Africa's Congo Basin forest aided by satellite tree-felling survey

Congo Basin - A project to map every place in the world's second-largest tropical forest where trees have been cut down will be announced today.
A purpose-built camera will be sent into space to record every clearing and logger's track in the Congo Basin in Africa to determine how much of the forest is left.

The camera will be fixed to a satellite and should be operational by the end of 2010 as part of an initiative to save the Central African tropical forest from being chopped down.

At twice the size of France, the Congo Basin forest is exceeded in extent only by the Amazon but it is estimated that loggers, many of them illegal, destroy an area the size of 25,000 football pitches every week.

Forests absorb huge quantities of carbon but it is released when they are cut down and their preservation is regarded as one of the biggest challenges by those trying to slow the greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change.

Douglas Alexander, the International Development Secretary, will announce extra funding to save the forest today when he explains the camera project. It will record the forest in more detail than before.

Ministers agreed to push for the camera, which will be built by the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire, because of the need to get more than the current limited information about the state of the forest, which is in one of the most inaccessible and volatile regions of the world. To decide where efforts should be concentrated, politicians and scientists need to know where the impact of logging is worst.

Mr Alexander is expected to say in his speech: “Avoiding deforestation is crucial in the fight against climate change. As the world's second-largest rainforest, the Congo Basin must be at the heart of our response.

“The basin houses a quarter of the world's rainforest, but already an area the size of 25,000 football pitches is cleared of trees every week.
“Protecting the rainforest will help us all in the fight against climate change and also the 50 million people who rely on the Congo forests for their livelihoods.” 

Last year, shortly before his elevation from Chancellor to Prime Minister, Gordon Brown announced a £50million fund to be used to protect the Congo Basin. It is expected that it will be reported that the fund has been increased by millions of pounds, perhaps doubling in size, after contributions from other bodies.

Ministers believe that by protecting the forest from destruction they will be acting in the interests of the indigenous peoples, many of whom rely on it for their livelihoods.

Once the detailed satellite pictures have been taken, they will be beamed to a new receiving station that is expected to be built in Central Africa, the first in the region.

Printouts of the pictures can then be taken to villagers to show them what is happening to their environment. With computers virtually non-existent in many of the jungle communities, the extent of deforestation revealed is expected to be a surprise to many inhabitants.

At 770,000 square miles (two million sq km), the Congo Basin contains an estimated 26 per cent of the world's remaining rainforest and has been described as the world's “second lung”. A study by the United Nations revealed that more than two thirds of the forest could be lost by 2040 unless the rate of tree removal is greatly reduced.

The forest featured this week in an atlas of Africa published by the United Nations Environmental Programme to show, using satellite images, how the continent has changed in the past 36 years.
The “before and after” satellite images of the Congo Basin revealed that huge chunks of the virgin forest had been lost. 

The United Nations estimates that 3,600 square miles are still being lost annually. Logging, the spread of agriculture and human population rises are the biggest threats.

It is estimated that the forest is home to 50 million people, 10,000 species of plants, 1,000 species of birds and 400 species of mammals. 

Source : http://www.timesonline.co.uk/

North Pole could be ice-free this summer, scientists say

The North Pole may be briefly ice-free by September as global warming melts away Arctic sea ice, according to scientists from the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado

Satellite will study climate change

Bangalore: Few issues have taken the global centre stage as did climate change recently, and images of melting polar ice caps and rising sea levels are now all too ubiquitous to ignore. 

But how much do we really know about global warming? What is the quantity of greenhouse gases — carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and methane — in our atmosphere? How are they distributed around the world?

Some answers might be brought back by I-STAG, a satellite to be launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in 2012, in a unique collaborative initiative with science institutes.

“I-STAG, (Indian Satellite for Aerosol and Gases) is a small satellite, weighing no more than 150 kg and will most likely go as a co-passenger with one of the major launches scheduled for 2012,” R. Sridharan, Programme director, Space Science Office, ISRO, told The Hindu. It will be placed in a low Earth orbit at 600 km. 

In its two-year life span, I-STAG will collect data on the quantity and distribution of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, aerosols (suspended particulate matter), ozone, water vapour and the oxides of nitrogen and sulphur so that an estimate can be made on their impact on climate. 

“The satellite will have a special focus on the tropics and will monitor the spatial and temporal variation in the amount of these gases to assess their long-term effect on the climate and ecosystem,” said Prof. Sridharan. 

The experiments would also attempt to estimate the impact of biomass burning and forest fires on climate. 

I-STAG will be developed jointly by the Indian Institute of Science, the Space Physics Laboratory in Thiruvananthapuram, the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad, and the National Atmospheric Research Laboratory in Tirupati. 

“ISRO will put in the seed money of about Rs. 10 crore, and scientists will, through simulations, demonstrate the concepts and also work out the methods for analysing the data,” Prof. Sridharan said.

The three experiments on I-STAG would measure and trace the distribution of greenhouse gases through an infrared spectrometer, and a multiwave radiometer would monitor the distribution and polarisation properties of aerosols. 

I-STAG is part of the space organisation’s “small satellites programme” for scientific experiments, said ISRO Chairman G. Madhavan Nair. “The first of the series of small satellite was the Indian Mini Satellite, which flew with CARTOSAT-2A. We are scheduled to launch three more small satellites in the next four years, including I-STAG. These are SENSE, to study the near-space environment; Aditya, to study the solar corona; and YOUTHSAT to measure solar radiation,” he said. 

Prof. Sridharan said the science institutes were now preparing the project report for I-STAG in consultation with the satellite group at the ISRO Satellite Centre.

source

MAP ANALYSIS

  ●ANALYSIS - What & Why? :
  The heart of GIS is the analytical capabilities of the system. What distinguish the GIS system from other information system are
  its spatial analysis functions. Although the data input is, in general, the most time consuming part, it is for data analysis that 
  GIS is used. The analysis functions use the spatial and non-spatial attributes in the database to answer questions about the real 
  world. Geographic analysis facilitates the study of real-world processes by developing and applying models. Such models
  illuminate the underlying trends in geographic data and thus make new information available. Results of geographic analysis can
  be communicated with the help of maps, or both. 

  The organization of database into map layers is not simply for reasons of organizational clarity, rather it is to provide rapid access
  to data elements required for geographic analysis. The objective of geographic analysis is to transform data into useful information
  to satisfy the requirements or objectives of decision-makers at all levels in terms of detail. An important use of the analysis is the 
  possibility of predicting events in another location or at another point in time. 

  ●ANALYSIS -How? 
  Before commencing geographic analysis, one needs to assess the problem and establish an objective. The analysis requires 
  step-by-step procedures to arrive at the conclusions. The range of geographical analysis procedures can be subdivided into the
  following categories.  

  o Database Query. o Overlay. o Proximity analysis.  

  o Network analysis. o Digital Terrain Model. o Statistical and Tabular Analysis. 

