy Funnell has done a great job of collating a whole range of GIS tools into one place "for busy teachers" - and others.

It's called QuickGIS and is a Wordpress site that he has put together for the benefit of everyone.

Maps are shown in a series of categories.

A quick browse reveals some useful ones for teachers of all key stages. The 'Environment and Resources' tab for example takes you to various viewers and maps to explore ecosystems.

This ecoregions map is new to me, for example.

Dance of the Continents

Via Jason Sawle on LinkedIn.

An impressive StoryMap exploring the choreography of the continents. Embedding not enabled.

Here's the story of its creation.

Storyscape

Check out the year's end issue of this ESRI mapping newsletter with lots of StoryMap related news...

New ESRI GIS support materials

Jason Sawle shared this on World GIS Day.

Part of a forthcoming set of resources for students and teachers to explore the world.

Digital assessment - some trials

This is coming soon...

Katie Hall has shared some of her recent work exploring digital assessment options.

She has been working with Qualifications Wales to look at a possible model for doing this.

Nathan Evans from Qualifications Wales has written a blog post about progress to date.

This includes some videos of the tasks that learners were asked to do.

And then you can have a go yourself at doing the activity here.

SHIFT podcast with Jack Dangermond of esri

 

Listen to the SHIFT podcast which features an interview with Jack Dangermond, founder of esri. He is the President of esri.

From deciding where to build a new business, airport or fire station, to understanding the potential impact of decisions regarding conservation or governance, people make billions of maps everyday using GIS. 

We explore the history and evolution of this tech with one of its pioneers, in the latest instalment of our oral history project.

He is clear that "geography is everything!"

A few points that Jack makes:

• Between 4 and 5 billion maps are made on esri's platforms every day.
• GIS digitises geography and puts it into a geographical frame.
• Organisations are run by geography.
• Do analytics of the geography behind the maps.
• GIS tools help frame the decision making they do.
• FEMA and other emergency departments use the tools to plan the response to hazards
• Roger Tomlinson invented the term GIS
• Talks about getting his customers together and working out what they could develop as a product
• esri has 680 000 customers... when they started they had single digit numbers of customers
• A third of revenue is spent on advancing products and R&D
• UPS saved hundreds of millions of dollars from rerouting their vehicles
• Helped with EBOLA 
• 1.3 trillion maps were created showing the spread of COVID19 around the world
• "Geography is everything"

Find out more here.

Slavery from Space

The UN member countries have set the target of ending slavery by 2030.

However, no country has a system for actively monitoring slavery, and this lack of data leads to poor interventions and policies.

The Slavery from Space programme at the University of Nottingham aims to address this problem. The programme uses Earth Observation (EO) to identify and track the scars left on the Earth by the industries with high levels of slavery.

This includes fish processing in Bangladesh, brick-making in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal, deforestation in Mozambique, cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo, agriculture in Greece, and multiple sectors in Uganda.

Read the RGS article.

The Power of Where

 That's the title of a new book by Jack Dangermond in association with the wider GIS community.

A description:

The Power of Where presents the visionary concepts of Jack Dangermond, cofounder of Esri®, the world’s leading mapping software company. With a foreword by bestselling author and writer for The Atlantic, James Fallows, it’s filled with the latest web maps, illustrations, and real-life stories from a vibrant global community of geographic information systems (GIS) users. If you’ve never heard of GIS, this is the book for you, and if you think you know what GIS is, you’ll discover much more.

From the Ring of Fire to the Fertile Crescent, The Power of Where takes us on a visual and narrative journey into the world of modern GIS and reveals its growing potential to address the world’s greatest challenges. The technology is already ubiquitous, from running city governments and performing civic science to conserving open spaces and managing logistics—virtually every human endeavor.

