GIslands 2010

Calling all Coastal Zones! The University of the Azores has launched the 1st International Summer School on Geotechnologies Applied to Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) - GIslands 2010. The course is a 6-day exercise (7-12 August 2010) in the Azores with resource persons in MSP, Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM), GIS, Remote Sensing, Environmental Modelling and Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI). The course is free but applicants are subject to evaluation and must cover their own costs. Application deadline: 4 April 2010.

Open Source Rolls On Again

It's probably obvious from previous posts that I think Open Source software provides an interesting avenue for the Region to develop its information systems and that even commercial GIS software companies should consider porting their excellent packages to run on Open Source systems. Today, the owners of Symbian, which powers hundreds of millions of devices around the world (e.g. many Nokia phones) announced that their software is now Open Source. By doing so Symbian is now tapping into creative energy and development talent from around the globe.

Earthquake Real-Time Data

As many know already, there was a Magnitude 6.1 earthquake in Haiti early this morning. The ESRI GEOSS/GEO Viever and perhaps others can help you visualize this. For those who might want to learn more about this earthquake and quakes in general, the USGS Earthquake Hazards programme provides lots of current information and of interest to GIS-ers, the data are also available for download or via webfeeds.

Haiti GIS Viewer

With the dire situation in Haiti there's a lot of spatial data including hi-resolution satellite imagery and from-the-ground vector data being generated to support the emergency humanitarian effort. The ESRI GEOSS/ GEO Viewer mentioned in the previous post is doing a great job of updating what it offers and providing an integrated view from the flood of data. It's a little slow, but I understand that it's had to make the leap from demonstration prototype to operational resource in a hurry; so full credit to the people behind it for doing so.

Earthquake in Haiti via GeoRSS feed

The scale of the humanitarian crisis caused by the earthquake in Haiti is now beginning to be understood. One source of information is the new GEOSS Viewer. Its use of up-to-date data, via RSS feeds, and its smooth interface makes it an excellent visualisation tool for both GIS Specialists and wider users such as the news media. It is a website that allows for the search of data across multiple data portals and has analytical capabilities, such as population estimations. It is currently focused on the disaster area of Haiti. There is a GeoRSS feed that will show the locations of the earthquakes there – from the USGS Earthquake data. The site is being enhanced with additional data and imagery to support humanitarian response operations.

The site is built using the ArcGIS Server API for Flex Sample Viewer, which is a free API for non-commercial use – which any organization can download and use from here: http://resources.esri.com/arcgisserver/apis/flex/. Additional widgets are available from the code gallery here: http://resources.esri.com/arcgisserver/apis/flex/index.cfm?fa=codeGallery.
Thanks to Carmelle Terborgh for the details.

GIS for Carbon Accounting & Tropical Forest Management

GIS Technology is going to be used for Carbon Accounting and Tropical Forest Management in Guyana. See the ESRI News Release.

Training in Panama

CATHALAC, the Water Center for the Humid Tropics of Latin America and the Caribbean, based in Panama, in association with various universities and organisations, offers educational programmes, including a Master's degree in Climate Change, a Capacity Development Programme for professionals, a Study Abroad Programme for undergraduates, a Research Abroad Programme and a Sabbaticals and Doctoral Research Programme. The July 2010 Study Abroad Programme will last eight weeks and focus on Climate Change and Sustainable Development. It will be conducted in English and the closing date is 8th Mar 2010. With CATHALAC being a hub for geospatial data and expertise, I imagine participants will be exposed to the latest in GIS technology.