  ● Use of Spatial Analysis: It helps us to: 

  o Identify trends on the data.

  o Create new relationships from the data. 

  o View complex relationships between data sets. 

  o Make better decisions. 

 
  ●Geographic Analysis: 
  It is the analysis of problems with some Geographic Aspects. 

  o Alternatives are geographic locations or areas. 

  o Decisions would affect locations or areas. 

  o Geographic relationships are important in decision-making or modeling. 
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More About Cracks in India....

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Dear Readers
It is regarding the earlier post Msterious cracks........

One Earth_Science_India group member Dr. Raed Ahmad has suggested tht these cracks are sinkholes. I am Publishing what he posted.

Sinkholes are common where the rock below the land surface is limestone, carbonate rock, salt beds, or rocks that can naturally be dissolved by ground water circulating through them. As the rock dissolves, spaces and caverns develop underground. Sinkholes are dramatic because the land usually stays intact for a while until the underground spaces just get too big. If there is not enough support for the land above the spaces then a sudden collapse of the land surface can occur. These collapses can be small, as this picture shows, or they can be huge and can occur where a house or road is on top.

What is a "Sinkhole"?
A sinkhole is an area of ground that has no natural external surface drainage--when it rains, all of the water stays inside the sinkhole and typically drains into the subsurface. Sinkholes can vary from a few feet to hundreds of acres and from less than 1 to more than 100 feet deep. Some are shaped like shallow bowls or saucers whereas others have vertical walls; some hold water and form natural ponds. Typically, sinkholes form so slowly that little change is seen in one's life- time, but they can form suddenly when a collapse occurs. Such a collapse can have a dramatic effect if it occurs in an urban setting.
Areas prone to collapse sinkholes
The map below shows areas of the United States where certain rock types that are susceptible to dissolution in water occur. In these areas the formation of underground cavities can form and catastrophic sinkholes can happen. These rock types are evaporites (salt, gypsum, and anhydrite) and carbonates (limestone and dolomite). Evaporite rocks underlie about 35 to 40 percent of the United States, though in many areas they are buried at great depths.

Types of sinkholes
Since Florida is prone to sinkholes, it is a good place to use to discuss some different types of sinkholes and the geologic and hydrologic processes that form them. The processes of dissolution, where surface rock that are soluble to weak acids, are dissolved, and suffosion, where cavities form below the land surface, are responsible for virtually all sinkholes in Florida. 
Dissolution sinkholes
 Dissolution of the limestone or dolomite is most intensive where the water first contacts the rock surface. Aggressive dissolution also occurs where flow is focussed in preexisting openings in the rock, such as along joints, fractures, and bedding planes, and in the zone of water-table fluctuation where ground water is in contact with the atmosphere.
Cover-subsidence sinkholes
Cover-subsidence sinkholes tend to develop gradually where the covering sediments are permeable and contain sand. In areas where cover material is thicker or sediments contain more clay, cover-subsidence sinkholes are relatively uncommon, are smaller, and may go undetected for long periods.
 
Cover-collapse sinkholes
Cover-collapse sinkholes may develop abruptly (over a period of hours) and cause catastrophic damages. They occur where the covering sediments contain a significant amount of clay. Over time, surface drainage, erosion, and deposition of sinkhole into a shallower bowl-shaped depression.
 
Sinkholes can be human-induced
New sinkholes have been correlated to land-use practices, especially from ground-water pumping and from construction and development practices. Sinkholes can also form when natural water-drainage patterns are changed and new water-diversion systems are developed. Some sinkholes form when the land surface is changed, such as when industrial and runoff-storage ponds are created. The substantial weight of the new material can trigger an underground collapse of supporting material, thus causing a sinkhole.
The overburden sediments that cover buried cavities in the aquifer systems are delicately balanced by ground-water fluid pressure. The water below ground is actually helping to keep the surface soil in place. Ground-water pumping for urban water supply and for irrigation can produce new sinkholes In sinkhole-prone areas. If pumping results in a lowering of ground-water levels, then underground structural failure, and thus, sinkholes, can occur.

Mysterious Cracks Appear in India

On Earth_Science_India group on Yahoo Rameshji posted photographs of cracks in banda, Hamirpur, and Allahabad in India. These cracks are widespread, they are wide and also up to extent of 100 m or so.

It will be intersting to find out orientation of such cracks! Sudden emergence of such widespread cracks, need attention of Geoscientists!

Click Here to see photographs

MIT analysts say European system for cutting CO2 emissions is working well

In a bid to control greenhouse gas emissions linked to climate change, the European Union has been operating the world's first system to limit and to trade carbon dioxide. Despite its hasty adoption and somewhat rocky beginning three years ago, the EU "cap-and-trade" system has operated well and has had little or no negative impact on the overall EU economy, according to an MIT analysis.

The MIT results provide both encouragement and guidance to policy makers working to design a carbon dioxide (CO2)-trading scheme for the United States and for the world. A key finding may be that everything does not have to be perfectly in place to start up similar systems.

The cap-and-trade approach to controlling emissions is not new. For years, the United States has operated highly successful cap-and-trade systems for emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. Based on a national emissions cap, facilities that emit those pollutants receive a limited number of emissions permits, or allowances, for a given period. Facilities that emit more than their allowed limit must buy allowances from facilities that emit less. Markets for trading allowances operate smoothly and facilities have reduced their emissions significantly.

Despite such success, setting up a U.S. cap-and-trade system for CO2 emissions has proved challenging. Carbon emissions are so central to energy consumption that the idea of imposing a policy to limit them raises serious concerns. 

Could putting a price on carbon emissions lead to serious economic effects? Might the outcome be the equivalent of energy rationing? Such questions loom large as Congress debates the merits of several climate-change bills containing proposed CO2 cap-and-trade systems.

Already, the EU ETS is far larger than either of the U.S. programs for sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. Further, the EU ETS operates internationally. Allowances are traded by facilities in 27 independent nations that differ widely in per capita income, market experience and other features. As a result, "I think the EU ETS has a lot to tell us about how a global system might actually work," Ellerman said.

What are some of the lessons to be learned from the European experience? First, it shows that the economic effects--in a macroeconomic sense--have not been large. 

Second, permitting "banking and borrowing" will make a cap-and-trade system work more efficiently. Within the EU ETS, facilities can bank (save some of this year's allowance for use next year) or borrow (use some of next year's allowances now and not have them available next year). Many facilities took advantage of the opportunity to trade across time. But they always produced the necessary allowances within the required time period. Concerns that facilities would postpone their obligations indefinitely have proved unwarranted. 

A third lesson is that the process of allocating emissions allowances is going to be contentious--and yet cap-and-trade is still the most politically feasible approach to controlling carbon emissions. In a cap-and-trade system, those most affected--the current polluters--receive some assets along with the liabilities they are being asked to assume.

Finally, the MIT analysis shows that everything does not have to be perfectly in place to start up. When the EU ETS began, the overall EU cap had not been finally determined, registries for trading emissions were not established everywhere, and many available allowances--especially from Eastern Europe--could not come onto the market. The volatility of prices during the first period reflects those imperfections. 

