My first stop in working this out was 'Free Geography Tools' and their series of posts about exporting shapefiles to Google Earth. From their list of free programs, first I tried Shp2KML by Jacob Reimers. Unfortunately this program resulted in some security conflicts with our network so I couldn't use it. Next I tried a second program, also called shp2kml, from Zonum Solutions and that worked a treat. Zonum have several other Google Earth tools that I'll have to try out sometime.
You can download the kml file it produced for the boundary of our study area here (right click, 'save as' or whatever). If you have Google Earth installed you can then just double click that file (once downloaded) and Google Earth will take you right there. When I first created the link above, I hoped that when you clicked on it the file would open automatically in Google Earth - it didn't. But after a little playing I found that kmz files will open automatically in Google Earth. kmz files are simply zipped (compressed) kml files - I used WinRar to zip the kml file and then changed the file suffix from zip to kmz. Click here - the study area file will open automatically in Google Earth (from Firefox at least - see note below). Sweet.
I also exported shapefiles for DNR and private industrial stand boundaries which match up nicely with spatial patterns of vegetation observed in the landscape. Obviously, I can't post these shapefiles online, but you can see evidence of land ownership boundaries in our study area right here. The light green rectangular area is non-DNR land and has been clear cut. The surrounding area is managed by the DNR (possibly selective timber harvest) - the resulting land cover from different management approaches is stark. These are the sorts of patterns and issues we will be able to examine using our ecological-economic landscape model.
[Note - When posting the presentation to our web server I also learned about MS Internet Explorer .png issues. They say they've fixed them, but there still seem to be some problems - try viewing this page in both IE and Firefox and note the difference (hover your cursor over the words at the bottom). Viewing the presentation pages in Firefox means the links to the .kmz files are active - they are not in IE. The issue arose becasue I used OpenOffice Impress to convert my MS PowerPoint file to html files.]
When I get round to reading this new batch I'll review some of these also (at first glance the Wiens et al. book looks particularly useful for any Landscape Ecologist - student, teacher or researcher). You've got up until May 31st to order yours.
KML files are used in Google products, such as Google Earth or Google Maps, to display geographic data. The data Mark has posted on the King's server are freely accessible to all for non-commercial use. you can visualise the data in Google Earth and, in many cases, links to the actual downloadable GIS files also provided. Many of the datasets are works in progress and new data will continue to be posted in the future, so keep checking back.
The availability of data such as these, and projects such as Pete's, really show how Google Earth can be used for so much more than virtual tours of other places or previews of you next holiday destination... [Speaking of which, I'm off to Utah snowboarding next week so hopefully I'll have some new pics to post on my own Google-enabled photos page.]
A while back the 'new' IALE-IUFRO Working Group website launched, so I thought I'd highlight it here. During the IALE World Congress 2007 in Wageningen, a new IALE-IUFRO working group was approved and sanctioned by both IALE (International Association of Landscape Ecology) and IUFRO (International Union of Forestry Research Organizations):
Forestry was the first major field to recognize the importance of landscape ecology, and today foresters widely know, use, and even develop landscape ecology principles based on experience and science. Landscape ecology is an exciting field for researchers and managers together. In this sense, landscape ecology is viewed as the nexus of ecology, resource management, and land use planning. It is within this framework of synergy and integration that we envisaged this formal link between the two groups.
Thus, the IALE-IUFRO WG aims to collate landscape ecologists with an interest in forest science and ecology including studies and methods for monitoring, planning, designing, and managing forest ecosystems and landscapes. Through the website, members of IALE-IUFRO WG will be able to exchange experiences and share common needs and interests to build up on the strength of the network. This group can serve as an international platform for advocating and updating research and management on forest landscapes.
There's been some moving and shaking on my friends' websites recently (see the full list in the sidebar), so here's a quick update.
Nicky has added some new t-shirts and hoodies for sale at Creative Current. For the discerning geek... "There are 10 types of people in the world, those who know binary and those who don't".
Jamie and Helen and are still on the road but they've stopped off in Kyrgyzstan for a while where they've been volunteering for The Alpine Fund, "a small, non-profit, non-governmental organization using the incredible mountain resources of Kyrgyzstan to help the country’s most vulnerable youth." Jamie worked on setting up their fancy new website and blog.
Olivia has still been doing her musical thing - watch out for her on the circuit in London and check out some of her tunes at myspace. Finally, travelorphan has been offline for a while but I'm assured she'll be back to blogging soon enough...
