It's video app review time!
Monday, September 26, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
Red Borders No More
I generally avoid simple geo-news regurgitating on this blog. I want this to be a component of the interweb that explores things and their impact on people and place rather than something you can find in a thousand different places. On occasion, the poignant issues to me and the things you can find in a thousand places cross, and today's post is an example of that. Having said that, if you haven't heard about the attack at a bar in Bujumbura, google it. So few of us ever hear about stuff like this and that's a travesty. I feel it's incumbent upon me to encourage people to learn more on their own. It makes me wish I was back in seventh grade discussing current events.
It's official, South Sudan has come to Google Earth. Gone are the days of a red line border. In the eyes of Google Earth it's a bona fide yellow border country. I was quite pleased by this news. We've all been following the quest for independence and as trivial as gaining full recognition on Google Earth may seem, to me it's an awfully big deal.
Here is a picture as it appears today
And here is the article as posted on the Google lat long Blog.
Google continues to excel in Africa, both in bringing information in and working to educate people on Google's products. How cool would it be to be invited to one of these?
It's official, South Sudan has come to Google Earth. Gone are the days of a red line border. In the eyes of Google Earth it's a bona fide yellow border country. I was quite pleased by this news. We've all been following the quest for independence and as trivial as gaining full recognition on Google Earth may seem, to me it's an awfully big deal.
Here is a picture as it appears today
And here is the article as posted on the Google lat long Blog.
Google continues to excel in Africa, both in bringing information in and working to educate people on Google's products. How cool would it be to be invited to one of these?
Monday, September 12, 2011
Finding Pommern in Rural Tanzania
It took a while, but I finally discovered Pommern in the Kiloli District of Iringa in Tanzania. Even though I had developed a specific search area, I didn't have a very good way of methodically eliminating areas. I came across a building that appeared to be the secondary school I worked in, but the lay of the paths and roads and other buildings didn't match up. The building, however, provided me a point of reference so I could zoom out a little further and still be able to find a building of similar size. When I finally did stumble upon the Village, I couldn't believe it.
After years of looking...boom, there it is. Unfortunately, it falls outside of the area with the really nice new imagery, but it is clear enough that I was able to mark a couple key sites on my trip. It goes without saying (but not without mentioning) that this will be great for geotagging pictures. I'll be able to add many within 50 feet or so, which is amazing for extremely rural Africa. I also hope that someone who has or is planning to go to Pommern with Global Volunteers will be able to use this as a resource. I know I would have appreciated this.
So here it is. It doesn't look like much, but for me it's endless stories and memories. Certainly worth all the effort to find it.
In case you'd like to look around and see exactly where it is, you can use this map.
View Larger Map
Yea....I need to get back.
After years of looking...boom, there it is. Unfortunately, it falls outside of the area with the really nice new imagery, but it is clear enough that I was able to mark a couple key sites on my trip. It goes without saying (but not without mentioning) that this will be great for geotagging pictures. I'll be able to add many within 50 feet or so, which is amazing for extremely rural Africa. I also hope that someone who has or is planning to go to Pommern with Global Volunteers will be able to use this as a resource. I know I would have appreciated this.
So here it is. It doesn't look like much, but for me it's endless stories and memories. Certainly worth all the effort to find it.
View Larger Map
Yea....I need to get back.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
A Weeklong Search Party for Pommern, Tanzania
After returning home from Tanzania in 2009, I quickly took to Google Earth only to be disappointed by the fact that the image quality was poor and I couldn't pinpoint my location. The resolution was so poor I couldn't even find the Village of Pommern.
Even a few years removed from my trip I have a pretty good mental map of the area. When I returned home I estimated the location based on blurry images of maps, estimated travel times, and the turns I remembered on our ride from Iringa to Pommern. I thought I was close, but the imagery was so bad that I had no way of knowing. Now I've lost that Google place mark and so it's like starting from scratch.
This weekend I discovered that the majority of the Iringa Region in Tanzania has new, clear, crisp imagery for a large area.
Up to this point it has been unbelievably difficult to locate the village. While the other village in Tanzania associated with Global Volunteers (Ipalamwa) shows up, Pommern never has. Given that I was teaching geography and computers in Pommern it's frustrating that it's nearly impossible to locate the village in Google Earth. Although it's not as if there is internet in Pommern. For that you need to go to Iringa, where the chicken is much smoother.
I found a Facebook Group that said the secondary school, which I worked at, is 58KM from Iringa. I'm inclined to believe that distance is via the road network. Going out 58KM as the crow flies would lead into the adjacent Region of Morogoro.
I knew that Pommern was in the Kilolo district of Iringa, one of seven districts but I can't find any maps that show those district lines. That is particularly disappointing. I guess the internet is not yet complete.
I've challenged myself to find Pommern and locate it for others. Based on the information I've gathered I've developed a very generous search area of approximately 1,000 square miles. I'm very confident that Pommern is within the search area.
Admittedly, this seemed like a much easier endeavor when I first drew the search area. It's sort of like being able to stumble upon my subdivision from a map of metro Detroit.
When I do find it I'll be able to greatly increase the accuracy of some geotagged photos in the area. Bonus!
It's quite a challenge but I think I have it in me and THAT means next week you can bet there will be a post and a link to all the features I've found and remembered. Hopefully it will give more of a voice and online presence to a great area, a great Place.
Even a few years removed from my trip I have a pretty good mental map of the area. When I returned home I estimated the location based on blurry images of maps, estimated travel times, and the turns I remembered on our ride from Iringa to Pommern. I thought I was close, but the imagery was so bad that I had no way of knowing. Now I've lost that Google place mark and so it's like starting from scratch.
