Geo-Enabling International Development – Esri UC 2011

Posted on July 14, 2011 by admin

Blue Raster’s Stephen Ansari presented Geo-Enabling International Development – Capacity is the Barrier to Transparency at the Esri International User Conference in San Diego. Blue Raster partnered with the World Bank for BOOST, part of the Open Data Initiative. The Kenya Open Data Initiative is the first government data portal of its kind in Sub Saharan Africa. It allows the general public access to several large data sets, including the national census and statistics on government spending at the national and county level. Please visit the Kenya BOOST portal at kenya.wb-boost.org.

Geo-Enabling International Development – Blue Raster Esri UC 2011 Presentation

View more presentations from blueraster

World Resources Institute – Forest Atlas of the Democratic Republic of Congo

Posted on April 5, 2011 by admin

The World Resources Institute partnered with Blue Raster to create an interactive map viewer that shows development in the forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Designed using ESRI ArcGIS Server 10 and the Flex API 2.2, this forest atlas allows the viewer to examine in detail logging and mining concessions, protected areas, roads, and detailed change in the forests, which cover two-thirds of the country’s territory and serve as one of the planet’s major forest carbon sinks. The user can view the information in both English and French by themes such as forest zoning, concession date, timber production, mining, vegetation, and forest cover change. Further, the adjustable transparency of the map layers enables the user to view the base map data underneath.

The government of DRC faces challenges in developing comprehensive forest management, zoning processes, and management of logging, mining, and agriculutre. Forest Atlas of the DRC provides easier access to current forest land allocation in the DRC and will help improve land use planning, monitoring, and resolution of conflicts over resources in areas of overlapping claims. It will also help local NGOs and communities understand government actions and defend their access rights.

The DRC Forest Atlas map viewer is the first in a series of interactive maps focusing on forest developments and change. Over the coming months, additional map viewers will be available for other central African countries and Indonesia. For more information regarding the World Resources Institute Forest Atlas Project please visit http://www.wri.org/stories/2011/04/new-map-viewer-shows-development-forests-democratic-republic-congo.

Amnesty International – Eyes on Nigeria

Posted on March 18, 2011 by admin

Blue Raster is proud to announce the launch of Eyes on Nigeria for Amnesty International, the world’s largest human rights organization. Created using ESRI ArcGIS Server and Flex API, this application utilizes satellite imagery to track developments on the ground in areas of Nigeria where there are ongoing human rights concerns including forced evictions, pollution, violations of international humanitarian law, and communal violence and armed conflict. The project was led by Amnesty International’s Science for Human Rights Program, in collaboration with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Eyes on Nigeria utilizes high- and moderate-resolution satellite technology as well as traditional cartographic techniques and geolocated photography and video. As a result, it offers a comprehensive picture of the situation on the ground in Nigeria, including through active monitoring of gas flaring in the Niger Delta region. Eyes on Nigeria enables private citizens and policy makers worldwide to monitor the regions as well as allows access to related research findings, analysis, eyewitness testimonies, and advocacy and campaigning materials. This site is designed to bring concerned people across the world closer to the daily threat those in Nigeria face. “The Eyes on Nigeria project is a comprehensive view of the most pressing human rights issues facing the people of Nigeria,” said Scott Edwards, director of the Amnesty International Science for Human Rights Program. “We hope that people around the world will be inspired by what they learn through this new project to act in concert with the Nigerian people to demand basic human dignity.”

To see how Amnesty International’s Eyes on Nigeria leverages the power of geospatial technology to map human rights violations please visit http://eyesonnigeria.org. For more background on the project go to Amnesty International’s News and Events, Amnesty International UK, Amnesty International’s Blog, or AAAS.

Smithsonian Wild featured on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams

Posted on March 3, 2011 by admin

Smithsonian Wild was featured on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams tonight. Watch the full report, including comments from Robert Costello, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

“Cameras peer inside animals secret lives They are captured without a net or a dart and without harm: Some of the world’s most magnificent animals, whose only complaint may be that their privacy was invaded.” NBC’s Lee Cowan reports.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Smithsonian WILD

Posted on March 2, 2011 by admin

Candid Cameras Show Rare Glimpses of Wildlife

As part of a Smithsonian Web 2.0 grant, Blue Raster has developed Smithsonian Wild, an interactive web mapping application for the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History using ESRI ArcGIS.com, ArcGIS Server Flex API, and Flickr.