Central to the book is the geographic approach—a way of solving problems that uses spatial location to perceive and understand patterns—from wildlife migration and rising seas to urban planning and food production. Drawing from 60 years of research and experience, the author writes from a fervent conviction that through this approach, we can confront climate change, hunger, water scarcity, inequity, and issues large and small in our everyday lives.

The book describes the methods of the geographic approach—visualization, communication, analysis, collaboration, accounting, and design—and shows how vast amounts of integrated data are propelling spatial applications into the mainstream. A companion website brings interactive maps and stories to life and serves as a starting point for students and educators—and anyone considering joining the GIS user community.

The Power of Where reveals how technologies such as web services, mobile devices, artificial intelligence, extended reality, and 3D visualization intersect with GIS and outlines the new opportunities they are creating. Its maps and stories arise from a passion for the power of place and from the mutually reinforcing revolutions in Earth observation, analysis, and collaboration that GIS and the human spirit make possible.

Explore live examples from the book and learn more about interactive mapping and the tools of modern GIS

Widely acknowledged as the leading visionary in the field of geographic information system (GIS) technology, Jack Dangermond and his wife, Laura, launched the Environmental Systems Research Institute in 1969 with a shared vision that system thinking along with computer mapping and spatial analysis could help people design a better future. For more than 50 years, their vision has guided Esri’s GIS mapping and analytic technologies worldwide. Jack’s life work has brought many honors, including the Planet and Humanity Medal from the International Geographical Union, the Champions of Earth Award from the United Nations, and the Alexander Graham Bell Medal from the National Geographic Society. Jack and Laura live in their hometown of Redlands, CA, where Esri is based.

Wildfire Map using ESRI Data

A new map, using data from ESRI's Living Atlas. Zoom into an area to see what Wildfires are active.

Thanks to Addy Pope for the tipoff.

Very informative Wildfire Aware dashboard from the @LivingAtlas team that brings home the scale of this seasons fires - https://t.co/a6cJVG5hES #wildfire pic.twitter.com/t2ZCaPVjAa

— Addy Pope (@GIS4HE) August 18, 2023

The 22 data layers used in this application can be found in ArcGIS Living Atlas:

Environmental Protection Agency – Ecoregions and Air Quality Current and Tomorrow
National Aeronautics and Space Administration – MODIS and VIIRS
National Weather Service – Temperature Forecast, Wind Speed, Weather Watches and Warnings
US Department of Agriculture – Drought Monitor
US Census – Census 2020 Redistricting Blocks and American Community Survey
USDA Forest Service – Wildfire Burned Areas, Wildfire Hazard Potential, Forest Type Groups, and Forest Carbon Pools
US Fish and Wildlife Service – Critical Habitat
US Geological Survey – National Land Cover Database and Protected Areas Database
Integrated Reporting of Wildland-Fire Information (IRWIN) – Wildfire Points
National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) – Wildfire Perimeters
Nature Serve – Imperiled Species
Esri – 2023 Demographics and World Ecological Landforms

Mapmaker - launched in Beta

 MapMaker was launched at the ESRI User Conference earlier in the week.

As part of a great new collaboration with with National Geographic Society we are launching a new, free, mapping solution for schools, MapMaker 3.0 (beta). 2D, 3D, curated content, innovative tools, designed for schools. Give is a try at https://t.co/6IStrdoCcR #geographyteacher pic.twitter.com/Rz1vp8cfDF

— Jason Sawle (@GIS4Schools) July 9, 2023

Back in 2010-12 I travelled the country leading GIS sessions with Jason Sawle, using an ESRI product called Digital Worlds.  We visited cities up and down the country at the time. Jason is now Global Schools Manager at ESRI, and was involved in the launch of MapMaker.

The new National Geographic MapMaker has some unique features for teaching. Use the weather simulation tool in 3D to aide understanding and reduce cognitive load for flooding case studies. Try it for yourself at https://t.co/92wRmaZknk#EsriUC2023 #geographyteacher pic.twitter.com/7G0d4zyf5J

— Jason Sawle (@GIS4Schools) July 11, 2023

Try the tool here:

This might be the tool that you find the most useful from the various ESRI options.

