GIS, Tablet PCs and Soils

ESRI's Summer edition of ArcNews contains an article on the Purdue University soils classes that are utilizing tablet PCs and GIS software to map soils and landscapes. This program was mentioned here before and is another great example of how to use tablet PCs for field-based classes.

Neogeography and Second Life...Continues

From the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis blog, a discussion of CASA'a exploration of the worlds of Neogeography, Web 2.0 and Second Life.

Here is a copy of CASA's working paper on the subject, "The Renaissance of Geographic Information: Neogegraphy, Gaming and Second Life: Working Paper 142."

I wonder how CASA will argue that SL created the 'renaissance' of geoinfo?

Animal Magnetism and Google Earth

I heard this on NPR's All Things Considered tonight. A new study looks at how cows align their bodies while resting. The researchers claim that the cows invariably align with their spines pointing north-south, like pieces of magnetite in a cooling basalt flow! The best part of this study is that the researchers used Google Earth to map the cows. Hurray for low cost research projects.

Says Richard Holland, a biologist with the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom, "It's a very clever use of Google Earth, and the evidence is quite compelling. It does seem that these animals are detecting the Earth's magnetic field and using it to point in a north-south direction."

Google's Lat Long blog has something to say about this research too.

Geologic Maps of the World - Online

Here's a site where we can get digital geological maps of the whole world, OneGeology.

OneGeology's aim is to create dynamic digital geological map data for the world. It is an international initiative of the geological surveys of the world who are working together to achieve this ambitious and exciting venture.

Looks promising. The initiative was fittingly launched today at the International Geological Congress in Oslo by Simon Winchester.

Thanks, Dave Tewksbury.