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Aerial Photos Here's an easy way to get high without having to worry about hurting yourself, getting arrested or bumping into airplanes. Take a look at these aerial photos and see what down home looks like from up there. Web:
Distance Calculator Before you go from here to there, make sure you know how far it is. Otherwise, how would you know how much food to bring? This site enables you to calculate the distances between world cities and will even show you the points plotted on a map as well as the longitude and latitude. I found out it is 8,668 miles (13,949 km) from where I live to Bombay. Web: Earth Rise Earth Rise is a Web site that allows you to access a huge database of pictures of the Earth taken by astronauts on the U.S. space shuttle. What a wonderful way to appreciate our planet. Just a few clicks of the mouse, and you can see what any part of the world looks like from space. Web: Flags of the World If you are looking for something unique and colorful with which to decorate your home, try downloading some of these flags of the world. Not only will they look nice hanging on your walls, but your visitors will be convinced that you have culture and good taste. Web:
Geographic Information Systems A geographical information system (GIS) is a computer system used to manipulate information that is related to specific geographical locations. For example, satellite photos showing patterns of vegetation might be part of a GIS. There are many different types of GISs, and a lot of information available on the Net. Web:
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Geography Departments Worldwide This site has a search engine that allows you to search geography department resources all over the Net. You can narrow your search by research field, so you could look up more specific resources, such as who is studying human geography in Bangladesh or remote sensing in Switzerland. You can access resources in many countries and in many different fields of geographical research. Web:
Geography Resources Modern geography embraces many different branches of study. No matter what field you are interested in, you will find a lot of geographical information on the Net. Here are some good places to start. You will find links to educational resources, research publications, maps, images, geographic data sources, and information about jobs, organizations and professional associations. Web:
Geography Talk and General Discussion Imagine what life would be like if there was no geography. There would be no road maps to have to re-fold. There would be no grueling hours of having to memorize the capitals of third world countries. And worse, there would be no map showing what hills and dales you have to go over to get to Grandma's house. In fact, geography is so important that you can find a lively discussion about it in Usenet. Go hang out with the people who know the planet like the backs of their hands. Usenet:
Global Land Information System The Global Land Information System (GLIS) is an interactive computer system developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a branch of the U.S. Department of the Interior. The GLIS provides you with information relating to a huge variety of data sets that may be ordered from the USGS. If you have an idea what you want, this system can help you find it. If not, you can just cruise around and look for cool stuff. (USGS data sets make wonderful Mother's Day presents.) Web:
GPS (Global Positioning System) The Global Positioning System (GPS) is an amazing system that will tell you your (almost) exact position and time anywhere on the Earth. There are three parts to the system: (1) In space, there are 24 satellites (three of which are spares) that circle the Earth in 12-hour orbits. From any point on the Earth, there are five to eight satellites above you somewhere. (2) Around the world, there is a whole system of tracking stations. The master station is at Falcon Air Force Base in Colorado. (3) To receive data, you use a GPS receiver. This receiver uses the signals from at least four of the satellites to give you navigation, positioning and time information. If you are a special authorized user (U.S. Department of Defense, etc.) your receiver can tell you your exact position within an 18 by 28 meter area, and the time will be accurate within 100 nanoseconds (billionths of a second). Everyone else gets a position within a 100 by 156 meter area, with a time accurate within 167 nanoseconds. Web:
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Great Globe Gallery One of the most interesting and difficult problems for cartographers is how to represent all or parts of the Earth (which is three-dimensional) on a flat surface. I recently read a cartography textbook (just for fun), and I was amazed at how many decisions and tradeoffs there are in making a map. The overall general principle is: if you want to go into outer space and look down, you can see the real thing. Anything else is, in some way, a compromise and there are many, many ways to construct an image of the Earth. Here, in one place, is a magnificent collection showing many ways in which our globe can be represented on a computer screen. Web:
Land Surveying Surveying is cool because there is so much land to go around, you will never run out. Also, when you survey, you get to use neat tools, talk about things other people don't understand, and generally swank around like you own the place. When it comes to being cool about mapping the Earth, surveyors really draw the line. To help you, here's where you can find lots of good information about surveying rules and regulations, state statutes, educational events and resources, professional organizations, and data sources. The Usenet group is for the discussion of the measurement and mapping of the Earth's surface. Web:
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Maps and Atlases Here are my favorite sites on the Internet to look for maps. You'll find many types of high-quality maps -- the selection is absolutely wonderful. Of course, you can use these resources when you need a particular map, but I suggest you take some time and explore. You'll find a lot to interest you, especially if you are doing research. I find these resources especially useful when I am listening to the news, and I want to see a map of a place that is being discussed. Web:
United States Gazetteer Here is a place to find information about any city or town in the United States. Just enter a city name or a zip code, and get useful information about that location: population, latitude and longitude, zip codes, as well as a colorful map you can save and customize. By the way, did you know there are two towns in the United States that are named after me? Harleyville, South Carolina (1990 pop. 633) and Harleysville, Pennsylvania (1990 pop. 7405). I bet if you check, you would find that the people in these towns are smarter, better looking, and more successful than the rest of the general American population. Web:
Vintage Panoramic Maps A panoramic map is a nonphotographic picture, shown as it would be if viewed from above (that is, a bird's-eye view). Panoramic maps were popular in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and many such maps have been collected by the U.S. Library of Congress, which maintains this Web site as a public repository. You will find many old panoramic maps of U.S. and Canadian cities, as well as maps relating to military campaigns, exploration, immigration and transportation. I love looking at these old maps, and I particularly like being able to zoom closer to see parts of the image in more detail. Web:
World's Highpoints Here is a cool thing to do that is so easy, I'm surprised it isn't more popular. Have a friend pick a country, any country in the world. Then, using these resources, find the highest point in that country (probably a mountain). Climb the mountain and, when you get to the top, throw off a penny, just to see what happens when it lands. When you get famous, you can tell everyone that you got the idea from this book. Web:
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