ESRI Visualiser

If you need to show students the world and have a free GIS / Visualisation tool, check out ESRI's Visualiser.

This is a free tool with no login. Maps can be viewed in 2D or as a 3D sphere.

There are some measuring tools, and also some layers that can be added e.g. ocean currents.

LiverpoolGEE

 

Via the latest issue of 'Geography' journal.

The University of Liverpool has shared a variety of Google Earth Engine tools for researchers (and educators).

This includes options for coding using Google Earth Engine.

Some school based resources are apparently on the way, and if you'd like to make some suggestions there's a form on the website.

EMU Analytics

 

EMU Analytics have shared a number of interactive maps on their Location Insights Explorer.

The Christmas Dinner interactive map visualizes where your Christmas dinner ingredients come from and also allows you to compare their 2018 agricultural production to that of 1945. You can therefore use the map to see if the areas associated with different livestock and crops has changed since World War II. You can also how their production has dramatically increased. For example in 1945 there were 1.6 million pigs. There are now 3.9 million pigs in England. 

Conversely the number of hectares given over to growing potatoes in 1945 was almost 4 times higher than it is today.

One thing that the map clearly reveals is that farming is much more intensively concentrated in certain areas today. Back in 1945 the farming of potatoes, pigs and turkeys was fairly evenly distributed across the country. In 2018 there is a less even distribution with livestock and crops being grown much more intensively in specific areas of the country.

This shows where cities are at risk of high temperatures which may make them unliveable.

Text from Keir Clarke's marvellous map blog.

Use the drop downs on the left hand table to discover a whole host of other maps on a range of themes

e.g. here's one on Social Infrastructure. As you can see, Norfolk doesn't have a great deal of this, and I live in a dark red area...

Other useful maps are:

- a fly-tipping map showing where incidence is highest

- HDI and Global risk mapping

- Tescos coverage in London

- areas where you are more likely to get stuck in a lift

Don't forget the CDRC maps as well for location insight.

Notable memorials in Central London

A map of notable memorials.

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.

Global Influence Index (GII)

Thanks to Bob Lang / Brendan Conway for the tipoff to this GIS resource which explores the GII: the extent to which countries are influenced by, and align themselves with either USA or China.

gii.cesionline.org gt find by Brendan Conway excellrnt for post16 superpowers @jbwgeog.bsky.social

[image or embed]

— Bob Lang (@boblanggeog.bsky.social) January 9, 2025 at 6:24 PM

The Global Influence Index (GII) measures the influence of both the U.S. and China in 191 countries. 

The GII uses 28 measures of influence across the economic, political, and security spectrums to track the U.S. - China competitive landscape.​​​​‌‍​‍​‍‌‍‌​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‌‌‍‍​‍​‍​‍‍​‍​‍‌​‌‍​‌‌‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‌​‌‍‌​‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‍​‍​‍​‍​​‍​‍‌‍‍​‌​‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍​‍​‍​‍‍​‍​‍‌‍‍​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‍‍​‍​‍‌‍​‌‍‌‌‌​‌‍‍‌​‍‌‌‌‌‌​‌‍​‌‍‍​‍‌‌‍‍‌‌‍‍‌‍‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍​​‍‍‌​‌‍​‌‌‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‌​‌‍‌​‍‍‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌​​‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍‍‌‌‌​​‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‌​‌‍‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌‍‌‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‍‍​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌​​‌‌‍‌​‌‍​‌‍​​‍​​‌​‌‍‌‍‌‍‌​‌‍​‌​‍‌​​‌‌‍‌‌​‍​​‌‍​‍‌​‌​​‍​‌‍‌‍​​‍​‍‌‌‍​‍​‍​​‌‌​‌‍​‍‌​​‌​​‌‍‌‍​​​‍​​‍​​‍​‌‍​‌‍​‌‌‍‌​‌‍​​‍​​‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌​​‌‍‌‌​‌‌‍‍​‌‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‌​‍‌​​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍​​‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌‍​‌‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌‌‌​‌​‌‍​‌‌‍‌‌‍‌‌​‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‍‌‍​​‌‌‍‍​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‍‌‌​​‌​​‌​‍‌‌​​‍‌​‌‍​‍‌‌​​‍‌​‌‍‌‍​‌‍‌‌‌​‌‍‍‌​‍‌‌‌‌‌​‌‍​‌‍‍​‍‌‌‍‍‌‌‍‍‌‍‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍​​‍‍‌​‌‍​‌‌‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‌​‌‍‌​‍‍‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍​‍‌‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌​​‌‌‍‌​‌‍​‌‍​​‍​​‌​‌‍‌‍‌‍‌​‌‍​‌​‍‌​​‌‌‍‌‌​‍​​‌‍​‍‌​‌​​‍​‌‍‌‍​​‍​‍‌‌‍​‍​‍​​‌‌​‌‍​‍‌​​‌​​‌‍‌‍​​​‍​​‍​​‍​‌‍​‌‍​‌‌‍‌​‌‍​​‍​​‍‌‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌​​‌‍‌‌​‌‌‍‍​‌‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‌​‍‌‍‌​​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍​​‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌‍​‌‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌‌‌​‌​‌‍​‌‌‍‌‌‍‌‌​‍​‍‌‌ What is the influence they have in other countries?