Welcome to the 8th issue of Oekologie, the travelling blog carnival of the best ecology and environmental science blog posts from the past month. Although the summer is often the time that ecologists and environmental scientists are out in the field doing what they love most (fieldwork) this didn't stop some of us from posting stories that grabbed our attention.
Several of posts this month discussed the ecology of mammals, some more positive than others. Talking about Yellowstone's Ecology of Fear, Jeremy at The Voltage Gate highlighted the benefits of the re-introduction of wolves to the National Park and that the restoration of historic ecosystems is possible. GrrlScientist notes that the egg-laying mammal Attenborough's long-beaked echidna (named after Sir David Attenborough) is not extinct as was previously thought, and Tim at Walking the Berkshires emphasised the successes of the Khoadi Hôas Conservancy in Namibia for the conservation of elephant populations. Though problems remain, Tim suggests that it is possible for humans and elephants to exist side-by-side. In a great post over at Laelaps, Brian is less optimistic however about the management and survival prospects for the Saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica).
More concerned with the The Other 95%, Kevin discusses the benefits for crabs moulting their exoskeleton (other than simply allowing them to grow). Concerning the plant world, Jennifer at The Infinite Sphere presents the invasive Purple Loosestrife and the trade-offs associated with controlling the plants with herbicides, and at Seeds Aside Laurent suggests a game for the next time you're strolling through a meadow.
"Mooney also takes a long, critical look at how scientists communicate (or don't) to the public, and how the media handles what information they can get their hands on."
Finally, considering some of the larger issues, Mike at 10,000 Birds examines the ecological basis for conservation. Part of a larger series called Protect the Commons, he highlights the need to remember the fragile connections between things and to understand that "all is of a part"
That's it for this month - check Oekologie #9 at Fish Feet next month. Remember to submit your best posts here.
In a current thread on the ECOLOG-L listserv there's a debate going on about the environmental impacts of academics travelling to conferences in far-off places to discuss the environmental state of the world (the current case being this week's ESA conference in San Jose). On correspondent suggested we might be better off taking better advantage of the internet and teleconferencing, as suggested by E.O. Wilson. Several people have responded noting the virtues of physically attending meetings including the opportunities to meet face-to-face with potential collaborators, funders and students and to see presentations of data that may not be published for a couple of years hence.
Another correspondent suggested that delegates consider the form of transport they take to reach the meeting - trains are commonly held as being more fuel efficient than planes for example. This led me to the Fuel Efficiency in Transportation page on the ubiquitous wikipedia. Assuming this page is correct, it suggests that generally;
Cycling (653 mpg) is more efficient than walking (235 mpg)
European trains (500 mpg) are considerably more fuel efficient than planes (67 mpg)
Planes (67 mpg) are actually more fuel efficient than the average US car (36 mpg), but less efficient than a hyprid such as the Toyota Prius (77 mpg)
Travel by the average US car (36 mpg) is of comparable efficiency to travel on an Amtrak intercity train (39 mpg)
Travel by Steamboat (12 mpg) or Helicopter (4 mpg) is only for those who don't give a jot about carbon emissions
Here mpg = miles per gallon of gasoline, and these are rough comparisons for the average occupancy of the vehicle which don't really consider things like the distance travelled. There are many other considerations that need to be taken in these comparisons as James Strickland shows in his examination of the numbers.
Of course, the problem with this discussion is that the two most important factors that people consider when deciding how to travel are not accounted for: Time and Money. Flying internationally (and in many cases on short-haul too) is, in general, more efficient in both time and money than travelling by train (though some would say less fun). I can see currently that the advantages mentioned above for attending a conference in person do make it preferable to teleconferencing or online conferences. Maybe if ecologists really want to be environmentally friendly when meeting to discuss how the natural environment works they'll need to go that one step further and embrace meetings in virtual words such as Second Life. Businesses are now experimenting with virtual spaces where remote workers come together to collaborate, and whilst it may take time to perfect and get used to this way of 'meeting' it seems like an option for the future. Whilst ESA 2007 is held in sunny a San Jose, maybe ESA 2010 be held in a sunny simulated city...
Today is the first anniversary of Direction not Destination, a year since I wrote this. Since then I've relocated from the OC to East Lansing with few other trips for work (Poland, Spain, USA), and otherwise (India, Dorset), in between. I was offered a couple of jobs, awarded a PhD and generally the good times have outweighed the bad.