"Obviously you're better off having things all settled and worked out before it gets started," said Ellerman. "But that certainly wasn't the case in Europe, and yet a transparent and widely accepted price for CO2 emission allowances emerged rapidly, as did a functioning market and the infrastructure to support it."

Source : http://web.mit.edu/

                                Kenya - Atlas of Our Changing Environment provides compelling evidence of the extent and severity of such dramatic change over the past 30 years on the  region's environment due to both natural processes and human activities. The Atlas is the first major publication to depict environmental change in all of Africa's countries using satellite imagery. By telling a vivid, visual story of the dramatic impacts on the continent's landscapes, the Atlas is a resource for remedial action at local, national, and regional levels.

One of the Atlas's most striking features is its site-specific, side-by-side display of historical and current remote-sensing imagery. "Before and after" satellite images show different kinds of environmental change: forest conversions and the loss or degradation of habitats; urban growth; altered hydrology (dams, shrinking lakes, river diversions, and drained wetlands); degraded coastal areas; mining developments; dryland modification; and the impacts of climate change. While it's generally a challenge to present visually the impacts of climate change and land degradation in Africa due to the often long intervals between cause-and-effect involving these two issues, the Atlas powerfully tells the story of climate change and its impacts through paired satellite images. Vignettes from people's lives provide personal accounts, describing how environmental change has affected them, how they have adapted to it, and also helped to slow further deterioration or restore environmental quality.

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Sales Representative

Job Location(s):
United States
Florida
Ohio
Texas
This role is only available to residents of United States
or to those who hold valid working visas or permits

Yotta MVS is looking for new sales professional’s that are bright, enthusiastic individuals who have sold software, services, IT, or GIS solutions. The Ideal candidate will have sold to local government in the past and be able to negotiate the sales process and the myriad of decision makers typical in this environment.

Company Profile
Yotta MVS has developed a unique niche of performing field data collection services for property tax administrators, GIS departments and 911 Agencies over twenty years. Yotta MVS combines today’s state-of-the-art technology, innovation, standardized processes and highly trained personnel to deliver a cost-effective solution for development and the field data verification of real property, addressing, and GIS data. We develop and support innovative tools for visualizing, analyzing, and managing property tax and geographic data on the desktop and in the field

Responsibilities
Main duties will involve the core skills of any sales professional
• Cold calling and qualifying leads and prospects
• Meeting prospects to develop their needs
• Creating and presenting proposals that offer a solution to client needs.
• Close new business.
• Monitor and lead relationships with business partners to identify opportunities for selling software and solutions to joint customers.
• Maintain all client information on Salesforce.com.

Experience
• Outside sales experience preferably in the technology sales environment and where there is a high degree of prospecting and group presentations.
• Experience selling to county and state government a plus.
• Must be highly motivated and have the drive and persistence necessary to maximize the potential of the territory.
• Exceptional presentation skills with experience speaking in front of modest groups of people
• Comfortable working with clients to define their needs and build a solution.
• Must have a command of all Microsoft Office applications, including but not limited to Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Bachelor’s degree in business or related field is preferred; will consider comparable experience.

Location
Employee will be working from his/her own home and be responsible for multi-state territory, necessitating frequent travel. Preferred locations of Texas, Midwest and Southeast.

What we offer
• Competitive base salary of up to $60,000 dependent on experience.
• A clear realistic target and bonus structure.
• Medical health insurance and retirement savings plan.
• Car allowance.
• Phone, Company Credit Card and Laptop also included.
Additional Information
Salary: from $40,000.00 up to $60,000.00 per year
Position Type: Full Time, Employee
Required Education Level: Bachelors
Commission
click to apply

Young Geo-Professional Magazine Initiative

Netherlands - The geomatics and hydrographics field is flourishing as never before; nevertheless, it is experiencing a shortage of personnel. Companies and governments simply cannot attract sufficient qualified personnel to get all the work done. Furthermore, universities and educational institutions all over the world are suffering from a lack of new students. How can we turn the tide? How can we interest people in starting a career in, for example, land surveying, electronic charting, remote sensing, positioning or hydrographic surveying?
Reed Business Geo (The Netherlands) is proud to announce their initiative to publish a magazine and associated website focussed on young people who are about to make a study choice. The publication, called Young Geo Professional, will position geomatics and hydrographics as an attractive and fascinating field. Further, it will make the young people aware of the wide scale of fields of application and future job possibilities.
The magazine and its associated website are developed for secondary, college, propaedeutics and bachelor students, from the ages of 16 to 27 years, who are about to make the choice on a study or follow-up study. They may not yet be sure which technical discipline to choose and want to form an impression of their future job and explore the different options available.
Young Geo Professional magazine will be appealing, interactive and offer informative content on the field in general as way of an introduction, geomatics and hydrographic jobs, studies and entertaining information on geo techniques. Lots of additional information will be added to the website, including a database of educational institutions, where students can find their nearest education provider.
At least 15,000 copies will be distributed worldwide, to about 350 educational institutions (high schools, bachelor and master programmes) offering study programmes in geomatics and hydrographics. Educational institutions will use this magazine while promoting their studies to candidate students, for example, at open days and at education and career fairs.
The magazine and website will be available for students at the start of the study year(September 2008).
Source : http://www.reedbusiness-geo.nl/

Duke Energy Eyes Residential Rooftops

        Duke Energy said on Monday that it has applied for regulatory approval to spend $100 million installing solar panels at homes, schools, stores, factories and other locations in North Carolina.The project would be Duke’s first large-scale distributed solar power generation deal. The company plans to spend two years installing 20 megawatts of solar panels at 850 sites. But first, Duke has to get the approval of the North Carolina Utilities Commission, which received its application last Friday. The project would help Duke meet state mandates for renewable energy.
full story

Cad Specialists needed

We are TTK Maps looking for CAD speciallist in our organization, If your skill set matches with below profile then please forward your resume to careers@ttkmaps. com

Designation : CAD Specialist

Experience: 2+ years

Educational Qualification: Any Degree and knowledge of GIS is an added advantage.

Technical Skills/competencies :

CAD*.
Microstation.
Arc GIS.
Job Location: Chennai

Thanks & Regards

I.G.Ravindranath

I.G.Ravindranath
9442979966

Visit to Sun

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Sales Representative Needed

Job Location(s):
United States
Florida
Ohio
Texas
This role is only available to residents of United States
or to those who hold valid working visas or permits

Yotta MVS is looking for new sales professional’s that are bright, enthusiastic individuals who have sold software, services, IT, or GIS solutions. The Ideal candidate will have sold to local government in the past and be able to negotiate the sales process and the myriad of decision makers typical in this environment.