200 000 page views

Thanks for viewing. 

This is one of my older blogs and started out sharing ideas for Google Earth before broadening out over the years....

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.

New Google Earth home screen

 

🌏 Google Earth now has a new homescreen, helping you organize 🗂️ your 🗺️ mapping projects, check it out in this 📽️ 1 min video ✨

👉 https://t.co/AYqPvQcP6C

— Google Earth (@googleearth) November 18, 2024

 

GIS Day - check out the RGS-IBG resources

 GIS Day is this Wednesday.

GIS Day is this Wednesday 20! Help mark the day by exploring our GIS resources for teachers. 📚

These educational tools will enable you to bring real-world geography into your classroom and show students the power of GIS. 💻https://t.co/GzjnCSib8l ⬇️#GISday2024

— RGS-IBG Schools (@RGS_IBGschools) November 18, 2024

Scrambled Maps

 

I've been following Keir Clarke since the early days of Google Earth and he has always shared fascinating map links, many of which I have shared here and on my other blogs.

His latest (ish) is a game he has been developing called Scrambled Maps.

Go here to give it a go.

Living England 2022-3 Habitat Map

The new Living England 2022-23 habitat map is now live! Download freely from https://t.co/rR1gT2IaPl (coming soon on Magic). It’s more reliable & user-friendly than ever - providing essential habitat data for natural capital monitoring across England. pic.twitter.com/5PmDIHjeli

— NE Chief Scientist (@NEChiefSci) November 12, 2024

Visit the link, and see the details in the technical report.

 

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.

New Antarctica GIS from BAS

The Antarctic Digital Database is a free new GIS linked to Antarctica.

What's that? A new map viewer bringing together all the data of the Antarctic Digital Database? Freely available?!

Go enjoy yourself zooming into bits of Antarctica, map lovers ⬇️https://t.co/DWwaghwzUh

The BAS ✨MAGIC✨ team looks after this project for @SCAR_Tweets. pic.twitter.com/vVqXQOxdV6

— British Antarctic Survey 🐧 (@BAS_News) May 18, 2024

Data can be downloaded through the data catalogue in Geopackage or Shapefile format.

Coastline and contour datasets are also accessible in the ArcGIS Living Atlas.

The datasets included in the ADD are:Coastline, including grounding lines and ice shelf fronts
Rock outcrop
Contours
Lakes
Moraine
Streams
Seamask
ADD data limit at 60°S

All datasets are in WGS84 Antarctic Polar Stereographic projection, EPSG 3031.

Watershed Pollution Map

 A new mapping option linked to the current river pollution issues...

Very excited to announce the launch of
THE WATERSHED POLLUTION MAP!

River health, landfills, sewage, road run-off, intensive farming, big industry, forever chemicals, abandoned mines, bathing waters, flood risk, protected areas and so much more... 🧵https://t.co/upIKfAJQhP pic.twitter.com/FnlRgip9ld

— Rachel Salvidge (@RachSalv) June 27, 2024

Visit the map here. 

What are the sources of pollution in your own local area?