The OpenAerialMap project was started by Humanitarian Open Street Map earlier this year with the goal to improve rapid access to aerial imagery for disaster mapping and humanitarian response. Now, a beta version was released.
Delivering useful imagery to decision makers, mappers and responders still needs its time, like it was illustrated during the recent Nepal earthquake. Now, the OpenAerialMap offers users a simple interface to find, browse, filter and review available data.
In order to enhance global cropland information for regional and global food security planning and information on field size, two new global maps have been recently released in the journal Global Change Biology.
The first, IIASA-IFPRI Global Cropland Map, illustrates global cropland percentages at 1 kilometer resolution for the year 2005 and it was elaborated by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
Esri and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) recently announced the development of the highest spatial resolution ecological land units (ELUs) map of the world ever produced.
Recent data by the U.S. National Drought Mitigation Center show that the Southwest of the US has been affected by droughts for 11 of the past 14 years and that in 2014 the worst levels of drought has been registered in California. From April 2014 until November 2014, the entire state of California was in some stage of drought: 79.69 percent of the territory was in extreme drought and 55.08 was classified with exceptional drought.
The United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) is delivering online access to unclassified geospatial intelligence data to major federal agencies and partners in an effort to support Ebola relief in Western Africa, as the Agency stated in a press release.
Some days before Hurricane Arthur hit North Carolina coast on 4 July 2014, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) posted a forecast map on their web site, enhancing preparedness for the storm surge. This so called Potential Storm Surge Flooding Map predicted the location and severity of the surge.
Kerala Port Department, India, announced that a digital map of its entire coastline will be created before 2015. This map would be a consistent tool for many government agencies, including Kerala State Disaster Management Authority.
Google is buying Skybox Imaging for $500 million in cash.
As announced on 10 June 2014 during a press release, this near real-time satellite imaging company will help Google improve its Maps product.
Google also expressed the hope that Skybox’s team and technology could help enhancing global internet access and disaster relief.
The terms of the deal are subject to approval from federal regulators in the U.S., but this acquirement would be part of a significant amount of investments in aerial projects made by Google in the last years.
The Department of Geological Survey & Mineral Exploration Ministry of Mines is a Division of the Ministry of Mines of Burma and carries out research in geological and mineral resources. The Department functions according to the Myanmar Mines Law and Rules. The Department of Geological Survey & Mineral Exploration has prepared geological maps for almost 77% of the country. As a result of its explorations, deposits of coal, lignite, lead, gold, silver, copper and sapphire have been discovered in numerous areas.