Light pollution is considered to be artificial or anthropogenic introduction of light in what would normally be a night setting. Light pollution has grown significantly throughout the twentieth century as cheap, constant light became more possible in urban areas. However, light pollution has the potential to negatively affect our health, […]
remote sensing
GIS Data
Jason-2 Satellite to Help Improve Maps of Sea Floor
Jason-2 will be collecting data about the sea floor every 5 miles, which will be used to create a high-definition estimate of the average surface height of the ocean in various places around the globe.
Spatial Analysis
Measuring Vegetation from Satellite Imagery with NDVI
Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) is a remote sensing technique that uses measurement of vegetation signatures to measure vegetation types and growth.
GIS Data
DigitalGlobe’s GBDX Receives Synthetic Aperture Radar Improvements
GBDX, a cloud centered GIS data platform provided by Earth-imaging and analysis company DigitalGlobe, is undergoing augmentations with Synthetic Aperture Radar data from Radarsat-2.
GIS Industry
‘SpaceDataHighway’ Delivers Satellite Data in Minutes
A new data delivery system is being tested that will allow the download of data via lasers from satellites within minutes.
Spatial Analysis
A New Algorithm to Find Wildfires When It’s Cloudy
New technology called the Firelight Detection Algorithm, or FILDA, can help detect wildfires at night even when the skies are cloudy.
GIS Learning
GIS and Map Contests Roundup
Current map and GIS related competitions listed in order of the competition deadline.
Spatial Analysis
A Global Landslide Potential Map That Updates Every 30 Minutes
Researchers from NASA have developed a global landslide susceptibility model that maps out areas in danger of potential landslides every thirty minutes.
Spatial Analysis
Understanding Ocean Wave Patterns from Satellite Imagery of Sun Glitter
Researchers have developed a method by which to translate satellite imagery of sun glitter on the water into data about the direction, height and movement of waves.
GIS Data
ESA’s Swarm Satellites Reveal Detailed Variations in the Earth’s Magnetic Field
Three years of data collection the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Swarm satellites has resulted in the highest resolution map of Earth’s lithospheric magnetic field.
Spatial Analysis
Using Visual Search to Find Geographically Similar Features on Satellite Imagery
Descartes Labs recently unveiled its GeoVisual Search application which uses machine learning to visually search satellite imagery for similar geographic features.
Spatial Analysis
Tracking Deforestation by Measuring the Distance to the Nearest Forest
Using satellite images, researchers established a method of calculating the distance between any point in the continental United States and the nearest forested area.