Company Profile
Yotta MVS has developed a unique niche of performing field data collection services for property tax administrators, GIS departments and 911 Agencies over twenty years. Yotta MVS combines today’s state-of-the-art technology, innovation, standardized processes and highly trained personnel to deliver a cost-effective solution for development and the field data verification of real property, addressing, and GIS data. We develop and support innovative tools for visualizing, analyzing, and managing property tax and geographic data on the desktop and in the field

Responsibilities
Main duties will involve the core skills of any sales professional
• Cold calling and qualifying leads and prospects
• Meeting prospects to develop their needs
• Creating and presenting proposals that offer a solution to client needs.
• Close new business.
• Monitor and lead relationships with business partners to identify opportunities for selling software and solutions to joint customers.
• Maintain all client information on Salesforce.com.

Experience
• Outside sales experience preferably in the technology sales environment and where there is a high degree of prospecting and group presentations.
• Experience selling to county and state government a plus.
• Must be highly motivated and have the drive and persistence necessary to maximize the potential of the territory.
• Exceptional presentation skills with experience speaking in front of modest groups of people
• Comfortable working with clients to define their needs and build a solution.
• Must have a command of all Microsoft Office applications, including but not limited to Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Bachelor’s degree in business or related field is preferred; will consider comparable experience.

Location
Employee will be working from his/her own home and be responsible for multi-state territory, necessitating frequent travel. Preferred locations of Texas, Midwest and Southeast.

What we offer
• Competitive base salary of up to $60,000 dependent on experience.
• A clear realistic target and bonus structure.
• Medical health insurance and retirement savings plan.
• Car allowance.
• Phone, Company Credit Card and Laptop also included.
Additional Information
Salary: from $40,000.00 up to $60,000.00 per year
Position Type: Full Time, Employee
Required Education Level: Bachelors

apply online

IT SupportJob

Location:United StatesMissouri - Kansas City

This role is only available to residents of United Statesor to those who hold valid working visas or permits
Yotta MVS has a career opportunity for a motivated person to work as a member of our Technical Services support team. This individual will have the skills to solve internal and external technical issues ranging across hardware platforms, database configuration, software defects and education.
This position is responsible for ongoing support and maintenance of hardware and custom software applications used in the local government property tax administration and GIS environment.
Company ProfileYotta MVS has developed a unique niche of performing field data collection services for property tax administrators, GIS departments and 911 Agencies over twenty years. Yotta MVS combines today’s state-of-the-art technology, innovation, standardized processes and highly trained personnel to deliver a cost-effective solution for development and the field data verification of real property, addressing, and GIS data. We develop and support innovative tools for visualizing, analyzing, and managing geographic data on the desktop, and in the field.
Experience• Good general IT skills, including Windows Server 2003, Networking, Hardware, and System Administration. • Prior work experience with software implementation for state or local government is preferred.• Advanced experience with Microsoft Access, SQL and ESRI software is preferred.• Good communication skills and self-directed on short and medium term goals.• Flexible with the ability to recognize the need to do something and do it. • Manage multiple customer issues in a fast paced organization and prioritize effectively
Responsibilities• Provide in-person, inbound phone, web or e-mail support for internal and external customers nationwide.• Resolve customer inquiries and issues regarding Company software applications and services. • Train client staff and internal groups on use of Company software to ensure client satisfaction with the product.• Continually develop product expertise by reviewing new functionality, testing product issues, and utilizing internal resources • As we are a small but rapidly expanding organization, the role will also involve some general IT support responsibilities to ensure the smooth running of the systems that support Yotta’s business, operations, and products.• Updates appropriate reports and databases to track progress and define issues.Location – Kansas City, Missouri
What we offer• Fast growth company using leading edge technology.• Dynamic and exciting yet friendly culture.• Competitive salary and benefits• Opportunity for travelAdditional InformationSalary: from $35,000.00 up to $45,000.00 per yearPosition Type: Full Time, EmployeeRequired Education Level: Bachelors

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Gravitation

Gravitation is a natural phenomenon by which all objects with mass attract each other, and is one of the fundamental forces of physics. In everyday life, gravitation is most commonly thought of as the agency that gives objects weight. It is responsible for keeping the Earth and the other planets in their orbits around the Sun; for keeping the Moon in its orbit around the Earth, for the formation of tides; for convection (by which hot fluids rise); for heating the interiors of forming stars and planets to very high temperatures; and for various other phenomena that we observe. Gravitation is also the reason for the very existence of the Earth, the Sun, and most macroscopic objects in the universe; without it, matter would not have coalesced into these large masses and life, as we know it, would not exist.
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ChinaSat-9 Propelled Into Orbit

ChinaSat-9 has been launched into orbit — otherwise known as ZhongXing-9 (ZX-9), the satellite was carried aloft by a CZ-3B Chang Zeng-3B (CZ3B-10 launch vehicle from the LC2 launch complex at the XiChang Launch Center. ChinaSat-9 will be operated by China Direct Broadcast Satellite Company, Limited, and the manufacturer is Thales Alenia Space, with the satellite based on the company's Spacebus-4000C2 platform. This satellite is a integral component of China's 1G DBS system. With 22 Ku- (18 36 MHz + four 54 MHz) band transponders, the orbital slot for ChinaSat-9 is at 92.2° E. ChinaSat-9 uses the ABS-S (Advanced Broadcast System-Satellite) technology that offers a 30 percent boost on the bandwidth efficiency of the transponder. The new Chinese satellite has a life expectancy of 15 years and will be able to broadcast to approximately 98 percent of the population of China, to include Hong Kong, Macao, as well as Taiwan. China Direct Broadcast Satellite is also planning to launch their Xinnuo-4 (Sinosat-4) and Xinnuo-6 (Sinosat-6) satellites by the year 2010. As you may recall, a 8.0 magnitude earthquake struck the Sichuan province in China on May 12th—fortunately, the XiChang Satellite Launch Center avoided damage, which allowed the launch to proceed.

source

Hunger in Ethiopia

Like so many other victims of Ethiopia's hunger crisis, Usheto Beriso weighs just half of what he should. He is always cold and swaddled in a blanket. His limbs are stick-thin.
Usheto is not the typical face of Ethiopia's chronic food problems, the scrawny baby or the ailing toddler. At age 55, he is among a growing number of adults and older children — traditionally less-vulnerable groups — who have been stricken by severe hunger due to poor rains and recent crop failure in southern Ethiopia, health workers say.
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Acid Rain and Smog in Cities

Particularly for large metropolitan cities, smog and poor air quality is a pressing environmental problem. Smog primarily consists of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds chemically interacting with heat from sunlight forming ground level ozone. Smog is that familiar haze most commonly found surrounding large cities, particularly in the summer time. Smog and ground level ozone contribute to all kinds of respiratory problems ranging from temporary discomfort, asthma, to long-lasting, permanent lung damage. The pollutants in smog come from vehicle emissions, smokestack emissions, paints, and solvents - most of which started out as crude oil.
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Business Development & Sales Executive

Job Location(s):
Australia
Queensland - Brisbane - Fortitude Valley

Reference: 05062008124

> Work = Work Life Balance
> Place = The Studio
> Diversity = Everyday

Mipela (GIS) Pty Ltd is based in sunny Brisbane and has over 10 years consulting experience in the Spatial and Information Management Industries (www.mipela.com.au).

