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| CODATA Global Roads Working Group Meets at CIESIN | ||
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June 24, 2009 CIESIN hosted a workshop of the CODATA Global Roads Data Development Working Group from June 22-23, including representatives from the Center for Spatial Information Science (CSIS) at the University of Tokyo, the Regional Center for Mapping of Resources for Development (Kenya), and the Geographic Information Support Team at the University of Georgia (USA). Additional working group members from around the world participated by teleconference on June 23. The workshop included a review of a software tool developed by CSIS for semi-automated road feature extraction from ASTER imagery (funded by the NASA-SERVIR project), and presentation of a PDA-based tool for roads data collection in Ethiopia (funded by the Gates Foundation AGCommons project). A status report on the implementation plan was conducted by the entire working group. The purpose of the CODATA Working Group is to develop the Global Roads Open Access Data Set (gROADS) for use in a range of applications by researchers and the development and humanitarian communities.
See: Global Roads Data Working Group Wiki |
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| John A. Eddy, Former CIESIN Chief Scientist, Passes Away | ||
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June 21, 2009 John A. Eddy, who served as CIESIN chief scientist in the early 1990s, died June 10 in Tucson, Arizona. Dr. Eddy was well known for his work in solar physics and his discovery of the Maunder Minimum in the solar sunspot cycle. He had broad interests in cross-disciplinary natural and social science research, chairing an important National Research Council study on geosphere-biosphere interactions in the 1980s. At CIESIN’s former headquarters in Saginaw, Michigan, he led the Science Division and worked with his wife Barbara to publish the newsletter Consequences, with support from the U.S. Global Change Research Program.
See: The New York Times obituary |
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| Spatial Data Infrastructure ‘Convergence’ Highlighted in Rotterdam | ||
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June 20, 2009 The 11th Global Spatial Data Infrastructure (GSDI) World Conference held in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, June 15-19 featured a range of discussions on the role of spatial data infrastructure in addressing critical environmental and societal challenges. CIESIN geographic information specialist Gregory Yetman moderated two conference sessions on geoportals and registries and other technical issues. As a member of the GSDI Association Board, he also attended several board meetings and contributed to conference planning. CIESIN director Robert Chen gave an update on implementation of the data sharing principles for the Global Earth Observing System of Systems (GEOSS) and moderated a distinguished panel on this issue. The panel included Prof. Harlan Onsrud, executive director of the GSDI Association and chair of the SEDAC User Working Group, and two legal scholars from Australia and Belgium, Prof. Anne Fitzgerald of the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Law Faculty and Katleen Janssen of K.U. Leuven Interdisciplinary Centre for Law and ICT.
See: GSDI 11th World Conference Web site |
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| CIESIN Demographer Receives Grant for Collaborative Studies in Argentina | ||
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June 11, 2009 A grant by the Argentine government to encourage collaborative connections with its researchers living abroad has been awarded to CIESIN associate research scientist Susana Adamo. The grant will require Adamo, a demographer specializing in population, migration and environment, to visit Argentina for one month, beginning mid-July, and conduct specific collaborative activities. With researchers at the Institute of Geography, University of Buenos Aires, Adamo will study the transition of two rural areas’ from a reliance on an agrarian-based economy to a current mixed composition of new agriculture, second residences, and rural tourism. A second project with colleagues from the Department of Geography at the National University of Córdoba will involve the study of migration, livelihoods, and social sustainability in the north of the Córdoba province. Adamo will also teach a seminar on the demographic dynamics of agrarian spaces, with a focus on migration, in the masters program on Agrarian Social Studies of FLACSO (Latin American College of Social Sciences), Buenos Aires. The Milstein grant is part of R@ices (Roots, Network of Argentine Researchers and Scientists Abroad), which is housed in the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Production Innovation, and directed by the National Directorate of International Relations. |
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| New Report Says Climate Change May Cause Human Population Migrations | ||
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June 10, 2009
A new report says climate change may cause vast human migrations on an order not previously experienced. The report, In Search of Shelter: Mapping the Effects of Climate Change on Displacement and Migration, was written by researchers at CIESIN, the United Nations University, and CARE International. Drawing on empirical evidence from a new survey of every continent, with original maps created by CIESIN that pinpoint potential locations of critical displacements, the report explores how climate change is already causing people to leave their homes, and details some of the specific ways displacement may occur over the next decades. For example, the report says, melting glaciers will negatively affect agricultural systems throughout Asia and contribute to the risk of flooding. Natural disasters will continue to cause short-term migration, while the breakdown of eco-system-dependent livelihoods—such as subsistence herding, farming, and fishing—will cause long-term migration. Developing countries will be most vulnerable to migration and displacement, with less capacity to implement adaptation measures. A potential downward spiral from resulting ecological degradation and breakdown of social structures could ensue, leading to political instability which would further exacerbate population displacement. The report calls for seeing climate-related migration and displacement as global in nature, not simply isolated local crises. It aims to inform critical policy making by presenting a comprehensive discussion of the linkages between environmental change, displacement, and migration.
