The World Historical Gazetteer (WHG) is providing a collection of content and services that permit world historians, their students, and the general public to do spatial and temporal reasoning and visualization in a data rich environment at global and trans-regional scales. Check it out!
Looking for a unique gift for someone who loves maps? Check out these shaded relief maps. They are flat 2D maps, but really look like they are jumping off the page in 3D. My guess the bigger the map you get, the better 3D effect on your eyes! Check it out.
You can also visit the author’s project site here.
GIS Day is almost upon us! Check out this video from Jack Dangermond.
If you have some cash to spend, like $600,000 to $800,000, you too could own this rare map of California! COSTANSÓ, MIGUEL DE. 1741-1814: Original Manuscript Map of Coastal California Signed (“Miguel de Costansó”).
Costansó was the engineer for the Portola Expedition, creating the first land based maps of the California coastline, and discovering and mapping the port of San Francisco for the first time. There are only 4 copies that still exist, and you can own one of them! Check it out, and good luck on your bid!
The National Audubon Society has a new interactive map that combines bird distribution and migration maps with conservation data for 458 species of migratory birds. The interactive map displays its information from hemispheric to local levels. Check it out!
Wildfires can be sparked by a number of sources, including naturally via lightning strikes or simply by heat from the sun, but experts say most are caused by humans.
Many Earth-observing satellites can detect the heat signatures associated with wildfires. NOAA’s N-20 satellite passes over every spot on Earth at least twice a day and can detect fires with 375-meter accuracy.
Check out this wildfire app that displays hotspots and fire activity in real time in the US and Canada, and within 3 hours for the rest of the planet.
The Climate Prediction Center at NOAA has a site for current and future drought estimations. Check out their Drought Monitor interactive map and Monthly Drought Outlook and Seasonal Drought Outlook maps. There are other tools too.
Check out this interactive map and article about the total EV charging stations in the US. If we will be forced to buy electric vehicles soon, they better up their charging stations! While California has 13,658 charging stations, Alaska only has 40. Check it out!
As a side note, according the NACS, there are more than 145,000 fueling stations across the United States. And as you know, they can fuel multiple vehicles at one time vs. just 1 EV charging station per vehicle.
If you are a time traveler, then you probably know about the Time Travel Mart in Echo Park … and you already read this post!
When you walk in, you might be greeted by a man behind the counter who will say “hello again, I saw your future self in the store today, they told me you would be coming in.” Ha!
Go visit the store. They are the purveyor of quality goods from the past, present, and future. The aisles are broken down into different time periods. You can check out dinosaur stuff, robot milk, ray guns, etc. You can even buy a shade tree … instructions state “take the seed, travel back in time, plant it, return to the present and relax under your tree.” Or maybe a “What happens in La Brea tar pits stays in La Brea tar pits” T-shirt? There is something for every time traveler!
And here is the best part. The store itself is part of 826LA, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting students ages 6 to 18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write. 826LA specializes in after-school tutoring, workshops, and programs. The kids are encouraged to be creative, and once a month, one of their stories gets published and put into the store for people to purchase.
Time Travel Mart is located at 1714 W Sunset Blvd in Echo Park, open from 12-6pm, PDT, year 2022. Check it out!
PS – I know it’s April 1st, but trust me it’s for real … at least during some time period!
SoCalGIS.org 