ESRI K12 resources

 New out

Have you seen our shiny, new #K12 webpage? 👀

So many resources for #GIS in K-12 #education: https://t.co/pwPTCR8lvn pic.twitter.com/03IBgz8Osb

— Esri GIS Education (@GISEd) July 15, 2022

RGS-IBG Podcast on ArcGIS Online

Check out the podcast with Jason Sawle: Global Schools Manager with ESRI.

The @RGS_IBGschools team pleased to feature @GIS4Schools - of @esriuk and @Esri & champion of importance & value of #GIS in education & #geography - in our latest podcast. Listen below ⤵️https://t.co/62j1zIo5I5

— Steve Brace (@SteveBraceGeog) May 11, 2022

ESRI StoryMap

A new guide to using and creating ArcGIS StoryMaps from ESRI has been made available. It's been updated and is very clear.

Thanks Jason

A well deserved step up for Jason, who I have known for quite a while now, and who has always been helpful and supportive... we ran joint courses for a while about 10 years ago when I was working for the GA. Follow Jason on Twitter to see where he goes next....

ESRI's tools have come a long way, and are now free for most and increasingly powerful and flexible.

Some personal news. Yesterday was my last day as Head of Education at @esriuk as I have moved to a new role with @Esri to be the Global Manager for Schools.
A big thank you to @geogologue and @GIS4HE for being great team mates and committed fancy dress collaborators😀! pic.twitter.com/EA2A18dEjU

— Jason Sawle (@GIS4Schools) April 1, 2021

500 up

A small milestone perhaps, compared to the 10 000+ posts over on LivingGeography, but passed 500 posts on this blog, which has actually been around for quite a while, in fact predating LivingGeography. The blog began as part of a project funded by the Royal Geographical Society's Innovative Geography Teaching grants - I've received quite a few of them over the years.

It has broadened beyond Google Earth to take in Digimap for Schools and then ESRI's ArcGIS Online and StoryMaps.

Meanwhile Google Earth has changed, moving to the PRO download, which is still my preferred format, and now the Chrome browser version with its Projects builder option....

National Trust Climate Change Threat Map

This has appeared today and been mentioned on the BBC News site.

It's created using ArcGIS mapping from ESRI.

Visit the map here. A web app.

National Trust director for land and nature Harry Bowell said: "This map is a game-changer in how we face the threat climate change poses to the places we care for.

"While the data draws on a worst-case scenario, the map paints a stark picture of what we have to prepare for. But by acting now, and working with nature, we can adapt to many of these risks."

The charity says staff are already taking action to cope with rising temperatures:

Heat-tolerant plants are being grown at Ham House in London, which the map warns could often face 40C (104F) heat by 2040
At Lyme Park in Cheshire, which was hit by a major flood in 2019, trees are being planted on moorland to slow the flow of water and reduce flooding risks
At Mount Stewart in County Down, where rising sea levels have contributed to coastal erosion, a shelter against incoming water has been made
At Malham Tarn, in the Yorkshire Dales, where a 18th-Century barn collapsed due to soil shrinkage, teams will plant trees and use specific plants to manage the water table

The map plots the impacts of extreme heat and humidity, landslides, coastal erosion, shrinking and shifting ground due to wet and dry conditions known as "soil heave", and high winds, in 2020 and 2060.

Take a look and see how your own home area fares.

New ESRI School Atlas Collection

Shared by the ESRI UK Education Team.

A new collection of digital atlases for use in lockdown learning.

Access them all here.

Don't forget that the GA also has its Geography From Home section ready to help as many return to remote teaching for a few weeks at least.

World GIS Day 2020

Will put up a few posts today for World GIS Day.

This is an excellent map of the National Risk Index in the USA, produced by FEMA.

esri - see what others can't