See: Climate and Migration Report |
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| Earth Institute Addresses China’s Sustainability Challenge at Beijing Event | ||
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June 1, 2009 A panel on China’s Sustainability Challenge was held as part of a symposium, Columbia and China: Past and Future, held May 31 in Beijing to mark the 60th anniversary of Columbia's Weatherhead East Asian Institute (WEAI). Earth Institute director Jeffrey Sachs gave a short presentation via video on the key issues of environment and development facing both China and the U.S. over the next thirty years and beyond. CIESIN director Robert Chen then discussed the lead roles that both countries need to play in global sustainable development, focusing in particular on the critical challenge posed by climate change. He was followed by EI faculty member John Mutter and by Erika Helms, executive director of the Jane Goodall Institute and an alumna of the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs. The panel was chaired by Xiaobo Lü, professor of political science at Barnard College, and director of the Columbia Global Centers | Beijing, launched by Columbia University president Lee Bollinger in March 2009. More than 150 Columbia alumni, colleagues, and students attended the symposium, which included panels on the current global financial crisis and the “local and global” in Chinese culture, and an exhibit of photographs illustrating the history of interactions between China and Columbia University.
See: WEAI 60th Anniversary Symposium Web page |
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| CIESIN’s Work in Africa Highlighted at Harvard Kennedy School Conference | ||
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June 1, 2009 Mark Becker, associate director of the geospatial application division at CIESIN, gave a presentation on the organization’s Africa-based activities for a conference, Geospatial Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in Africa: Partnerships and Applications, held by the Harvard Kennedy School in Cambridge, Massachusetts on May 28–29. The conference brought together more than 50 leaders in geographic information systems and remote sensing to explore building stronger partnerships among government, private industry, non-profit community, and academia to strengthen spatial data development and dissemination, increase technology education, and expand the use and availability of spatial technology for sustainable development in Africa. Becker discussed a wide range of CIESIN’s Africa-centric collaborative projects, including the integration of online mapping tools with information systems for the management of AIDS clinics throughout Africa; data management for the Millennium Villages project; the development of a freely-accessible spatial data set on inter-urban transport networks around the world, focused on developing countries; and the Africa Soil Information Service, for which CIESIN is helping integrate and deliver soil data. |
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| New GEOSS Data Sharing Task Force Launched in Geneva | ||
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May 29, 2009 The first meeting of the Global Earth Observing System of Systems (GEOSS) Data Sharing Task Force was held May 27-28 in Geneva at the headquarters of the World Meteorological Organization. CIESIN director Robert Chen summarized efforts since 2006 to develop draft implementation guidelines for the GEOSS Data Sharing Principles, which the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) had established in 2005. The new Task Force aims to reach a consensus on the implementation of the Data Sharing Principles to be presented to the next GEO Ministerial Summit in 2010. At the Geneva meeting, the Task Force developed proposed terms of reference and specific plans for activities to reach this goal. The Task Force, which consists of some 30 representatives of GEO national members and participating organizations, will be co-chaired by China, the European Commission, India, Japan, the U.S., and the International Council for Science (ICSU). As lead of the original data sharing task team, Chen will continue as a member of the Task Force and will support ICSU’s role as co-chair in his capacity as secretary-general of the ICSU Committee on Data for Science and Technology (CODATA).
See: GEOSS Data Sharing Principles |
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| Summer Institute 2009 Training for Health-Care Decision Makers June 1-12 | ||
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May 28, 2009 The second annual Summer Institute, a hands-on training course for healthcare professionals in developing countries, will run June 1 to June 12. Organized by the International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI) and co-sponsored by CIESIN and the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, the Summer Institute 2009 will take place at Columbia’s Lamont Campus in Palisades, New York. The group of 12 students will learn how to integrate climate data with population data to improve decision-making in both the planning and prevention spheres of health care. Institute instructors include Mark Becker, CIESIN associate director of geospatial applications, who will teach the fundamentals of using geographic information systems (GIS) to conduct spatial analysis, as a powerful tool to better understand public health issues and design improved health policies.