Initially I didn't really know how this blog would turn out or what I would do with it. It seems to have become a place for me to write some thoughts with a little more freedom than I'm afforded with work stuff, a place to keep track of what I am actually doing at work, a place to post some of my favourite pics, and of course at place just to have a quick rant every-now-and-then.
I've contributed to Just Science Week and Oekologie and generally some people seem to be finding my meandering thoughts interesting. So much so that recently I was awarded a Thinking Blogger Award! What a nice birthday pressie. Thanks to Jeremy at the Voltage Gate for the nod. Having been awarded this it is now upon my shoulders to nominate the five blogs that make me think. To be honest, and as I implied in the other post I made a year ago, I don't go checking other individuals' blogs directly that often. Instead, I usually stick to my favourite blog aggregator 3quarks and the Guardian's excellent Comment is Free. Anyway, here are my five:
3quarksdaily - "a daily must-read for intellectuals of all stripes"
Prometheus - mainly for the havoc Roger Pielke Jr causes - he's now blogging for Nature
Oekologie #8 will be hosted right here on Direction not Destination in mid-August. Submit your recent writings on ecology and environmental science here. Here's the details of what we're looking for from the Oekologie home page:
Oekologie is a blog carnival all about interactions between organisms in a system. While Circus of the Spineless might look for a post discussing the hunting techniques of a trap door spider, Oekologie is looking for posts discussing how a trap door spider’s hunting techniques affect prey populations or its surroundings. While Carnival of the Green might look for a post discussing a big oil policy decision regarding ANWR, Oekologie would accept a post describing the ecological consequences of pipeline construction in the area.
Again, we are looking for posts describing biological interactions - human or nonhuman - with the environment.
Topics may include but are not limited to posts about population genetics, niche/neutral theory, sustainabilty, pollution, climate change, disturbance, exploitation, mutualism, ecosystem structure and composition, molecular ecology, evolutionary ecology, energy usage (by humans or within biological systems, succession, landscape ecology, nutrient cycling, biodiversity, agriculture, waste management, etc. The list goes on and on; I think you get the idea.
Your blog does not have to be an ecology or environmental blog itself, but the post should present an accurate representation of the field.
The post should be spell-checked, grammatically sound, and substantial; we’re not looking for brief reviews. If you are reviewing research, please include solid commentary involving other sources.
Initial Michigan UP Ecological Economic Modelling Webpage
We now have a very basic webpage online, (very) briefly outlining the Michigan UP Ecological-Economic Modeling project. This is just so that we have an online presence for now - in time we will develop this into a much more comprehensive document detailing the model, its construction and use. Hopefully, at some point in the future we'll also mount a version of the model online. I'll keep you posted on the online development of the project.
Two of my best friends are currently travelling across Eurasia. To document their trip they've set up a cool little travelblog complete with comic strip ('Hel on Earth - episode two out now!), movies (check the Black Panther in Belgrade), music, pics, food reviews and treasure maps!
So here I am in sunny East Lansing, settling into my new office at the Center for System Integration & Sustainability at MSU. As you'd expect It's pretty much been all admin thus far, but I'm beginning to find my way around and the first real meeting in the job tomorrow should help me get to grips with the task in hand - a project to integrate ecology and economics by developing a systems model of a managed forest landscape in Michigan's Upper Peninsula that has been experiencing low tree regeneration due to overabundant deer, and declines in habitat for songbirds of conservation concern due to deer impacts and timber harvest.
Things are pretty crazy right now as you might expect having moved to a new job in a new country so I haven't got much time to say much else right now. Rest assured I'll keep you up-to-date on the progress of the project in the future. In the meantime why not go and check out some of the excellent articles highlighted in the fifth edition of Oekologie, this month hosted by Jeremy at The Voltage Gate.
I try not to write about 'climate change' too much on this blog. There's already so many others ranting on about it on web 2.0, I feel I should write about something a little less mainstream that I (think I) might know a little more about. However, there's about to be a lot more written about it over the coming weeks and months with the impending release of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 4th Assessment Report so I'm going to say something now - if there is one thing I think you should read about climate change in the light of the latest IPCC report it's Maragret Wente's piece (re)posted on Seeker.
The important point raised is that we are focusing too much on climate change mitigation and not enough on climate change adaptation.
