Each month, Spatial Source looks back on the best of the month’s Best of the Blogs.
The International Space Station has proven a valuable source of some of the most artfully taken photography of Earth from space. While cloud free imagery is usually the goal for imagery, some of these images are of nothing but clouds. Maps Mania has the run-down on the latest images from astronaut Tim Peake and where you can find some of the other great imagery available. The above photo depicts the border mountains of Russia, Mongolia and Kazakhstan with Lake Markakol in the foreground.
This grim map by designer Moriz Büsing details no less than 32,000 deaths of migrants to Europe over the last 15 years. The design and colours illicit the effect of desperation and danger that the refugees suffer when either entering into Europe or trying to settle once there.
This month Australia’s east coast was heavily eroded after a high tide coincided with a low pressure system. It wasn’t the best timing for New South Wales State Emergency Service (SES) to publish a webmap showing areas that could be at threat if a tsunami occurred. This is almost anywhere along the coast, and the red highlights on the maps sent the the spatially illiterate into frenzy, as described by ASM.
One teaspoon of soil contains thousands of microorganisms. Now, scientists have begun mapping every single one of them – on a global scale. Or, at least, they have begun estimating their distribution. National Geographic unearthed how this is possible and why it’s important.
You may not have heard of Null Island, but if you work with GIS there’s a good chance you’ve visited it. That’s because Null Island doesn’t actually exist and is located at 0°N 0°E– in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Due to its coordinates, this is where many digital maps originate- leading GIS enthusiasts to create a ‘national’ flag, create fantasy maps and document the Island’s rich history- as reported by Science Alert.
