Spatialworlds

* Constructing a home in the Arctic

Spatial Education and technology Scoop.it
Just real interesting Scoop.it

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manning@chariot.net.au

Where am I??
Adelaide, Australia: S: 34º 55' E: 138º 36'

The human-environment link

A key aspect of the Environment concept of the Australian Curriculum: Geography is the fact that it is not only about the physical geography as an end in itself but about how physical geography (which encompasses the study of the environment) influences humans, and in turn how humans influence the environment. This is what makes geography geography, as opposed to Earth Science which is focussed wholly on the physical processes of the Earth. Such a statement certainly creates some interesting discussion, particularly with passionate physical geographers. An interesting side discussion is whether we can do the environmental geography of Mars, considering Mars does not have any human occupation. We certainly could do some spatial geography of the features of Mars but would it be environmental geography - some argue that it would be Mars Science!!
To further the importance of the human link in geography is supported by the statement from the Australian Curriculum website which states that the Australian Curriculum: Geography Environment concept:

... is about the significance of the environment in human life, and the important interrelationships between humans and the environment.

An important aspect of the human-environment link is the associated phenomenon of interdependency. Although we are now moving into the Interconnection concept of the curriculum, it is important to note that the link is often two-way and in turn creates degrees of interdependencies between humans and the environment. To elucidate these links and interdependencies between humans and the environment in my workshops (and to clarify the Environment concept) I have been using the fantastic video clips from the BBC Human Planet Explorer site. These 3-4 minute clips from vastly contrasting world environments, show some amazing WOW (World of Wonder) geogstories about important interrelationships between humans and the environment.

Here are some amazing environment-human geogstories from the Human Planet Explorer site:

* The arrival of Winter

* Ice fishing

* Digging for water

* Herding Elephants

* A mile for water

* Collecting dirty water

* Collecting water in the hottest place in the world

* Three men and 15 lions

* Snake hunting

* Honey hunting at the top of the forest

* Living amongst the trees

* Feasting on spiders

* Fishing with dolphins

* Dangerous dive fishing

* High wire fishing

* Fishing on the edge – Victoria Falls fishing

* Ganges dry season

* Building an Igloo part 1

* Building an igloo part 2

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Lionfish giving a roar in the Atlantic

Image above: The lionfish invasion

Related links to Spatialworlds
Geogaction
Spatialworlds website
GeogSpace
Australian Geography Teachers' Association website

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zMi3ziOn0KE#t=1

Spatial Education and technology Scoop.it
Just real interesting Scoop.it

Follow Spatialworlds on Twitter

Email contact:

manning@chariot.net.au

Where am I??
Adelaide, Australia: S: 34º 55' E / 138º 36'

The lionfish invasion, a case study of environment, interconnection and sustainability

"The lionfish invasion is probably the worst environmental disaster the Atlantic will ever face" said Graham Maddocks, president and founder of Ocean Support Foundation

The story of the lionfish invasion of the Atlantic is a very useful case study for the geography class to explore the concepts of environment, interconnection, space, change and sustainability. After giving a brief overview of the issue this posting will provide information, videos and map visualisations to illustrate this fascinating and geographically useful case study of a little fish from the Pacific which has become a big problem in the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the waters of the Caribbean and beyond.

The story in a nutshell

The lionfish, a native of the South Pacific region, has brought enormous change to the biodiversity of the areas it has invaded and is now the the most abundant top-level predator on some coral reefs in the Atlantic.

Lionfish were first recorded in 1985 in the Bahamas and since then their population has grown quickly. They produce 30,000 to 40,000 eggs every few days and are sexually mature by 1 year old. Today, you can find them throughout the Amazon, the Bahamas, the Caribbean and in the waters along North Carolina. As a non-indigenous species, lionfish are especially dangerous to the ecosystem because fish in the Atlantic lack a native instinct to stay away from them.

Although some commentators blame the breaking of aquariums during Hurricane Andrew for releasing lionfish to the ocean, it is more likely that they were introduced to the Florida area in 1985 when some pet owners released their lionfish when they got too big for their aquariums (DNA evidence traces all lionfish in the Atlantic back to only six to eight female lionfish). Having no natural predators in the area, scientists say it is up to humans, the fish's only known predator, to save the ecosystem.

Since being released they have altered the coastal ecology and an enormous amount of work is being initiated to limit their impact an spread.

* Video introductions to the issue

http://vimeo.com/12494472#t=6

http://vimeo.com/27832356

* An overview of the lionfish from USGS

* The power and swiftness of the invasion

* An animated distribution map of the spread of lionfish in the Gulf of Mexico since 1985

* Map of current distribution: all from 6 lionfish released in 1985

* World distribution map for lionfish, including projected future spread

* Top 5 myths about lionfish from National Geographic

There’s been a lot of buzz surrounding the lionfish invasion in the Western Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico. With the invasion being a relatively new phenomenon (at least to most people), there’s bound to be some misinformation flying around. The National Geographic website explores the top five misconception about lionfish and the facts behind them. They say, quite correctly; ...'Knowing the truth behind lionfish puts us one step closer to figuring out a solution to the problem!'

* Attempts to manage the invasion of lionfish

In January 2010 during the general assembly of the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI), the Secretariat agreed to set up an Ad Hoc Committee to develop a strategic plan for the control of lionfish in the wider Caribbean. Quite a task to control a species in waters they thrive in and have no predators.

The lionfish invasion is an interesting example of interconnection, environmental management and sustainability. Much research and management efforts is now taking place to avert ongoing ecological disaster. However, the likelihood of success is limited considering the nature of the lionfish and its adaptation and dominance of the Atlantic coastal environment.

Monday, June 23, 2014

Being visual - graphicacy

Image above: Amazing maps

Related links to Spatialworlds
Geogaction
Spatialworlds website
GeogSpace
Australian Geography Teachers' Association website

* An interactive representation of the urban world

Spatial Education and technology Scoop.it
Just real interesting Scoop.it

Follow Spatialworlds on Twitter

Email contact:

manning@chariot.net.au

Where am I??
Adelaide, Australia: S: 34º 55' E: 138º 36'

The art of visualising data

This posting is dedicated to the capacity of spatial technology to visualise data - the graphicacy skill/art of geography using modern technology.

"Graphicacy is concerned with the capacities people require in order to interpret and generate information in the form of graphics. Our society is becoming increasingly reliant on graphics to communicate information. Until recently, words and numbers were the main vehicles for communication – compared with graphics, they have long been relatively easy to produce and distribute. However, advances in information and communications technology and visualisation techniques now mean that graphics are far more readily available and more widely used than ever before."

Here is an interesting YouTube on Graphicacy, tied in with literacy and numeracy.

To illustrate graphicacy, here are some great examples from my Spatial Literacy Scoop.it

An Urban World: UNICEF's new data visualization of urban population growth over the next 40 years. This graphic depicts countries and territories with 2050 urban populations exceeding 100,000. Circles are scaled in proportion to urban population size. Hover over a country to see how urban it is (percentage of people living in cities and towns) and the size of its urban population (in millions).

* Population pyramids: Powerful predictors ofthe future

Population statistics are like crystal balls -- when examined closely, they can help predict a country's future (and give important clues about the past). Kim Preshoff explains how using a visual tool called a population pyramid helps policymakers and social scientists make sense of the statistics, using three different countries' pyramids as examples.

* World Interactive map

Interactive Map of the World, through a flash based Map Viewer application which provides a bird's eye view of every country in the world. It provides country facts such as population, area, GDP, time zone etc.

* Visualisation of world migration

To illustrate the network of globe-trotting journeys, Abel and Sander generated the above fantastic graphic for 2005 to 2010. Migration flows for different world regions are shown as color-coded arcs, with lines that begin close to the circle's edge depicting outgoing migrations (as shown with the arrows for "Central America"). Fatter arcs represent larger migrations and the numbered tick marks indicate how many millions of people are involved

* Someone’s best maps of 2013

"Some beautiful, information-dense cartography, which provide a moment of self-reflection like a giant, geographic mirror.” Seth Dixon

* When people try to draw the world

People get the general shape of the world when the draw a map of the world from memory.

* Amazing maps

Maps after maps, some quirky some just plain interesting and useful.

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Really really interesting

Image above: Where Will The World's Water Conflicts Erupt?

Related links to Spatialworlds
Geogaction
Spatialworlds website
GeogSpace
Australian Geography Teachers' Association website