Great for Pirates! Real time never ceases to amaze

Spatialworlds website

Picture descriptions:
Left Image: The Conola(called Rape in Europe)fields of Flanders.
Right image: The Riqueval Tunnel at Bellicourt, Picardie, France. Built by Napoleon in 1811 and still in use.

Adelaide, Australia: S: 34º 55' E: 138º 36'

Spatial technology sites never cease to amaze me with their power of communication and ability to visually represent what is happening now in the world. This is particularly true of real time sites which are great for the teaching of current affairs. A great example of such currency are two sites I have recently come across which relate to shipping around the world and piracy. Piracy is a hot topic on the international scene and a topic which continues to enthrall. Maybe the interest in piracy relates to those stories we all read or watched in our childhood about buccaneers. Regardless of the reasons, piracy on the seas is a real issue with associated security issues, under-development of countries, trade and trade routes and the rights of the haves to go unimpeded with their wealth.

1.Tracking shipping around the world (a gift to pirates!!)
This is an amazing site which shows the marine traffic on the oceans in real time. Not only does it show the location, type and travel direction of shipping but also the speed, image and name of the boats. Have a play with the site and you will find much more spatial information for analysis (i.e.why concentration of shipping, routes and shipping lanes etc). A great example of the power of spatial technology to inform and analyse.
This site is particularly topical considering the pirate issue on the high
seas at the moment.

2. Live Piracy map: A gift to the anti-piracy efforts!
As a follow up to the shipping map, here is a Google Map link on pirate attacks in recent years (International Chamber of Commerce Commercial Crime Service). The attacks are shown by date, type of attack, ship type, ship name and location with a crime report for each. Some interesting comparisons over time.

What a great way to combine current affairs, development studies, economic geography,international law of the sea, media spin and spatial technology. All in real time with temporal comparison!