Each week Spatial Source highlights the best that the internet has to offer.
Bold new statements in both gaming and spatial philosophy were made last week with the long-anticipated release of video game No Man’s Sky. Based on mathematical algorithms, the game is (quite literally) world’s apart from other games in that it recreates an infinitely large universe, which is practically impossible to explore in entirety. In doing so it gives rise to a new scale of geographic awareness and cartographic exploration. The New Yorker describes the significance of the game and how “the mind collapses when confronted with so much geography.”
As we enter week two of the Rio Olympics, you can now compare your country’s medal tally to the rest of the world, thanks to this interactive web map published by Esri.
If you would like to see things more closely, Geoawesomeness has released a series of satellite image animations showing the change in Rio’s landscapes in recent years to prepare the host city for the world’s biggest sporting event.
Similarly, the Urthecast blog has shared data captured from their satellite video platform to show a very different type of live action from the bustling city.
In celebration of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, Esri has published a story map exploring and mapping the rich culture and continuing struggle of indigenous people from the Sami in the Nordic region to the Aborigine in Australia. An interactive map also shows highlights significant “cultural areas of concentration” and the work that needs to be done to support these important cultures.