NOW IS THE TIME!!
"The Studio" has just been completed and now is the time for you to get on board and take advantage of this booming market.

We are dedicated to providing clients across a number of sectors with innovative mapping solutions for their spatial information management needs.

Our Services include consulting on the design, development, installation & maintenance of spatial information solutions.

Our flag ship product X-Info DataServer is an off-the-shelf web-based mapping\data delivery solution that takes existing data and makes it more useable. Users simply pump in the data and X-Info pumps out an interactive map.

THE GIG:
We are currently seeking a Business Development Executive to initially market and sell X-Info DataServer and then to further expand to sell our suite of products.

• Create and maintain a client relationship plan;
• Sourcing and building new client relationships;
• Prepare proposals and bids where appropriate;
• Identify and drive opportunities for client presentations;
• Cross sell all of Mipela (GIS) Pty Ltd’s services;
• Actively participate in networking events;
• Recommend and implement marketing activities.

YOUR EXPERIENCE WILL INCLUDE:

• IT sales;
• Thinking on the run;
• Creating solutions for clients
• Demonstrating IT products
• Excellent communication skills
• Tertiary Qualifications in related field
• Experience in (or marketing to) the resources, utilities or local government sectors
• Experience in the GIS industry is an advantage but not essential.

MIPELA REWARDS
Mipela is a family friendly company that strives to improve employees lifestyles. We have implemented a comprehensive Employee Benefits Program "Mipela Rewards" that is focussed on just that and we remunerate staff with flexible salary packages and working practices commensurate to skills and experience.
Additional Information
Position Type: Full Time, Employee
Required Education Level: Bachelors
Job Starting Date: June 5, 2008
click to apply

G-8 to fight oil prices with efficiency

Faced with record-high oil prices, the world's leading economies and oil consumers Sunday pledged greater investment in energy efficiency and green technologies to control their spiraling thirst for petroleum.
In a joint statement, energy ministers from the Group of Eight countries, joined by China, India and South Korea, also urged oil producers to boost output, which has stalled at about 85 million barrels a day since 2005, and called for cooperation between buyers and producers.

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Africa's deserts could supply solar electricity to continent: experts

Solar power from Africa's deserts could supply all 600 million citizens currently without electricity and even export power to Europe, a green energy conference in Nairobi heard Thursday.The ferocious desert sun could provide the energy equivalent of 1.5 barrels of oil per square kilometre, said Gerhard Knies, project manager for Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy Cooperation (TREC), at a meeting of nine African states.
The largest source of energy is the solar radiation (and) the best place to receive solar radiation is the desert," he told reporters at the start of meeting of 20 parliamentarians in Kenya.
"Deserts get 700 times more energy per year than all human kind is using," he explained.
"It is as if a layer of 25 centimetres (10 inches) of oil is falling down in the deserts year after year."
The legislators from Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Rwanda Tanzania, Uganda and the Seychelles are at the conference to discuss energy access for the poor.
"There is great need to provide the poorest people in east Africa with electricity," said Nicholas Dunlop, founder of the "e-parliament" conference.
"But at the same time there is an urgent need to combat climate change."
Dunlop explained that the technology needed to provide solar thermal energy was simple and clean compared to extracting and processing fossil fuels.
"A combination of mirrors and pipes to concentrate the sun's heat to boil water and drive an old fashion steam turbine."
"One you have built your mirrors and pipes ... your costs are finished. The good Lord does the rest," he said.
He added that solar energy costs were steadily coming down as the industry expanded, notably in Europe, while "oil is famously going through the roof."
"Now renewable energy is considered as a supplement to fossil fuels. We have to look at fossil fuels as supplements for renewable (energy)," said Knies.
Stephen Karekezi of the Environment and Development Network for Africa said high oil prices were fueling the drive for alternative and cleaner energy sources.
"We are quite excited by this opportunity... that the high oil prices begin to turn our policy makers to actually contribute and push for renewable (energy)."

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Tidal power fuels Britain's National Grid

Tidal power has been harnessed to generate electricity for Britain’s National Grid for the first time, it has been announced.

The move has been hailed as a milestone in the development of marine energy, which could provide up to a fifth of Britain’s electricity needs.

It came when a single turbine on the Atlantic seabed off Orkney was connected to the National Grid on Monday morning. The area off the north of Scotland is regarded as potentially one of the best in the world for tidal power and has been described as the "Saudi Arabia of marine energy".

Although only a small amount of electricity was initially generated as part of a trial, output will be stepped up over the next few weeks to provide enough power for around 150 homes.

Jim Mather, Scotland’s energy minister, hailed it as a "massive step forward".

"This is the first time that homes in Britain will be powered using the energy of the tides," he said. "Scotland has unrivalled potential to generate clean, green energy from our seas. Marine power lies at the heart of our ambitions to develop a vibrant renewables sector, creating jobs and boosting economic growth while tackling climate change."

The turbine was installed in 2006 by OpenHydro, an Irish company, at the European Marine Energy Centre’s (EMEC) test site at the Fall of Warness, off the island of Eday.

EMEC was set up using public money to help develop technology from the prototype stage through to the commercial market.

It has already been involved in generating wave power for the National Grid.

Neil Kermode, EMEC’s managing director, said: "This is a very exciting project. OpenHydro’s vision is to deploy farms of tidal turbines under the world’s oceans and we are delighted that EMEC has been able to support the delivery of this key milestone.

"The wave and tidal resource around Scotland’s coasts is so significant that many other developers across the world are striving to develop devices capable of harnessing the force of our tides and waves."

Although tide power is far more expensive to develop than other options such as wind and solar energy, it is far more reliable. Supporters claim it is taking the UK to the threshold of a new energy age.
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Later this year another tide turbine - SeaGen - will be installed near the mouth of Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland, generating enough electricity to power more than 1,000 homes.

Meanwhile a wave energy power station, developed by an Edinburgh firm, is to be deployed in the Atlantic Ocean off the Portuguese coast.

Other wave turbines are planned for next year for waters near Cornwall and the Orkneys and a study is currently being carried out into constructing a barrage to harness the power of the Severn.

Dr Mark Williamson, director of innovations for the Carbon Trust, said: "In the UK, marine energy has the potential to deliver up to 20 per cent of our electricity need. Centres such as EMEC play a crucial role in the development of wave and tidal energy technology. The Carbon Trust continues to support such projects, reinforcing the UK’s leading position in the marine renewable energy field."

Persian rug sells for record $4.45 million at auction

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - A silk Persian rug dating from the 16th century or 17th century has sold for a record $4.45 million at auction, or about $729.87 per square inch. ADVERTISEMENT



The rug was sold by Christie's auction house Tuesday on behalf of the Newport Restoration Foundation. It had been expected to fetch up to $1.5 million.

