#559: Biodiversity Stripes - new infographics

I posted about these some years ago, but there is now a range of new visualisations available.

Visit the site and every few seconds you are treated to a new one...

#405: Biome viewer

Thanks to Hannah Steel for the link to this useful visualisation tool.

Biomeviewer displays a range of information in a visual way.

It's really useful for identifying biomes in a general way, and rotating the globe to see where they are located and identifying their characteristics.

There are accompanying resources in a folder, student worksheet and apparently an iOS app too.

The worksheet takes students through the various features which are built into the app.

You can also explore anthromes: anthropogenic biomes. These are where the majority of humanity lives.

A classification proposed by E.C. Ellis, October 25, 2005 lists them. Minimum mapping scale greater than or equal to one square kilometer.

Source: https://ecotope.org/about/anthropogenic_landscapes/

There is a lot more information and some useful maps on this website too, which is the new home of the previous link. Lovely work and I now want to do something with this as well...

#183: Ordnance Survey survey on mapping and GIS

My hope would be that the new specification will involve an expectation of a deal of mapwork using the Ordnance Survey's mapping, plus ESRI GIS mapping and Survey123 for the collection and visualisation of fieldwork data. They may also need to use the MAGIC map, maps of National Landscapes etc and ensure that location and description of context is an important part when considering the range of habitats and how the landscape and Natural History of the UK has changed over the centuries.

I've been involved with the OS in numerous ways over the years: as a GetOutside Champion, author of support resources for Digimap for Schools and Digimap for Colleges / Mapstream. Also as an author of articles for Mapping News and other support for various campaigns and activities.

For many years Ordnance Survey has delivered support for education to encourage the awareness and use of high-quality geospatial data in the education sector and since 2020 this has been through an Education Plan, funded through the UK Government's Geospatial Commission (GC).
They are keen to gather evidence about how this has so far supported the work of teachers and consider what more they could be doing in this area. 

They would also like to understand what other training tools geography teachers currently access and the barriers that may be in place when using geographic information systems (GIS).

They are asking for 15 minutes (or so) of your time to complete a short survey. 

The survey is open to all geography teachers until Friday 8 December and the findings from it will help them to consider how to develop the Education Plan.

Complete the survey on this link.

#169: A Disappearing Planet

A nice data visualisation. Scroll down to reveal the not-so-nice story.

#163: National Education Nature Park's Visual Identity

The National Education Nature Park (NENP) is a nation-wide scheme created to empower children to make a positive impact on nature, part of the suite of support which includes (eventually) the new GCSE in Natural History.

The Natural History Museum (NHM) was appointed by the Department for Education to lead the partnership, working with groups such as the Royal Horticultural Society and Royal Society, and supported by Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), Manchester Metropolitan University, Learning Through Landscapes, UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and the National Biodiversity Network Trust.

Happy Friday! We're liking this playful new identity for the National Education Nature Park that captures the essence of nature and education. 📘🌳https://t.co/1wsoDx71av

— MeeCreative (@Mee_Creative) November 3, 2023

 Out of Place Studio worked on the new identity.

I really like the graphics and the overall look of the communications forming part of the development of the materials.

#158: Ancient Earth

Exploring the development of the world's continents and its changing tectonic history is part of the suggested specification.

Discover when you home was last under the sea with this interactive globe of the Earth's changing sea levels over the last 135,000 years.https://t.co/xfV3bnurdx pic.twitter.com/1O1BC0ew1U

— gmapsmania mapstodon.space/@mapsmania (@gmapsmania) November 2, 2023

Check out the map here.

About 300 million years ago, Earth didn't have seven continents, but instead one massive supercontinent called Pangaea, which was surrounded by a single ocean called Panthalassa.

This would go well along with the Ancient Earth map, which allows you to go back through phases of life on Earth.

This is an interesting area of the proposed specification. I will be interested to see whether this remains in the final document as it is quite a different period of natural history - when certain species emerged for the first time according to evidence in the fossil record.

#142: Forest Stripes from WWF

A new update in the list of visualisations which students should be introduced to. I've previously posted about the Biodiversity Stripes.

The Forest Stripes show the decline in forest species.

Been working on a tree report 💚 V lucky to have worked with team Stripes on a beautiful illustration for it. When we lose forests, we lose forest wildlife & the natural forest systems 1.6 Billion people depend on. https://t.co/iRO1IgHl3Z 🌳💚 ➡️https://t.co/4jkbLdtwOS https://t.co/B4TR2fAYBj

— Mary Gagen (@maryhgagen) October 24, 2023