As a Geospatial community we are very lucky in the way that Covid-19 hasn’t had a drastic impact on our workload, compared to other industries (such as hospitality and tourism). We have been checking out some recent blog posts and compiled a few of our favourites. A mixture of topics for you to dive into…
Mapping tools for COVID-19 response
Responding to the covid-19 pandemic by observing the data and understanding the trends. This is how ArcGIS plays its part in the response, firstly it can monitor the current inventory of personal protective equipment (PPE) and the capacity and status of facilities. With other uses including monitoring the surge in graphs, managing testing sites by looking at demographics, and using StoryMaps to quickly communicate the changing situation to others. Read the full article here:
Linking to the previous article this demonstrates how the vaccination programme can be coordinated. It is getting launched in the UK very quickly, so ensuring the vulnerable people have access to the vaccine is vital, which requires a lot of planning. This article explains the possible uses of GIS with the tools within it, and their practical applications to the programme. Worth a read if you are interested, click here.
Combining light and sound to see underwater!
With the ocean covering about 70% of the earth’s surface, it’s shocking to know that only a small proportion of that has been subject to high resolution mapping. Mapping underwater however, is not easy. “The main barrier has to do with physics: Sound waves, for example, cannot pass from air into water or vice versa without losing most—more than 99.9 percent—of their energy through reflection against the other medium. A system that tries to see underwater using soundwaves traveling from air into water and back into air is subjected to this energy loss twice—resulting in a 99.9999 percent energy reduction”. Read more to discover how the Photoacoustic Airborne Sonar System works on this blog.
Which school subjects are involved in mining?
This is a must see video especially if you have kids in school and want to know how different subjects link to different careers. Might spark some new interests… Watch now
Mount Everest’s Changing Height
Now, you may have already seen this on the news as this story has been very popular with the press! Measuring Mount Everest! It’s grown?? By nearly a meter, the new official elevation announced on December 8 by Nepal and China. The two teams coordinated the results of their 2019 and 2020 surveys of the famous mountain to agree on the new elevation— 8,848.86 meters or 29,031.69 feet (height above sea level). Read it in full here.