See: Summer Institute 2009 Home Page |
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| Long-Term Data Archiving Considerations Examined at Open Repositories 2009 | ||
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May 26, 2009 Considerations for creating and maintaining a long-term digital archive data collection were discussed in a paper presented by CIESIN senior digital archivist Robert R. Downs and co-authored with director Robert S. Chen at a plenary session of the Open Repositories 2009 meeting in Atlanta, Georgia on May 18–21. The paper, “Conducting a Self-Assessment of a Long-Term Archive for Interdisciplinary Scientific Data as a Trustworthy Digital Repository,” provides recommendations for organizations considering an “internal audit” of a data repository: 1) an organizational strategy for a collaborative approach to managing archival collections over time, 2) a model for supporting submission of scientific data to the repository, and 3) a plan for facilitating transfer of data among collaborating repositories within an organization. In addition, Downs served as a moderator for another plenary session during the meeting. |
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| Symposium Gathers Scholars from Japan, U.S. to Discuss Post-Conflict Issues | ||
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May 15, 2009 More than 40 scholars and practitioners from Japan and the United States, two of the most significant sources of bilateral post-conflict reconstruction funding, came together for a two-day symposium on post-conflict issues held May 12–13 at the Morningside Campus of Columbia University. The First Symposium on Strengthening Post-Conflict Security and Diplomacy: Lessons Learned in Integrating Natural Resources, Infrastructure, and Peacebuilding was co-sponsored by CIESIN and the Earth Institute at Columbia University, the Environmental Law Institute (ELI), and the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership. Each symposium participant gave presentations on the role of natural resource management and infrastructure redevelopment in improving security, diplomacy, and peacebuilding as countries and communities emerge from conflict. CIESIN deputy director Marc Levy presented the key overview of the role and influences of natural resource management in reducing the risk of conflict re-occurrence. Levy and program coordinator Alex Fischer presented initial findings from their ongoing environmental restoration research in Haiti, and discussed specific observations regarding the design of post-crisis aid in politically unstable contexts. The findings from this symposium will serve as an initial draft for a forthcoming edited volume being compiled by ELI. |
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| Afghanistan Security Issues the Focus of Arlington Conference | ||
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May 14, 2009 CIESIN deputy director Marc Levy gave a plenary talk, “Climate, Water and Food as Security Issues in Afghanistan,” on May 13 at a conference in Arlington, Virginia, organized by the U.S. Department of Defense and National Defense University. The conference, Building Health Security in Contemporary Afghanistan, brought together more than 200 senior policy makers to explore the role of health in establishing and sustaining security in the country. The participants included Cabinet ministers and other senior officials from Afghanistan, as well as counterparts from the U.S. and its allies. |
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| Role for Remote Sensing Images in Slum Mapping Explored | ||
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May 13, 2009 A presentation on the use of remote sensing imagery for urban slum mapping was offered recently by CIESIN visiting scholar Reinaldo Perez Machado, professor of cartography, geographic information systems, and remote sensing at the University of São Paulo (USP). Machado visited CIESIN from mid-March to mid-May, and his research focused on using moderate-resolution remote sensing images in order to obtain improved delineations of the vast network of slums in and around São Paulo, the largest city in Brazil. If successful, his work will contribute to ongoing slum mapping efforts led by UN-HABITAT, ITC, and CIESIN. Perez Machado’s presentation was followed by a presentation by his wife, Violêta Saldanha Kubrusly, a planner for the municipality of São Paulo, on a major project to upgrade and improve São Paulo slum settlements through improvements to risk areas and creation of public spaces. |
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| New Web Site Addresses Concerns over Water Resources in Rockland County | ||
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May 8, 2009 A new Web site with up-to-date scientific information on water sources in Rockland County, New York, has been released under the auspices of the NIH National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Superfund Basic Research Program (SBRP). The Web site, Water Resources in Rockland County: Planning in a Changing World, is a product of CIESIN’s participation in the Columbia SBRP Research Translation Core (RTC). It was developed by Lamont Doherty adjunct associate research scientist Stuart Braman, with assistance from CIESIN programmer Annie Gerard, and from CIESIN geospatial specialist Kytt MacManus, who generated the maps of the data. The Web site addresses issues relating to Rockland County’s water supply and quality, including drought, development, contaminants, climate change, and desalinization. The information and resources on the Web site are provided by a team of RTC scientists at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and federal, state, county, and community partners. Direct links to public and private water resource information are provided. Rockland County is located on the west side of the Hudson River along the border between New York and New Jersey.
