mmorpg to the rescue of epidemiology

August 24th, 2007

Who knew all those so-called wasted hours would become useful? According to the article, the course of vector-borne diseases are becoming better known. However, individual reactions are not.

Writing in the September issue of The Lancet Infectious Diseases, the researchers say diseases can be introduced into the controlled environments of online game worlds — which are populated by thousands or even millions of individual players — where their effects can be studied and then applied to real-world epidemic control and prevention.

(h/t Peter J)

Posted in public health | 1 Comment »

y2k bug in climate change data: how much does it change the results?

August 11th, 2007

I’ll let the computer and climate scientists speak for themselves.

I’ve great concern for communicating climate change to the public. Science simply doesn’t work that way that the climate change skeptics demand it to (i.e., someone wins and someone loses). We create falsifiable hypotheses and our data has error bars. Working with complex models means we have trouble asserting causality to individual components. Against the qualifications and uncertainties with which our scientist culture has grown accustomed, the public is buffeted by clear memes of what is accurate or (in the case of the y2k bug) inaccurate about the data. Once again, science doesn’t work that way.

(BTW, environmental students do not enter university accepting uncertainty of data and outcomes. They want the undeniable evidence that their view of the environmental calamity is correct and want us to supply them with the exact tools to fix the planet. Not to say all students are like that but many are dismayed that the world is far more complicated than that.)

Update: James Hansen responds.

Posted in climate change, computer models | 1 Comment »

undersea sensing a threat to wildlife

August 11th, 2007

A start, although I’m skeptical that the ruling will find its way into practice:

A federal judge on Monday ordered the Navy to stop using medium-range sonar in training exercises off Southern California, saying that the Navy’s own assessments predicted that dozens of marine mammals, particularly deep-diving whales, could be harmed by the intense sound waves.

Posted in wildlife computing | 3 Comments »

but I need a supercomputer to watch youtube!

August 11th, 2007

100laptop.jpg
via Slashdot, which alert us to the following article at c/net: Will the $100 laptop spell the end of Moore’s Law?

Since 1965, the tech world has obsessed about keeping pace with Moore’s Law — an empirical observation that computing performance will double every 24 months. Concurrently, consumers have lusted after the latest and greatest computing hardware, encouraged in part by newer, fatter, ever more demanding operating systems and applications.

Moore’s law is great for making tech faster, and for making slower, existing tech cheaper, but when consumers realise their personal lust for faster hardware makes almost zero financial sense, and hurts the environment with greater demands for power, will they start to demand cheaper, more efficient ‘third-world’ computers that are just as effective?

Of course, a first world demand for cheaper laptops doesn’t spell the end of environmental damage, considering the millions (billions?) of $100 laptops may be produced. But that’s the tricky trade-off between environmental protection and social equity. Personally, I prefer that needs of the developing world don’t get lost in our (largely) first world concerns for the environment.

Posted in computer waste, the other | Comments Closed

shrinking ice

August 11th, 2007

And you wonder why the Canadian government wants to establish two new military bases in Resolute Bay (and whether this is a benign scientific expedition)? Satellite image analysis tells the story:

Today the Northern Hemisphere sea ice area broke the record for the lowest ice area in recorded history. The new record came a full month before the historic summer minimum typically occurs. There is still a month or more of melt likely this year. It is therefore almost certain that the previous 2005 record will be annihilated by the final 2007 annual minima closer to the end of this summer.

The quote that the report’s author made to the media is rather more dramatic:

William L. Chapman, who monitors the region at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and posted a Web report on the ice retreat yesterday, said that only an abrupt change in conditions could prevent far more melting before the 24-hour sun of the boreal summer set in September. “The melting rate during June and July this year was simply incredible,” Mr. Chapman said. “And then you’ve got this exposed black ocean soaking up sunlight and you wonder what, if anything, could cause it to reverse course.”

Posted in climate change, geographic information systems | 1 Comment »

it’s turtles all the way down

August 1st, 2007

Snapping turtles are fairly widespread, from southeast Canada down the eastern US coast. However, their habitats are quickly disappearing and their aggressive behaviour makes them somewhat problematic to study (especially at night).