The rug, which measures 7 feet, 7 inches by 5 feet, 7 inches, had been purchased by the late tobacco heiress Doris Duke in 1990. She left it to the foundation when she died.

Elisabeth Parker, head of Christie's rugs and carpets department, says there are only two other known rugs like it. She calls it an "amazing work of art" and says it has an intricate floral design and an unusually large number of colors, at 17.

Christie's says the buyer prefers to remain anonymous.

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LIFEWATCH designs biodiversity data infrastructure

Belgium - Developing a Europe-wide research infrastructure on biodiversity is the ambitious goal of the recently-started LIFEWATCH project. The infrastructure will enable the exchange and linking of biodiversity data, the development of online analysis tools and the creation of virtual laboratories in EU Member States. Ultimately, the project partners hope their approach will contribute to better managing the environment and halting the loss of biodiversity.

Up until now, biodiversity data-sharing among countries, organisations and disciplines has been fragmented, resulting in large spatial and temporal gaps in data coverage. This denies large-scale analytical and modelling developments that benefit from these resources.

Helping to plug the gaps has been the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). This is an international network of countries set up to make scientific data on biodiversity available via the Internet. However, although the facility has made great strides in making interoperable databases accessible to the public, it has had to depend on the services of data providers.

Targeted collective action, therefore, is the only feasible solution to tackling these issues, say the partners of LIFEWATCH. Together, they aim to construct and bring into operation the facilities, hardware and software and governance structures needed to create a biodiversity research infrastructure.

The infrastructure will comprise networks for data generation and processing; facilities for data integration and interoperability; and virtual laboratories with analytical and modelling tools. A Service Centre for users to promote research opportunities is also foreseen.

The new infrastructure is expected to open up new areas of research and new services by providing access to the large data sets from different (genetic, population, species and ecosystem) levels of biodiversity, together with analytical and modelling tools.

Although ambitious and costly, the project comes at an opportune time and will prove viable in the long run, the project partners believe. Ultimately, the programme will fuel both the economic and life quality interests of society, they say. More specifically, LIFEWATCH, which will run for a period of 15-20 years, will contribute to the better conservation and management of nature, as well as the development of land use planning, environment assessment and environmental monitoring.

Participating in this initiative are executives and representatives of 8 scientific networks in the field of biodiversity, 18 national governments, and foreign partners and contacts, and academia.

Source : http://ec.europa.eu/

Satellites Illuminate Pollution's Influence On Clouds

USA - Clouds have typically posed a problem to scientists using satellites to observe the lowest part of the atmosphere, where humans live and breathe, because they block the satellite's ability to capture a clear, unobstructed view of Earth's surface. It turns out, however, that these "obstructions" are worth a closer look, as clouds and their characteristics actually serve a valuable role in Earth's climate. That closer look is now available by satellites comprising the Afternoon Constellation, or A-Train.

"The A-Train is providing a new way to examine cloud types," said Mark Schoeberl, A-Train project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.Using data from instruments in a constellation of NASA satellites, scientists have discovered that they can see deep inside of clouds. The satellites are taking first-of-a-kind measurements, shedding new light on the link between clouds, pollution and rainfall.

Jonathan Jiang of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., and colleagues used these A-Train sensors to find that South American clouds infused with airborne pollution – classified as "polluted clouds" – tend to produce less rain than their "clean" counterparts during the region's dry season. Details of the findings will be presented May 27 at the American Geophysical Union's 2008 Joint Assembly in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Discovery of the link between rain and pollution was possible due to near-simultaneous measurements from multiple satellites making up the string of satellites in the Afternoon Constellation, more commonly called the A-Train.

"Typically, it is very hard to get a sense of how important the effect of pollution on clouds is," said Anne Douglass, deputy project scientist at Goddard for NASA’s Aura satellite. "With the A-Train, we can see the clouds every day and we're getting confirmation on a global scale that we have an issue here." Jiang's team used the Microwave Limb Sounder on the A-Train's Aura satellite to measure the level of carbon monoxide in clouds. The presence of carbon monoxide implies the presence of smoke and other aerosols, which usually come from the same emission source, such a power plant or agricultural fire.


With the ability to distinguish between polluted and clean clouds, the team next used Aqua's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer to study how ice particle sizes change when aerosol pollution is present in the clouds. The team also used NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite to measure the amount of precipitation falling from the polluted and clean clouds. All three measurements together show the relationship between pollution, clouds and precipitation.

The team found that polluted clouds suppressed rainfall during the June-to-October dry season in South America, which is also a period of increased agricultural burning. During that period it was more difficult for the measurably smaller ice particles in aerosol polluted clouds to grow large enough to fall as rain.

This trend turned up seasonal and regional differences, however, and aerosol pollution was found, on average, to be less of a factor during the wet monsoon seasons in South America and in South Asia. Other physical effects, such as large-scale dynamics and rainy conditions that clear the air of aerosol particles, might also be at play, the researchers suggest.

"The complexity of interactions between aerosols and clouds pose difficult problems that no one satellite instrument can solve," said Jiang. "But when you put parameters from multiple satellites all together, you will find much more information than from a single instrument alone."

The five satellites – NASA's Aqua, Aura, CloudSat and CALIPSO and the French Space Agency's PARASOL – of the A-Train orbit only eight minutes apart and can be thought of as an extended satellite observatory, providing unprecedented information about clouds, aerosols and atmospheric composition.

Source : http://www.sciencedaily.com/

Can Biofuel products replace Crude Oil products.?

As Crude Oil prices skyrocket, the world is these days increasingly talking about alternative energy methods.

Petroleum-based diesel is produced from mineral crude oil. Biodiesel, however, is an alternative fuel to petroleum-based diesel, which can be manufactured from vegetable oils such as palm, rapeseed (canola), soy, linseed, jatropha and coconut oil.

Biodiesel can also be manufactured from animal fats (including tallow) and used cooking oils.

The use of Biodiesel does not require any major changes in the fuel distribution system, avoiding the need for expensive additional infrastructure.

The main benefits of Biodiesel when compared to petroleum-based diesel are:

Biodiesel is clean burning and, depending on the degree of blend with petroleum-based diesel, is suitable for use in most diesel engines;
Biodiesel is safer to store, handle, transport and use;
Biodiesel produces approximately 80% less carbon dioxide, and almost 100% less sulphur dioxide;
Biodiesel is non-toxic and biodegradable; and Biodiesel, when used as an additive, improves the lubricity of ultra low sulphur diesel.
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Cartographers Needed

Job Location(s):
Australia
Victoria - 90 Maribyrnong Street, Footscray, Melbourne
This role is only available to residents of Australia
or to those who hold a valid working visa or permit.

Reference: LHC0508

We are currently seeking Cartographers to join Lonely Planet’s Cartographic Team.

These roles are offered as full-time permanent positions based in our Melbourne head office and will primarily be responsible for the preparation and maintenance of Lonely Planet’s cartographic maps and data for delivery to editorial, layout and author checking stages in our print production process.

Our ideal candidates will have proven Cartographic skills; a good knowledge of mapping software, including ArcGIS, AutoCAD and CadPublisher; and a relevant tertiary degree or industry experience. You will also need strong attention to detail and excellent organisational and time management skills, including the ability to prioritise effectively. Book publishing knowledge or experience would also be an advantage.

If you have a passion for travel and geography, enjoy working with people and as part of a team, and have a proactive approach to your work, then we’d love to hear from you.

For further details and a job description please go to our website: www.lonelyplanet.com/jobs/
Additional Information
Position Type: Full Time, Employee
CONTACT INFORMATION
Lonely Planet

90 Maribyrnong Street
Footscray, 3011
Victoria, Australia
Phone Number: 03 8379 8000
click here to apply

Engineering, Cadastral & Infrastructure Surveyors Needed

Job Location(s):
Australia
Queensland - Brisbane

Reference: CA85

Are you looking to take the next step in your career? We have vacancies within our Brisbane offices for experienced Engineering, Cadastral & Infrastructure Surveyors on a permanent basis.

Queensland`s leading development services consultants PMM and C&B have joined forces with Core Economics and Pioneer Surveys to create a new offer for the eastern seaboard property market. Conics provide consultancy services to the property, Construction, Mining & infrastructure sectors primarily in economics, advisory, design, planning and surveying.

We are currently looking for a Senior/Project Surveyor and Experienced Engineering, Cadastral & Infrastructure Surveyors to join our growing team in Brisbane. If you consider yourself a highly competent and professional Surveyor in one or more of these areas and are looking for an opportunity to assist in establishing and developing our business, we would like to hear from you.

For the Senior Surveyor Role:

You will have the opportunity to manage the conduct of all survey functions for allocated projects, including allocation of fieldwork and office resources, management of digital data for the total project and preparation of all types of survey plans. You will manage survey related issues on projects, including liaison with clients and their representatives, communication within the business, general correspondence, assisting with budgets, accounts, and client relationship management.

We would consider someone who:
• Has extensive experience in winning and running survey projects, along with extensive experience in engineering surveying
• Has formal qualification as a surveyor holding a degree in spatial sciences or a recognised equivalent and eligible for membership of the Queensland Surveyors Board
• Has a minimum of ten years proven experience in one or more of the required areas of which at least 12 months should be as team leader or in survey management
• Can demonstrate experience in development projects
Enjoys interacting with clients and has a strong client focus
• Has the ability to deliver cost effective survey tasks to clients through efficient deployment of survey resources
• Can deliver accurate, cost effective survey tasks through efficient time management
• Possesses a good working knowledge of different forms of surveying and methodologies for a variety of survey disciplines (topographic, cadastral, estates, control surveys)
• Has comprehensive knowledge of AutoCAD operations and use of associated software such as 12D and Starnet
• Can demonstrate a high level of verbal and written communication skills, who is willing to both teach and learn

For the Surveyor Role:

We would consider someone who:
• Has formal qualification as a surveyor holding a degree in spatial sciences or a recognised equivalent and eligible for membership of the Queensland Surveyors Board
• Can demonstrate a high level of verbal and written communication skills and has practical experience of dealing with clients in stressful environments.
• Has a minimum of 5 years field experience in one or more of the required areas
• Possesses a good working knowledge of different forms of surveying and methodologies for a variety of survey disciplines (topographic, cadastral, GPS, Engineering, control surveys)
• Is capable of performing field computations and working within a tight quality control system
Has proven software skills in a combination of 12D & Autocad and preferably some exposure to Starnet, Terramodel, Leica Geo-Office and Trimble Geomatics Office
• Can deliver accurate, cost effective survey work with the minimum of supervision
• Has a desire to work hard and to gain reward in proportion to effort.

You will have the opportunity to work on a wide range of diverse and challenging projects, whilst enjoying many of the added benefits we have on offer for our employees. An attractive remuneration package is on offer for the successful candidate along with the opportunity to work with some of the most influential and talented leaders in the industry.

For further information, please check out our website, www.conics.com.au or contact Sue Moseman on (07) 3124 9500 or by email to sue.moseman@conics.com.au for a confidential discussion.
Additional Information
Position Type: Full Time, Employee
Job Starting Date: June 4, 2008
Job Closing Date: July 31, 2008
CONTACT INFORMATION
Conics
Sue Moseman
PO Box 237
Fortitude Valley, 4006
Queensland, Australia
Phone Number: +61 7 3124 9500
sue.moseman@conics.com.au
click here to apply

Climate change not responsible for storms

As with Hurricane Katrina three years ago, it was not long after Cyclone Nargis struck the Irrawaddy Delta that headlines emerged questioning the role of climate change in delivering the devastation.
But the fact is that climate science does not have much to say about such individual storms, says noted climate scientist Dr Anond Sanidvongs. Climate modelling can only help us to understand how a warmer climate may influence the likelihood of such storms.So what is that likelihood?
New research findings on tropical cyclones and climate change were released last week by scientists with the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). They stated that the recent increase in hurricane activity over the Atlantic Ocean was not the result of climate change and was within the range of storm variability scientists should expect.Additionally, their models showed that warmer temperatures will actually reduce the number of hurricanes in the Atlantic by 18 per cent by the end of the century.
However, Anond advises that we should not take these findings too seriously. He says the researchers did not use models of sufficient detail to be of much value in predicting the likelihood of large storms like cyclones or hurricanes.
"It's just not the right tool," Anond said. "The model used a resolution of 20 square kilometres. To really understand the development and movement of cyclones, researchers should be using models with much higher detail, up to 100-200 square metres in resolution.
"To be of much value such models can't just predict the potential for large storms, but also their duration and size, which cannot be addressed with such a low-resolution study."
NOAA researchers also acknowledged that their model could not simulate storms with winds in excess of 180kph. Nargis had winds of 190kph when it hit Burma and Hurricane Katrina's winds were in excess of 200kph.
Anond said the findings also contradicted the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which suggested temperate zones would experience more storms while tropical countries might have fewer but larger storms.
He said it would be some time before climate modelling on a regional scale would contain sufficient detail to properly examine how cyclones evolve in a warmer climate.
"Our geography is unique. We are surrounded by a large body of water, yet we are not islands. We have land and sea areas of equal amounts. We are affected by the convergence of cooler waters of the Pacific Ocean with the warmer waters of the Indian Ocean. Storm variability is a big issue for us," he said.
He looks forward to undertaking more detailed modelling here.
"This will not change what we already know with virtual certainty about climate change: coastal areas will be hit harder and with greater frequency with heavy rainfall, high winds and storm surges, which will be made worse by rising sea levels."
Source : http://nationmultimedia.com/

Software Engineer – Spatial Information Systems

Job Location(s):
Australia
South Australia - Lobethal

Apogee Imaging International has served the Australian community since 1995 with the provision of satellite imagery from Earth Resources Satellites and airborne SAR imagery. We are seeking a capable and enthusiastic person to creatively analyse requirements and specifications for the design of software in relation to the extraction, visualisation and distribution of spatial information products.