See: Water Resources in Rockland County Web site |
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| CIESIN to Assess Use of Satellite Data in Environmental and Health Applications | ||
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May 7, 2009 The NASA Science Mission Directorate recently announced 24 grants to develop new, innovative approaches to improving decision making utilizing NASA Earth Science research results. CIESIN deputy director Marc Levy will lead a study on how NASA data products can improve scientifically rigorous national- and global-level environmental indicators that help to guide decision making about environmental protection. The project involves collaborators from Battelle Memorial Insitute, NASA Marshall Space Flight Institute, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the World Bank, the US Environmental Protection Agency, and the Free University of Brussels. A second study led by Sylwia Trzaska of the International Research Institute for Climate and Society aims to determine if the use of NASA and NOAA products could improve prediction of outbreaks of meningococcal meningitis in the Sahel region of Africa. CIESIN associate research scientist Susana Adamo will participate in examining the environmental and demographic risk factors that may serve as predictors of epidemic outbreaks at national and district levels.
See: Earth Science Applications Feasibility Studies 2008 Selections |
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| CIESIN Participates in IHDP Open Meeting 2009 | ||
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May 1, 2009 CIESIN staff presented papers at a session of the International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP) Open Meeting 2009, “The Social Challenges of Global Change,” held in Bonn April 26-30. The paper session was organized by Alex de Sherbinin, CIESIN senior research associate and co-coordinator of PERN (Population-Environment Research Network), with PERN Steering committee chair, Alisson Barbieri. Several papers explored a possible relationship between population displacement and migration, among them CIESIN associate research scientist Susana Adamo’s paper, “Environmentally Induced Population Displacements,” and de Sherbinin’s paper co-authored with Marcia Castro and Shalini Vajjhala, “Population Displacements Associated with Environmentally Significant Infrastructure Projects.”
See: IHDP Open Meeting 2009 Web site |
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| Geospatial Training to Support MDGs Offered in Bonn | ||
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April 25, 2009
In conjunction with the International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP) Open Meeting 2009, CIESIN held a five-day training in geospatial data analysis techniques. The training, supported by the IUSSP, was customized to help staff from census bureaus, health ministries, and/or non-governmental organizations in developing countries learn to use geospatial analysis to support efforts to meet the MDGs (Millennium Development Goals) and promote sustainable development. Participants from around the world were Abhishek Singh (India), Jessamyn O. Encarncion (Phillipines), Betty Abang (Uganda), Ruamporn Sirirattrakul (Thailand), Pioni Willie (Vanuatu), Samuel Kelodjoue (Cameroon), Vincent O. A. Orekan (Benin), and Alejandra Silva (Chile). The training was led by CIESIN geospatial applications associate director Mark Becker, associate research scientist Susana Adamo, and research associate Valentina Mara, and consisted of an overview of techniques in spatial analysis, use of spatial statistics, and integrating national survey data with CIESIN’s population and hazards data sets. Digital recording of the training and course materials will be made available on the Web site of PERN (Population-Environment Research Network), hosted by CIESIN. |
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| Local Educators Introduced to In-Class Use of GIS | ||
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April 20, 2009 An introduction to geographic information systems (GIS) for high school teachers took place at the CIESIN GIS laboratory on Saturday April 18. The workshop was the morning session of Strategies for Applying GIS in the Classroom, an all-day event held under the auspices of Saturday Workshops for Educators, which is sponsored by the E2C (Earth to Class) program of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University. The E2C series brings together Lamont and Earth Institute researchers with local K-12 teachers and specialists in curriculum and technology integration from Teachers College Columbia University and Colégio Bandeirantes, São Paulo, Brazil. CIESIN geographic information specialist Kytt MacManus led the session of about 25 high school earth science teachers in a basic explanation of GIS and the methodology behind the map production of selected CIESIN projects. He also facilitated a group exercise in data visualization using the mapping client NASA WorldWind, and helped workshop participants create individualized maps using a version of GIS software customized for educators. The workshop presentation will be archived and available free of charge on the E2C Web site.