A group of biologists computer engineers at the University of Massachusetts have built a hardware and software platform that tracks the movement and habits of snapping turtles. The mobile platform, glued to each turtle (sorry, but it is common practice and can be more humane than radio collars), consists of a GPS unit, a solar panel, and antenna. The platform also contains a USB drive to keep a turtle-specific log of information.

For computer engineers, the idea behind the project is

a network of constantly moving devices that record and store information, transmit data from one device to another, then relay all the saved information to a central location while running on self-charging batteries.

“A lot of the existing technology works great as long as you’re not moving around and you have stable networks and people who could recharge batteries,” said Jacob Sorber, a doctoral candidate in computer science who designed the network he calls TurtleNet, a project funded by grants from the National Science Foundation.

From another site, check out live webcams of turtles, which combines nature and public participation in Japan.

Posted in General, geographic information systems, wildlife computing | Comments Closed

intruder alert: surveillance sensors to prevent poaching

July 29th, 2007

From The Economist, sensors that detect poachers:

Nouabale-Ndoki’s [Congo] hard-pressed rangers are, however, about to get some high-tech help in the form of TrailGuard, a system of small and easily hidden electronic detection and communication devices. They will soon begin burying radio-transmitting metal detectors alongside elephant trails leading into the park. Authorised hikers through the park will be given transponders that tell the detectors who they are, as with the “identification friend-or-foe” systems on military aircraft. But when poachers carrying rifles or machetes traipse by a detector, it will send a radio signal to a treetop antenna. Seconds later the rangers will receive the intruder’s co-ordinates on their satellite phones. They will then be able to respond precisely, rather than slogging around on fruitless and demoralising patrols on the off-chance of catching a poacher up to no good.

A nonprofit, affiliated with the State University of New York’s College of Environmental Sciences and Forestry in Syracuse, Wildland Security, has created these sensors to aid countries and areas that have the will to save wildlife but not necessarily the person power.

Hmm, surveillance technology in the service of conservation?

Posted in activism, surveillance | 2 Comments »

honey, it’s your ficus on the phone

July 28th, 2007

Are you taking care of your plants? If not they’ll call you and tell you. Such is the project of Botanicalls. Not only will they call you and tell you about their light and soil conditions but you can call them back and ask about their status.

via Treehugger,

The system currently involves a soil moisture sensor, hardware and software to interpret that data, and a call to a lounge phone; phase [two] will include a bunch of new features including a light sensor, display, ambient sensors, output to the web and email, as well as calls to your personal cell phone (not just the one connected to the plant).

Of course, the plants could talk to the watering hose directly but that would loosen the connection between nature and human, so I applaud the goals of the company to:

  1. Keep the plants alive by translating the communication protocols of the plants (leaf habit, color of foliage, droop, etc) to more common human communication protocols (email, voice phone calls, digital visualizations, etc).
  2. Make a connection between people and plants. Explore/enhance/create/visualize people’s emotional connection to plants, the ways plants help humans, how caring for a shared resource can create sense of community, how natural life is a valuable counterpoint to our technical environment.

In phase three, I’d like to see the plants talking to each other, coupled with some AI software to see if any behaviours emerge (“Hey, I see you like your fancy orchids better than me, your ficus. What gives?” or “We’re using craigslist to scrape the phone numbers of some more considerate plant owners so we can call them!”). There’s all sorts of ways that plants could conspire against their owners.

In the meantime, listen to to Scotch Moss complain that it hasn’t received enough water.

Posted in General | Comments Closed

the rise of the geoweb: user as consumer and producer of map content

July 28th, 2007

This NYTimes article has the phenomenon exactly right, as to the potential to the user (actual and assumed power over the map), the opportunities for the geoweb vendor (billions in advertising dollars) and the challenge to the cartographer and GISer (whence the role of the expert).

[M]illions of people are trying their hand at cartography, drawing on digital maps and annotating them with text, images, sound and videos.

In the process, they are reshaping the world of mapmaking and collectively creating a new kind of atlas that is likely to be both richer and messier than any other.

The article has some nice links to geolocations on Google Earth (e.g., biodiesel stations in New England). You should visit the URLs and save them before they disappear behind the firewall.