This is not a new point - Rayner and Malone wrote about it in Nature a decade ago, and I even got the message in my third year undergrad climate modelling course. Rather than sitting around arguing about how to reduce carbon emissions that won't halt what has already started, we should be standing up and working out our best adaptation strategies to the consequences of a changing climate. Of course, we should continue working to reduce our carbon emissions - that's VERY important - but we need to accept that, regardless of whether the change is human induced or not, in all probability the climate is changing and we need to be prepared for the consequences.
I've posted what I think is the mode relevant section below, but you really should go and read the whole article;
The climate debate focuses almost entirely on mitigation (how we can slow down global warming). But climate scientists and policy experts say that in the short term — our lifetimes — our most important insurance policy is adaptation. Nothing we do to cut emissions will reduce the risk from hurricanes or rising seas in the short term. But there are other ways to reduce the risk. We can build storm-surge defences, stop building in coastal areas and make sure we protect our fresh-water supplies from salination. We also can develop crops that will do well in hotter climates.
'Adaptation' is not a word that figures much in climate-change debates. Activists (and much of the general public) think it sounds lazy and defeatist. But the experts talk about adaptation all the time.
OK, so after a little deliberation I've signed up for Just Science week. In a response to the strong anti-science presence on the internet (global warming denialists, creationists, the anti-vaccination movement etc.), starting 5th February science bloggers will post about science only, with at least one post per day for the whole week. Issues which are favoured by anti-scientific groups (creationism, global warming, etc.) will be either avoided, or discussed without reference to anti-scientific positions.
The rationale behind this is that many science bloggers end up spending a fair amount of time combating the misinformation spread by anti-science groups at the expense of blogging about actual science. I generally don't want to get embroiled in these sorts of arguments - I'll leave it to those with much stronger feelings on the subject, know more about it and are generally much more organised.
What I am more interested in is the relationship between science and policy- and decision-making, specifically from modelling/environmental/resource management perspectives. I'm with Allen et al. (2001 p.484):
“The postmodern world may be a nightmare for ... normal science (Kuhn 1962), but science still deserves to be privileged, because it is still the best game in town. ... [Scientists] need to continue to be meticulous and quantitative. But more than this, we need scientific models that can inform policy and action at the larger scales that matter. Simple questions with one right answer cannot deliver on that front. The myth of science approaching singular truth is no longer tenable, if science is to be useful in the coming age.”
Just this week I've been considering how the recent work emerging from Demos, the UK thinktank, relates to my PhD research (more on this and this in the future no doubt). The Prometheus blog is great source of inspiration and for this sort of discussion too. But, in the interests of Just Science week I'll try to steer clear of that stuff and focus on some my work on wildfire regimes (that I haven't talked about in much detail here but have outlined on my website), recent publication in the environmental modelling literature, and also I'm thinking maybe a post on the Geography of Science (seeing as I am Geographer at heart...)
On of my good friends has just been putting the finishing touches on the second series of the cult engineering show 'Mega Moves' ('Monster Moves' in the UK). The series will be showing on National Geographic in the States and Channel Five in the UK. Checkout the trailer below - pretty cool eh?
The first edition of the Oekologie blog carnival came hot off the press at The Infinite Sphere today. Posts on subjects that may be of interest include Alternative Energy, Ecological Relationships, Conservation, Water Pollution, Population and Landscape.
Oekologie will be published on the 15th of every month, starting this month (Jan 2007), and aims to review the best ecology and environmental science posts of the month from across the blogosphere.
Submissions should be credible, science-centered posts discussing new research and ideas, reviews of the tenets of either field, or evidence-based personal opinions regarding ecology and environmental science. Specifically, they're looking for posts describing biological interactions - human or nonhuman - with the environment. I'll be submitting some of my musings from time-to-time I'm sure.
I've finally got round to tidying up and completing the photos page of my website. Click on the map markers and photos taken at those locations will appear below the map. Use the links above the map to navigate. It may take a while to load first time (so be patient) and you will need JavaScript enabled in your browser.
It took a little while to get to grips with the Google Maps API, but by viewing and 'borrowing' code from other websites (London Satellite Photo Map was particularly helpful) I got there in the end! Go check it out! Comments? - leave them here by clicking below.
OK, so I may be a little behind the times but I've finally discovered del.icio.us. In the side bar you find a link to my del.icio.us page and on each individual post page there is now a link to save that page to your del.icio.us account using the tags on that page (I'm going to slowly go back through all previous posts and add tags to them).
Also, I've added a del.icio.us section to the links page on my website detailing my 10 latest deli.icio.us posts...