See: E2C (Earth to Class) Web site |
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| Mapping Tool to Enable New Views of Hudson River Watershed | ||
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April 17, 2009
A new Web-based data portal and mapping tool provides powerful new possibilities for exploring the physical and cultural geography of the Hudson River Watershed. Now released for public beta testing, the Hudson River Watershed Mapper stems from a partnership between the Northeast Information Node of the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII-NIN) and The Beacon Institute. The portal allows users to explore a variety of environmental monitoring data and create customized maps. It will also serve as a central archive of Hudson River Watershed data collections, and is designed to support collaboration among researchers. The Beacon Institute’s recent environmental monitoring collaboration with IBM, REON (the River and Estuary Observation Network), will be featured through the portal in the near future. REON is a network of real-time sensors and technology that report data on fish migration, the movement of pollutants, and physical alterations to the River, including the effect of global warming on water levels and habitat in tidal estuaries. Currently, the portal provides interactive links to real-time data collected by US Geological Survey stream gages operated as part of the National Water Information System (NWIS). The NBII is an electronic information network that provides access to biological data and information on our nation’s plants, animals, and ecosystems. The NIN, developed and hosted by CIESIN, focuses on eight states of the Northeast. The Beacon Institute is a non-profit global center for scientific and technological innovation to advance research, education, and public policy regarding rivers and estuaries.
See: The Beacon Institute Web site |
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| Interns from Paris Welcomed to CIESIN | ||
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April 9, 2009 Three students from École Polytechnique in Paris are interning at CIESIN for the next three months, beginning April 8. Guillaume Karakouzian is a third-year student in statistics and economics (sustainable development) who will be working with associate research scientist Susana Adamo and assistant professor Andrew Moran from the Columbia Medical Center on a research project to model the spread of cardiovascular disease in China. Helene Cheval, a third-year student in ecology, will contribute to an Earth Institute project on ecological restoration issues in Haiti led by CIESIN deputy director Marc Levy. Maria-Ioanna Kairi has a degree in chemical engineering from the National Technical University of Athens and is finishing her first year in a Master's program in the Economy of Sustainable Development, Energy, and Environment at École Polytechnique. She will conduct a research project on socioeconomic scenarios for climate impact assessment in collaboration with Marc Levy. The internships have been arranged under the auspices of the Alliance program, a unique joint venture between Columbia University, École Polytechnique, Sciences Po, and the Université de Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne. CIESIN hosted two Alliance program interns in spring 2008 (see story).
See: Alliance Program Web site |
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| CIESIN Participates in Data Manager Training for Kenya Millennium Villages Project | ||
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April 4, 2009
CIESIN research associates Maria Muñiz and Sonya Ahamed were among the facilitators of a data managers meeting for the Millennium Villages Project held in Kisumu, Kenya from March 23–29. The meeting provided training in the Project’s monitoring and evaluation platform; management systems for data being collected in the current round of surveys; and software for data entry, metadata management, and geographic information system analysis. The meeting was organized by the Millennium Villages Project. It included staff from the Earth Institute at Columbia University and data managers for the 14 Millennium Villages sites located in 10 African countries (Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, and Uganda).