Familiarity with object oriented design methodology and experience with spatial information systems and concepts essential.

Apogee is situated at Lobethal in the Adelaide Hills.
Additional Information
Position Type: Full Time, Employee
Required Education Level: Bachelors
Job Closing Date: June 23, 2008
Contact Apogee on 08 8389 5499 or
Email: nextimage@apogee.com.au
to obtain job and person specifications.

Applications close Monday 23rd June 2008 at 5.00pm
CONTACT INFORMATION
Apogee Imaging International

Building 12B
1 Adelaide - Lobethal Rd.,
Lobethal, 5241
South Australia, Australia
Phone Number: 61 + (0)8 8389 5499
Fax Number: 61+(0)8 8389 5488
nextimage@apogee.com.au
click to apply

GIS mapping for municipal areas by November-end

For the first time in the history of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), a Geographical Information System (GIS) map is being created.
Funded by the Department for International Development (DFID), the map is expected to be ready by the end of November. Once the system is in place, one can just log onto the web portal and file a complaint to the department concerned of the KMC. Not only this, the map will show every minute detail of each of the municipal ward. From sweet shops to pay and use toilets, the map will portray the entire locality. “We will open an online counter with CESC and PWD — the two most important departments with which we need to coordinate all the time. If a tax payer has any complaints regarding these two departments, they can mediate through us,” said a senior engineer of the civic body. Anindya Karforma, an officer working on the project, said: “We are trying to follow Hyderabad’s approach for setting up the GIS map.” But mapping a city like Kolkata, which has developed sporadically over the years, will not be an easy task. “Compared to other metros or A-category cities, Kolkata has developed in an unplanned manner. Hence, it is difficult to create a GIS map for the city,” added Karforma.
For the multi-crore project, 24 companies had participated in the tender process. Among them, only two companies have been selected for the work.
Refusing to divulge details, Mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya said: “The creation of the map is a part of the capacity building programme for which DFID has already issued a grant. The map will be ready in the next six months. Kolkata-based engineering firm, expert in GIS mapping, will complete the work on behalf of the KMC.”
Source : http://www.expressindia.com/

Maps and atlases on agriculture in Myanmar

Myanmar – FAO has launched a new website offering a wide range of data and information tools on agriculture in Myanmar. The site contains downloadable digital and printed atlases, maps from the FAO-maintained GeoNetwork digital library, agroclimatic charts and crop calendars, and related agriculture, forestry and fisheries publications.

The site also includes the recently released 120-page Digital Agricultural Atlas of the Union of Myanmar, a collection of Geographical Information System (GIS)-derived maps, tabular data and related documents depicting political, physical and agricultural resources in Myanmar.
Since nearly four-fifths of Myanmar's population earns its living from the land, raising crops, livestock and fish, reconstruction efforts following the devastating cyclone Nargis will be crucial.

'FAO is eager to provide its tools, data and analysis to all those involved in reconstruction efforts, in order to assist the people of Myanmar in rapidly rebuilding their livelihoods,' said Alexander Müller, Assistant Director-General.

'Detailed atlases and data constitute - more than ever before - an essential tool to quantify needs assessments and focus disaster relief operations,' said René Gommes, Senior Officer in the FAO Climate Change Group.

Source : http://www.reliefweb.int/

Fire alert system from NASA to save India's forests

 
India - A satellite-linked fire alert system, developed by NASA and currently on trial in Madhya Pradesh, is turning out to be an effective tool in saving wildlife and bio-diversity from forest fires.
This computer programme, called Fire Alert and Message System (FAMS), has been developed by NASA and the University of Maryland, US.
With the help of the alert system, in place since April 2007, forest officials now respond to fire outbreaks faster. The reaction time has been reduced to two hours from the earlier eight hours to even a couple of days. Locating the place of fire in forest areas was difficult, said a forest department official.
Such delays can cause major losses to Indian forests every year. A moderate Forest Survey of India (FSI) estimate says that timber worth Rs 35 crore is lost in fires in 63 million hectares of Indian forests every day, apart from unaccounted damage to bio-diversity.
But if figures from a UN study in 1987 are calculated on the present prices, the annual loss is estimated to be around Rs 410 crores, says environment ministry estimates. FSI data shows that 50 per cent of Indian forests are fire prone.
India's first system, a combination of satellite-based detection of fire and a computer programme, sends an alert to the nearest forest official whenever it detects a fire, reducing the reaction time by several hours.
The system processes remote sensing data of active fire locations obtained through a satellite and then sends alerts through SMSes and e-mails from the nearest beat guard to the state's chief conservator of forests.
The system also builds the database of fire locations, which can be used to identify fire sensitive zones scientifically and also to plan fire control strategy.
Now, for the first time the MP government knows that it lost 2.36 per cent of the total forest area in the fire season of 2007.
The state government has also found that forests of Sehore, Odedullahganj, Raisen, Jabalpur, Burhanpur and Sheopur are most fire prone forests in the state.

Source : http://news.in.msn.com/

Origin of Life: the Early Atmosphere

Our current atmosphere consists primarily of oxygen (21%) and nitrogen (78%) and is called oxidizing because of chemical reactions produced by oxygen. For example, iron is oxidized to form iron oxide or rust.

The presence of oxygen in a hypothetical primordial atmosphere poses a difficult problem for notions of self-assembling molecules. If oxygen is present, there would be no amino acids, sugars, purines, etc. Amino acids and sugars react with oxygen to form carbon dioxide (CO2) and water.

Because it is impossible for life to evolve with oxygen, evolutionists theorize an early atmosphere without oxygen. This departs from the usual evolutionary theorizing where a uniformistic view is held (i.e. where processes remain constant over vast stretches of time). In this case the present is NOT the key to the past.

Instead, they propose a "reducing" (called thus because of the chemical reactions) atmosphere which contains free hydrogen. Originally, they postulated an atmosphere consisting of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), carbon monoxide (CO), ammonia (NH3), free hydrogen and water vapor. Newer schemes exclude ammonia and methane.

There is a problem if you consider the ozone (O3) layer which protects the earth from ultraviolet rays. Without this layer, organic molecules would be broken down and life would soon be eliminated. But if you have oxygen, it prevents life from starting. A "catch-22" situation (Denton 1985, 261-262):
Atmosphere with oxygen => No amino acids => No life possible!
Atmosphere without oxygen => No ozone => No life possible!
In must be noted at this point that the existence of a reducing atmosphere is theoretical and does not rely on physical evidence. To the contrary, there are geological evidences for the existence of an oxidizing atmosphere as far back as can be determined. Among these are: the precipitation of limestone (calcium carbonate) in great quantities, the oxidation of ferrous iron in early rocks (Gish 1972, 8) and the distribution of minerals in early sedimentary rocks (Gish 1984T).
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