More on this, as soon as I finish reading Andrew Keen.

Posted in geographic information systems | 1 Comment »

chip implants to protect public health

July 25th, 2007

One of the more ominous intersections of computers and environment, in this case public health:

Lawmakers in Indonesia’s Papua are mulling the selective use of chip implants in HIV carriers to monitor their behaviour in a bid to keep them from infecting others, a doctor said Tuesday.

Posted in public health, surveillance | 1 Comment »

forget virtual pets; how about virtual wildlife?

July 25th, 2007

okay, so this is crazy: Mom’s taking care of her children’s virtual pets while the children are away at camp (it’s an “only in NY” kind of story). But it got me thinking: why couldn’t we design virtual megafauna or virtual habitats that kids must take care of?

We have enough knowledge of simulating habitats and of gaming that we can easily create the environments/animals as well as the interactions (btw, see the latest Communications of the ACM on creating a science of gaming). Similar to Sim City but for habitats and appropriate to the learning ability of children. The trick is to make it as attractive as Webkinz. Webkinz is an Internet/MMORPG tie-in to purchased stuffed animals. The MMORPG resembles the Sims; it has all the consumerism and the interactions although it’s touted as kid-safe. You can buy things for your pet’s home through kids cash, which is earned through playing games and taking quizzes (in a game show format). In our newly developed WebHab (or WebWildlife), instead of buying furniture, perhaps our players could buy padding for a nest, increase (buy?) the number of species, obtain water for the habitat, and so on. Kids could take Dora The Explorer type quizzes to earn HabCash to fund their virtual conservation efforts.

Our new simulation thus serves several purposes:

  • get kids concerned about the environment and nature from an early age.
  • exploit consumerism for a conservation cause (if WWF can sell stuffed pandas then this could have all sorts of tie-ins, from buying a stuffed animal to sponsoring an animal in the wild).
  • surreptitiously teach children science.

Now all we need are some conservation minded techies…

Posted in environmental education | Comments Closed

sundance goes green

July 16th, 2007

Posted by Christopher Barry, Senior Vice President, Digital Media and Business Strategy, Sundance Channel

Here at the Sundance Channel, we recently launched a weekly programming block dedicated to the environment, called THE GREEN.

As part of this online environment, Google Maps for Enterprise technology offered us a great platform for developing the Eco-mmunity Map, an exciting interactive tool that supports our television shows and creates a community of users around eco issues. The Eco-mmunity Map allows you to list and search for green individuals, businesses, special attractions, and action points anywhere in the world through a customized site. The Google Maps technology makes it simple to share information about environmental causes and events in your community. You can input and search for green information based on four key category “markers” — Individuals, Businesses, Green Action Points, and Green Attractions and Events. By posting markers with detailed descriptions, contact information, related web links, comments, ratings, and photos, you can share local knowledge and suggestions with others from around the world. So come on over to www.sundancechannel.com/map and start adding your content today.

Ultimately, our hope is that visitors to the Eco-mmunity Map will have the opportunity to share their knowledge and connect with others in the virtual green movement. We’re grateful to the Google Maps for Enterprise team that helped make this online world possible.

Even the advertisements are for green products.

Posted in environmental education, geographic information systems | 1 Comment »

geoweb and communicating climate change

July 14th, 2007

More heartening news that the geoweb (GIS, digital earths) could aid in communicating climate change:

In the article, Satellite Images Bridge Understanding Gap between Climate Change and Individuals, Kevin Corbley reports on a meeting between remote sensing vendors and Google Earth to promote the idea that geoweb could connect people to what was happening at the Earth’s poles, where climate change is particularly severe.

Some interesting examples in the article:

An application that allows users to view multiple layers of geospatial data linked to locations on Google Earth images: Earth SLOT (Earth Science, Logistics, and Outreach Terrainbases)

SPOT Imagery’s initiative to get climate change related imagery to the public: Planet-Action

There is some irony in the article in a quote from a SPOT Imagery representative:

SPOT’s de Chassy pointed out that while Earth observation satellites have been extremely successful at identifying environmental change, the link with everyday citizens has often been difficult to establish because imagery historically has been too expensive to obtain and too difficult to analyze for anyone but a trained scientist.

