Hurricane Harvey is hitting Texas with wind speeds of at least 111 mph. Widespread flooding is a risk for Texas and neighboring states as public safety groups and communities prepare.
Public Information Map — identifies the current and recent location of Harvey as well as forecast positions and probable track; additionally, the shaded area is called the “cone of uncertainty,” the likely path of the center of Harvey.
Impact Summary Map — shows the storm surge by identifying locations most at risk for life-threatening inundation from storm surge; accordingly, to Esri’s data, the total population at risk is 248k people, 99k households, and 10k businesses.
Forecast Precipitation Map — forecasts the amount of rain expected within the next 72-hour period.
A total solar eclipse will cross the United States from coast to coast on Monday, Aug. 21 — the first solar eclipse in nearly 40 years.
Not only is this is the first eclipse in the age of social media, it is the first with a path of totality crossing the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of the U.S. since 1918.
Also, its path of totality makes landfall exclusively within the United States, making it the first such eclipse since the country’s independence in 1776.
An interactive story map from Esri, Seeing the Great American Eclipse, features a collection of eclipse data such as the amount of exposure per location, traffic analytics and more.
An estimated 1.85 to 7.4 million people will be traveling to the path of totality. The rapid population influx presents a unique challenge for national public safety agencies as well as state and local governments across the cities and towns where eclipse enthusiasts are expected to gather.
Aside from potential record-breaking traffic jams, many are anticipating a significant strain on emergency resources and infrastructure (both physical and digital).
Oregon in the Hot Seat. As the first state to experience the eclipse, Oregon is in the hot seat. It is not only one of the most populous states in the path of totality, but is expected to receive the most out-of-state visitors as well.
During this unprecedented event, government agencies are going to need real-time situational awareness of personnel; resources; and infrastructures, such as freeways, in highly populated areas. Knowing who and what are at risk is critical, but knowing where when it matters most enables a cohesive response to any situation that might arise.
In recognition of those needs, Oregon has developed the RAPTOR app (Real-time Assessment and Planning Tool for Oregon). Leveraging Esri technology, the online government resource adds the path of totality and other eclipse event layers to its situational awareness data.
RAPTOR also allows users to quickly and easily digitize information from these events and put them onto maps, providing agencies with up-to-the-moment info on everything from traffic to weather.
Just in time for Halloween, Esri is providing a Story Map of Cities of the Dead, featuring historic and notable graveyards, cemeteries and crypts. Find out what may lurk near you…
Esri has released an interactive map illustrating the earth’s natural and human systems and how they have changed — and will change — over time. With the Atlas for a Changing Planet story map, scientists, policy makers, planners and activists can examine detailed spatial information that is critical for adapting to a warmer future.
“Mitigating the effects of climate change is a global, geographic challenge,” said Jack Dangermond, president of Esri. “Understanding how the earth’s systems interact and transform is an essential first step in measuring the threat of climate change and making informed decisions to reduce it.”
Atlas for a Changing Planet explores a sample of maps, imagery and data from Esri ArcGIS Online. The story map covers five themes: understanding natural systems, mapping human systems, mapping ocean impacts, predicting the future, and international cooperation.
Complex issues, processes, and concepts — such as biomass and ocean acidification — are clearly and succinctly explained with maps and multimedia, Esri said. For example, users visualize the density of carbon stored in living plants (biomass) with an explanation of how this information is key to estimating how land-use change affects the climate. Interactive maps illustrate which areas will be severely affected by rising sea levels, the changes in sea ice extents in the Arctic Ocean, and population growth in urban cities around the world.
The story map also models data from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in three scenarios. With this data, users navigate the story map to see projected changes in temperature and precipitation based on the level at which greenhouse gas emissions increase or decrease over time.
Esri created the story map in time for the Nov. 30 start of the United Nations 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21). World leaders are gathering at the annual meeting to negotiate an international agreement with the goal of keeping global warming’s increase below 2 degrees Celsius.
Watch animations of the recurring slope lineae (water stains) across four different craters and explore satellite imagery and elevation data for the Red Planet.
Below is an animation from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory showing seasonal flows in Hale Crater.
Esri has published an interactive Wildfire Public Information Map and a 2015 California Wildfire Activity Map.
Wildfire Public Information Map
The Wildfire Public Information Map provides continuously updated information about wildfires and their perimeters from the U.S. Geological Survey and other agencies. It provides live weather warnings and wind information from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as well as live weather radar from AccuWeather. A local perspective on events is available by turning on geotagged social media from Twitter, YouTube and Flickr on the Layers tab.
2015 California Wildfire Activity
This story map provides a detailed look at 15 active fires throughout California. As you scroll through the map, you can view fire perimeters and hot spots for each active fire, and get up-to-date statistics about each blaze, including total acreage, percent containment and damage caused.
Forty-four women gave birth to the most influential men in U.S. history — presidents. This Mother’s Day, Esri highlights these “First Mothers” in an interactive story map.
Navigating the Story Map uncovers interesting facts, such as:
· At 18 years old, Stanley Ann Obama became the youngest First Mother.
· The seven presidents born in Ohio were Republican.
· Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams were born .2 miles apart.
