NASA has been directed to land astronauts at the lunar south pole by 2024. Check out the Lunar South Pole Atlas site that includes maps, images, and illustrations designed to provide context and reference for those interested in exploring the area.
If you are interested in the Indigenous histories of North America and beyond you may enjoy exploring Native Land, an ongoing interactive mapping project that attempts to outline ancestral Indigenous territories. Here, you will find a colorful map multi-layered with depictions of where different Indigenous peoples historically lived. You can browse the map itself or search for a particular postal code to see whose territories that location falls within, and clicking on a given territory shows the names of the native people(s) and cession treaties associated with that place with links to sources included. Check it out!
Healthy coral reefs are some of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet, leading some to call reefs the rainforests of the sea. Coral reefs are also threatened by ocean acidification caused by pollution, overfishing, and more. Check out this wonderful interactive atlas of coral reefs in remote locations around the world. You can explore the map by selecting a pin or using the menu to choose a location, then zoom into a specific island area within that location to view a colorful detailed map of its reefs different habitat areas, many of which are accompanied by underwater videos. This online map also includes GIS tools enabling you to measure and analyze specific reef habitats. These and other features are explained in the map’s useful help section. Check it out!
150 years ago the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869 marked an important milestone in the history of the United States with the joining of the populated east with the growing cities and towns of the west. Stanford University, with its connection to Leland Stanford and Timothy Hopkins, holds in its libraries an impressive array of materials related to this monumental achievement including the often overlooked contributions of the Chinese railroad workers. A new Spotlight exhibit, Transcontinental Railroad, pulls together this material to give an overview of the people and places that played a role in transforming the west. There are maps too! Check it out.
Ah taxes! In case you have not been paying attention, they are due today!
This year Tax Freedom Day is April 16th, 105 days into the year. What is Tax Freedom Day? It represents how long Americans as a whole have to work in order to pay the nation’s tax burden. Think of it as the number of days each year you work for the feds, state, and city to pay them off! For California, Tax Freedom Day comes April 20! Click below for more info on this interesting topic!
Check out this retro looking map showing the top five most plastic polluting rivers in the world. The map uses stacks of Asian Elephants (about 4 tonnes each) to represent daily amounts of plastic. Descriptive text is included so you don’t have to count elephants!
Spoiler alert, no high output rivers from the US. Stop focusing on those straws California!
You can find out more about the map from here. Also there is a story map you can check out. Map is based on data from a study you can find here.
Mad about robocalls? It seems to be increasing on my cell phone every year. In 2018, a record 48 billion robocalls were placed to phones in the US. That works out to 1,500 robocalls per second! Check out this map on robocalls and read the Consumer Reports article about it and how you can start the wave to stop it.