Yes, and who was setting the high prices for the images?

Update: Sierra Club British Columbia uses Google Earth to show the impact of sea level rise on the lower mainland of BC.

Step by step instructions on using Google Earth to show sea level rise in the coastal community of one’s choice.

Posted in climate change, geographic information systems | 1 Comment »

Geospatial Web for climate change

June 26th, 2007

via geowanking, a content aggregation tool for climate change. GIS is a bit of a gimmick but it’s a good initiative.

To increase awareness and the availability of environmental information, the IDIOM Media Watch on Climate Change provides a comprehensive and continuously updated account of media coverage on climate change and related issues. The portal aggregates, filters and visualizes environmental Web content from 150 Anglo-American news media sites.

The vision of a Geospatial Web promotes the convergence of geographic information, Internet technology and social change. Taking a step towards this vision, the Media Watch on Climate Change uses automated content analysis to extract geospatial context and build a geotagged knowledge base. The interface provides various means to interactively access this knowledge base. It shows that geobrowsers are not only suited to explore geographic features, but can also render other types of imagery such as two-dimensional ‘Semantic Maps’ or three-dimensional Knowledge Planets.

Acquiring, managing and applying knowledge are crucial steps in addressing environmental issues effectively, and ensuring that change is conceived and implemented on both regional and society-wide scales. Over the next year, the Media Watch will be extended into an interactive “Collaboratory” that brings together the scientific community, the commercial world, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). These stakeholders are often divided by differing worldviews, goals, and agendas. The collaboratory will provide matchmaking services for ad-hoc team composition, and support the day-to-day activities of online communities through content aggregation and advanced visualization services.

Posted in climate change, geographic information systems | 1 Comment »

mashup to go Green

June 10th, 2007

CBC embeds a mashup to show the efforts of Canadian municipalities to address climate change.

Posted in climate change | 1 Comment »

the future of geospatial technologies?

June 1st, 2007

Where 2.0 Conference: 20 something Red Bull-fueled geogeeks (or geowanks) in start ups all talking about the geoweb. Heads of Google Earth, Virtual Earth, Planet9, Swivel, Twittervision, Open Street Maps, and an assorted bunch of LBS Social Networking types. Also old school codgers like me (??) and Jack Dangermond, who came to the con with zero groupies. GIS is looked upon with disdain and some hostility as holding back the Web 2.0 enabled geospatial universe.

Posted in geographic information systems | Comments Closed

no wonder my back hurts

June 1st, 2007

Apparently the increased use of laptops and PDAs like Blackberries have led to a surge in the number of computer users with back and muscle problems, some as young as 12 years old. I’m surprised that laptop manufacturers haven’t come up with a design that separates the screen from the keyboard in such a way that the screen can easily be viewed from a more erect eye-level.

Posted in public health | 3 Comments »

once you go Blackle…

May 11th, 2007

Treehugger reports that Google now offers its search engine web page in fashionable black. It’s called Blackle.com and the goal is to consume less energy by using a black background instead of the ubiquitous white background. EcoIron claims that Black Google Would Save 750 Megawatt-hours a Year although his commenters helpfully point out that this is only really true for CRTs. As the world switches to energy saving monitors (well, at least in the usage of the monitors and not necessarily in other stages of the lifecycle), Google will need to find other ways to help the world save energy.

Update: oddly enough, when I try to log on to Blackle, I get the following response,

Forbidden
You don’t have permission to access / on this server.

Additionally, a 403 Forbidden error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.

Don’t know if there’s a problem down the road at Googleplex or with SJSU where I’m currently staying.

UPDATE: It works now.

Posted in energy and it | 3 Comments »

zero energy houses

May 11th, 2007

CBC radio this morning had a piece on zero-energy condos being built in Verdun (see http://www.ecocite.ca/home.html). Three will go on sale – there is a lot of interest from people (more demand than supply!).

Posted in energy and it, General | 1 Comment »

green computer shopping

May 11th, 2007

The two latest posts at ecoshopper offer keyboards and mouses made from bamboo and ipod nano cases made from 100% recycled materials.

Posted in General | 1 Comment »

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