For many people, commuting to work is an almost ubiquitous daily occurrence that most strive to keep to a reasonable length.  But is this a uniquely modern difficulty, or did workers in past eras have similar commuter struggles?  That question is the focus of a CityLab article, which opens by introducing what is known as the Marchetti Constant, an idea coined by the Italian physicist Cesare Marchetti, which basically describes that people have always been willing to commute for about a half-hour, one way, from their homes each day.  The average speed of our transportation technologies does more than anything to shape the physical structure of our cities.  This article, which includes several illustrative maps and images, offers you a quick overview of the history of transportation and urban development.  Check it out!

The EPA’s EnviroAtlas interactive map includes over 400 different data sources and provides information about ecosystems and how they benefit us.  Check it out!

Looking for GIS data from the feds?  You are probably familiar with data websites and portals such as The National Map, the USDA’s Geospatial Data Gateway, and geospatial data within Data.gov and the GeoPlatform.  Check out this article that explores online sources whose data sets are lesser-known, starting with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

You fly a drone?  Then you must be familiar with LAANC, the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability.  It provides drone pilots with access to controlled airspace at or below 400 feet.  Included is an FAA web app that provides near real-time authorization to conduct drone flights in controlled airspace.  Drone pilots can use it to easily locate LAANC enabled airports, understand the airspace classification, determine the latitude/longitude of the proposed flight location, and view altitude restriction grids.  Apps such as FAADroneZone, AirMap, Aeronyde, Converge, Kittyhawk, Skyward, and UASidekick will provide the map and the ability to acquire LAANC authorizations.

The web map is also available to the public.  Check it out!

Found this interesting website about a new report examining about how the geography of US employment in manufacturing and other industries has changed over approximately the past 75 years.  This report found that “the manufacturing industry has lost ground in many places across the US and is now the largest employer in only two states–Indiana and Wisconsin.”

Check out the interactive visualizations and maps.  The first two visualizations allow you to explore shifts in employment and economic output trends from 1940 to 2016 for a variety of industries at both the national and state level.  The other three visualizations focus on changes in the manufacturing industry in more recent decades and include data down to the county level.  You can also download the full 56-page report.  Check it out!