This weekend I discovered that the majority of the Iringa Region in Tanzania has new, clear, crisp imagery for a large area.
Up to this point it has been unbelievably difficult to locate the village. While the other village in Tanzania associated with Global Volunteers (Ipalamwa) shows up, Pommern never has. Given that I was teaching geography and computers in Pommern it's frustrating that it's nearly impossible to locate the village in Google Earth. Although it's not as if there is internet in Pommern. For that you need to go to Iringa, where the chicken is much smoother.
I found a Facebook Group that said the secondary school, which I worked at, is 58KM from Iringa. I'm inclined to believe that distance is via the road network. Going out 58KM as the crow flies would lead into the adjacent Region of Morogoro.
I knew that Pommern was in the Kilolo district of Iringa, one of seven districts but I can't find any maps that show those district lines. That is particularly disappointing. I guess the internet is not yet complete.
I've challenged myself to find Pommern and locate it for others. Based on the information I've gathered I've developed a very generous search area of approximately 1,000 square miles. I'm very confident that Pommern is within the search area.
Admittedly, this seemed like a much easier endeavor when I first drew the search area. It's sort of like being able to stumble upon my subdivision from a map of metro Detroit. When I do find it I'll be able to greatly increase the accuracy of some geotagged photos in the area. Bonus!
It's quite a challenge but I think I have it in me and THAT means next week you can bet there will be a post and a link to all the features I've found and remembered. Hopefully it will give more of a voice and online presence to a great area, a great Place.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Belle Isle
This weekend I took a drive to Belle Isle, the 1,000 acre mega park in the Detroit River just a couple miles from the center of downtown. It's a pretty cool place despite being a tad run down. It seems to be utilized for family reunions more than anything else, and really, that's not so bad. From time to time, the park does attract special events and even large events, such as the old (ol') course for the Detroit Grand Prix. Unfortunately, while it's a destination for many, the fact that it doesn't generate enough money to sustain itself is an issue for a city facing annual multimillion dollar deficits. Not that a park should be revenue neutral, but rather, based on the adjacent land use and its proximity to...things, it'd be hard to find an equal benefit.
Another reason that Detroit should be the studio/capstone class for any urban planning program.
View Larger Map
Even though Belle Isle is in need of a sprucing up, I can imagine the cost of upkeep is still very high. So there is the constant back and forth arguing over whether or not to charge admission to the park (or a toll for the bridge) and whether that will price people out or dramatically reduce utilization.
If you're interested, go ahead and take a peek at the recreation budget for Detroit. Belle Isle Operations account for about 1 million out of 19 million. Although in fairness to my naivety, I feel like I'm missing something in my reading of the Recreation "budget".
It's a park...parks belong to the people...It's part of being a civilized society...don't charge.
It is, however, just another example of the great things Detroit has going for it. Just think, Detroit has an island park bigger than Central Park...yea...I didn't realize that either. The potential is amazing and there is no shortage of ideas. But it sits, in more or less the same state it has been in for years. Aging.
The gem on the gem is the Conservatory. An interesting building indeed. I don't know if it's beautiful, or just art deco, or what. The lighting wasn't perfect on Saturday, but I created this from a few pictures I took on Saturday. Pretty cool, eh?
Obviously, this Detroit stuff is occupying my mind, and it's a GREAT thing to be talking about. I want to point out a great response to last weeks post. Check out the comment by Matt. Spot on. Kudos.
Another reason that Detroit should be the studio/capstone class for any urban planning program.
View Larger Map
Even though Belle Isle is in need of a sprucing up, I can imagine the cost of upkeep is still very high. So there is the constant back and forth arguing over whether or not to charge admission to the park (or a toll for the bridge) and whether that will price people out or dramatically reduce utilization.
If you're interested, go ahead and take a peek at the recreation budget for Detroit. Belle Isle Operations account for about 1 million out of 19 million. Although in fairness to my naivety, I feel like I'm missing something in my reading of the Recreation "budget".
It's a park...parks belong to the people...It's part of being a civilized society...don't charge.
It is, however, just another example of the great things Detroit has going for it. Just think, Detroit has an island park bigger than Central Park...yea...I didn't realize that either. The potential is amazing and there is no shortage of ideas. But it sits, in more or less the same state it has been in for years. Aging.
The gem on the gem is the Conservatory. An interesting building indeed. I don't know if it's beautiful, or just art deco, or what. The lighting wasn't perfect on Saturday, but I created this from a few pictures I took on Saturday. Pretty cool, eh?
 |
| Conservatory |
Obviously, this Detroit stuff is occupying my mind, and it's a GREAT thing to be talking about. I want to point out a great response to last weeks post. Check out the comment by Matt. Spot on. Kudos.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Images of Detroit
I've been writing about Detroit a lot lately, and that's because I have been thinking about it a lot. Fixing it is the enigma of the planning field. Its problems represent some of the most fundamental ones facing US cities today. I did go back this weekend to take some pictures of Detroit and I've included a few of them here. It's still a great city with a lot going on, but I'm lost as to what I can do to make it better.
When is the last time you were in Detroit? What do you think should be done? If you've never been to Detroit, what impression do you have of the city?
When is the last time you were in Detroit? What do you think should be done? If you've never been to Detroit, what impression do you have of the city?
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| Ambassador Bridge |
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| Train Tracks in River Rouge |
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| Rubble |
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| Brush Street |
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| Brush Street - NOBODY |
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| Tire and Garbage near Ambassador Bridge |
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