The editor of the Antarctic Sun says that while Antarctica has always been viewable in Google Maps, the imagery was "about as sharp as the graphics in Pong." The folks at the Polar Geospatial Center came to the rescue.
The Polar Geospatial Center, a project of the University of Minnesota, has updated almost 1,000,000 square kilometers of imagery for both poles, reports Peter Rejcek:
"The informal partnership took shape about a year ago, facilitated by a Google employee on sabbatical who worked a summer season at the South Pole Station's External U.S. government site computer help desk.
[Team leader Paul] Morin and his team of mostly students provide Google with a list of Antarctic regions - from the ice-free McMurdo Dry Valleys External U.S. government site to ice shelves to subantarctic islands - that are scientifically and logistically important."
Read the full story: Antarctica on Google
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
California High-Speed Rail Authority picks trainset manufacturer
The California High-Speed Rail Authority aims to start servicing passengers by 2033.
Massachusetts bogs generate both power, and cranberries
Putting solar panels above farmland is one way Massachusetts is advancing toward its goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
What could the future of LA transit look like under Raman?
The mayor-elect views broken sidewalks and potholes as crises that can be fixed with better governance.
States are counting on battery farms. Some towns don’t want them.
While fire safety has improved, some communities are still wary.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello