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Thursday, July 16, 2020

GIS Ed Weekly: UCSB Geography Graduates Speak

Resources for Teaching and Learning

My local hperpartisan site that's 
masquerading as local news. 
Neiman Lab: Hundreds of hyperpartisan sites are masquerading as local news. This map shows if there’s one near you. - The data is interesting; more and more services are claiming to be both local and reputable.

MIT Press Reader: Why Paper Maps Matter in the Digital Age - In her upcoming book Meredith Broussard argues "that the paper map still thrives in the digital era, and there are distinct advantages to using print maps." 

The Harvard Gazette: Checking up on the nation - "'Our study shows that as far as geographic variation in life expectancy is concerned, it’s a pretty local phenomenon,' said S.V. Subramanian, professor of population health and geography and co-author of the study."

Hartford Courant: ‘Negro Heads’ reef off Branford renamed, clearing Connecticut map of offensive word - "A reef in Long Island Sound has been renamed to remove the word 'Negro,' clearing the state map of any reference to the once common but now offensive label for Black people."

On and Off Campus

Connection Newspapers: Sharing Acts of Kindness - "Volunteer Fairfax has launched the #GoodConnectsUs campaign, recognizing citizens connecting with each other through volunteerism. This 12-week campaign, developed in partnership with Fairfax High grad Elisa Luckabaugh, features a Geographic Information System (GIS) interactive map that creates a visual display of the good works being performed in the community."

One of the stakeholders in a West Chester University project shared the story and wrote, "Well done. It is an honor to work with you." The story is featured in the Esri Map Gallery is titled "West Chester Borough Businesses StoryMap" Via LinkedIn.

UMN: Mapping Prize—2020 Best Maps - The best overall is “Exodus: Living and Leaving the North Side,” but check out the rest! Via @Uspatial.

COVID-19 Mapping

Fast Company: This heart-wrenching map track every COVID-19 Death in the World - "Multimedia artist and musician James Beckwith has created a 13-minute, animated global map that charts COVID-19 deaths across the world’s countries."

Vice: Did your town benefit from PPP Loans? Check this map to find out. - "Brothers James and Christopher Kardatzke are mapping every recipient of loans of over $150,000 made through the Paycheck Protection Program." How did they get the data? By scraping a database using python.

We are Iowa: Map from Georgia Tech shows county-by-county risk of encountering COVID-19 at an event - The 90 second video is a demo. "The risk assessment tool was developed by researchers at Georgia Tech's Institute of Technology, Biological Sciences and the Applied Bioinformatics Laboratory."

Programs and Courses

Penn State: Penn State launches master's degree in spatial data science - There's a live info session on the "exclusively online" program today.

Daily Nexus: An Open Letter to the UCSB Department of Geography - Graduates of the UCSB geography community ask that department Chair Stuart Sweeny "shut up and listen" as they suggest how to increase diversity. 

People

D Magazine: The SMU Professor Who Explodes Indiana Jones - Mark D. McCoy is a geospatial archaeologist and professor at SMU with a new book, Maps for Time Travelers: How Archaeologists Use Technology to Bring Us Closer to the Past. It explores geospatial tools and is written for a non-academic audience. By the way, the fictional Indiana Jones taught at the University of Chicago.

The College Fix: ‘Feminist geography’ professor argues tall buildings are sexist - Leslie Kern is a professor at Mount Allison University.

CTV: New fund to support work of scientists, explorers named after Alex Trebek - "The Royal Canadian Geographic Society (RCGS) and the U.S. National Geographic Society announced a renewed partnership Wednesday that they say will work towards making lasting positive changes to the health of the planet. The first phase of this partnership includes the newly conceived Trebek Council, a grant-making fund that will 'support the innovative and ambitious work of Canadian scientists, explorers, storytellers and educators who are revealing, examining and celebrating the natural world.'"

Meanwhile in Education

Inside Higher Ed: Shifting Geographies - Former community college dean Matt Reed explores the challenges of pricing college for those in state, out of state and online.

NBC New: Map: International student enrollment is in jeopardy. These are the states that would be affected the most. - Note that map shows raw numbers not rates. And, the situation has changed, thankfully.

Esri

UCSD: UC San Diego Receives Top Honors for Innovative Applications of GIS Technology - Why did they win a SAG award from Esri? "Led by GIS Librarian Amy Work, Library IT Operations Manager Michael Stuart, and IT Services Information System Analyst Maryam Sarkhoush, the team leveraged the university’s Single Sign-On (SSO) login system to eliminate a significant preexisting barrier to entry. Now, users are easily able to utilize their Active Directory account to gain access to ArcGIS technology from any location with internet access."

Esri Canada: The company's Education and Research group offers two Career Path Series resources: one on crime analysis and one on GIS in health. These were launched as part of the U.N.'s World Youth Skills Day. Via Twitter.