This web site offers the public a unique opportunity to observe over 250 different species in their natural habitats throughout the world. Motion-activated ‘camera traps’ placed in various regions across the globe capture over 201,000 still images and ‘near-video’ sequences of animals as they pass. Robert Costello, a national outreach program manager for the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, hopes visitors to the site “feel a sense of anticipation and excitement, like the researchers, as they explore photographs of wildlife taken in the absence of human beings and often at very short distances.”

Smithsonian Wild also offers detailed descriptions of the diverse animals and regions as well as a world map so the user is always aware where the animal being observed is located in China, Kenya, Malaysia, Panama, Peru, Thailand, or the United States. Customized searches allow the user to choose the path of this entertaining and educational experience via species, group, or region. Please visit Smithsonian Wild at http://siwild.si.edu/ today to view these amazing pictures and get your own rare glimpse into the animal world. To learn more details please go to the Natural History Museum’s blog post.

USGS (NBII) launches AmphibiaTrends

Posted on August 11, 2010 by admin

Blue Raster is pleased to announce the launch of AmphibiaTrends application for National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) – a part of USGS. Using ESRI ArcGIS Server and the Flex API, this application is a single source for information about the status and trends of U.S. amphibians. It provides one-stop access to information from diverse sources, including contextual information about natural history, taxonomy, and distribution, all within a single site for Amphibians in North America including frogs, salamanders, and newts.

Land managers and natural resource decision makers and researchers want to know about the status and trends of amphibian populations in the U.S. Numerous amphibian monitoring programs collect this information at the national, regional and local levels. AmphibiaTrends brings them together into one site, to give you easy access to current trends and status of our nation’s amphibians. Search by species, location, conservation status, or taxonomic order to view reports including distribution maps, detailed species and habitat descriptions and the latest trend information from the experts. Visit AmphibiaTrends today.

Smithsonian – North American Mammals

Posted on July 25, 2010 by admin

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History has asked Blue Raster to recreate its interactive searching tool for North American Mammals. Migrating from the legacy ArcIMS application to ESRI ArcGIS Server and Flex API with a custom-based map, this web site has been designed to serve as a comprehensive resource for students, teachers, and the general public and will make accessible the Museum’s unparalleled natural history collections, scientific research, permanent and special exhibits, and libraries. With detailed descriptions, images, and distribution ranges for more than 400 mammals native to the North American continent, this new application allows users to examine the distribution of mammals over the continent through complex and customized searches of animals, locations, and conservation statuses. The map provides a variety of filters to refine a user’s search, including topography. Users can also create a Field Guide from their search to take into the outdoors. For more information regarding the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History launch-please visit North American Mammals.
Mammals

Climate Adaptation Knowledge Environment (CAKE)

Posted on July 4, 2010 by admin

Partnering with EcoAdapt and Island Press, Blue Raster has developed a revolutionary online platform using ArcGIS Online and Drupal (open source CMS) with custom modules, which will be used for cross-sector and cross disciplinary information sharing on climate adaptation strategies. Since climate adaptation is an emerging field, no source exists as a single clearinghouse of information, and the Climate Change Adaptation Knowledge Exchange (CAKE) aspires to be this vital resource for scientists, NGOs and policy-makers encouraging the adoption and evolution of policy, science and management approaches to climate change adaptation. In addition to being a vital source of information, CAKE features a forum for managers, scientists, advocates, and educators to connect with one another and share knowledge and strategies. For more information regarding Climate Adaptation Knowledge Environment please visit http://islandpress.org/cake.

UDS Mapper

Posted on July 1, 2010 by admin

Blue Raster is proud to have contributed to the development of the UDS Mapper for HRSA, (Health Resources and Services Administration) part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This web mapping application is developed using Adobe Flex and ESRI ArcGIS Server and is deployed on the Amazon Cloud (EC2). Its assists with the decision-making process regarding grants for Section-330 federally-funded community health centers. The UDS Mapper provides information previously unavailable to the public at the local level by allowing analysis of under-served populations across a dozen themes. HealthLandscape, Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati and the American Academy of Family Physicians are among the partners in this multi-year project.