See: Millennium Villages Web site |
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| CIESIN Hosts Visitors from Japan, France, Switzerland, and the U.S. | ||
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March 27, 2009 CIESIN’s location outside New York City facilitates frequent interactions with visitors from both the U.S. and abroad. In the past week representatives from four different organizations throughout the world visited CIESIN. Today, Andrew Morton, Programme Development and Assessment Coordinator for the UNEP Post-Conflict and Disaster Management Branch (PCDMB), visited CIESIN to discuss a collaborative project aimed at restoring ecosystem services in Haiti for the purpose of elevating livelihoods and reducing disaster risk. Earlier in the week, on March 23, Marcia McNiff of the USGS National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) presented a lunchtime seminar to CIESIN staff. She provided an overview of recent developments in the NBII program, including the Northeast Information Node (NIN), of which CIESIN is the primary partner. The next day, March 24, a team of scientists from the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI), based at Sciences Po in Paris, met with CIESIN staff as part of a set of visits with Earth Institute centers and programs. The researchers, Raphaël Billé, Alexandre Magnan, and Benjamin Garnaud, are investigating adaptation to climate change, including potential interactions between adaptation and mitigation and the role of migration. On March 20, Hiroyuki Miyazaki of the University of Tokyo gave a presentation, “Developing a Global Urban Extent Map of High Resolution with Satellite Images and Various Geographic Sources.” CIESIN is working with Miyazaki's institute, the Center for Spatial Information Science (CSIS), and other groups on an international task of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) focused on global roads and human settlement mapping. |
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| 2009 AAG Participation, Presentations by CIESIN Staff | ||
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March 20, 2009 CIESIN is well represented at the 2009 Association of American Geographers (AAG) Annual Meeting held March 22–27 this year in Las Vegas, Nevada. The program includes a paper by Earth Institute post-doctoral fellow Sandra Baptista, “Local governance and institutional capacity for adapting to climate change in metropolitan Florianópolis, Santa Catarina State, Brazil,” co-authored with CIESIN associate research scientist Susana Adamo, research associate Maria Muñiz, and research associate Liana Razafindrazay. CIESIN’s booth in the exhibit hall features data and services available from SEDAC, NBII-NIN and other CIESIN projects as well as recent publications by CIESIN staff. User services manager Joe Schumacher is presenting live demos of the capabilities of the TerraViva! SEDAC Viewer, the interactive software application that enables integrated visualization and analysis of socioeconomic and remote sensing data. |
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| CIESIN Data Featured in Paris Exhibition on Environmental Change | ||
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March 18, 2009 A recent art exhibition in Paris made prominent use of data developed by CIESIN. The exhibition, Terre Natale: Ailleurs Commence Ici (Native Land: Stop Eject), by Raymond Depardon and Paul Virilio, was presented at Fondation/Cartier/ pour l’art contemporain from November 21, 2008 to March 15, 2009. As part of the exhibition, professor Laura Kurgan, director of the Spatial Information Design Lab at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, co-authored a collaborative design of video presentation that immersed viewers with images from a nearly-360 degree projection displayed throughout a circular room. The 30-minute video, which utilizes data from CIESIN’s Gridded Population of the World (GPW) data collection and Global Rural-Urban Mapping Project (GRUMP) available from the Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC), includes a moving globe that dynamically illustrates the economic, political, and environmental causes of global migration. “We translated the gridded population data from pixels into numbers and graphs and then animated it, overlaying many other kinds of data about migration such as displacement from floods, voluntary economic migration as seen through remittances, and refugee flows archived by UNHCR,” explained Kurgan. “The piece communicates to scientific, policy, and general audiences—and from children to NGOs—as a device for expressing complex ideas in simple ways.” The exhibition catalog, published by the museum, is available in both English and French. |
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| Students Travel to Haiti to Conduct Post-Disaster Environmental Assessment | ||
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March 13, 2009 A team of six Earth Institute (EI) students are traveling to Haiti to conduct a one-week field visit to the southern watersheds of Marigot and Jacamel. Their objective is to evaluate the socioeconomic impacts of severe environmental degradation, erosion of key agriculturally productive land in the river basin, population displacement due to erosion and land degradation, and potential adaptation options. The team is comprised of graduate students from the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) and the Department of Ecology, Evolutionary, and Environmental Biology (E3B). They are participating in a semester-long workshop project researching post-disaster environmental needs with a specific focus on issues facing the Caribbean island of Haiti. Haiti, the least developed country in the Americas, is a country highly vulnerable to socioeconomic disruption and severe natural disasters. A series of highly destructive floods, mainly caused by tropical storms in 2004 and exacerbated by soil erosion and deforestation, left more than 3,000 people dead. CIESIN deputy director Marc Levy is faculty advisor to the class, which is part of a project in collaboration with the United Nation Environment Programme’s Post-Conflict and Disaster Management Branch. Also accompanying the group to Haiti is CIESIN project coordinator Alex Fischer and EI associate research scientist from the Tropical Agriculture and Rural Environment Program, Genrose Nziguheba. CIESIN research associate Liana Razafindrazay has been working closely with students collecting geospatial data for analysis. By using remote sensing data and satellite images, students will be able to more accurately identify changes over time in specific watersheds, and provide more accurate measures of the damage and impacts to livelihoods. |
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| Draft Report on EPI for Abu Dhabi Reviewed | ||
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March 9, 2009 A CIESIN team comprised of project coordinator Alex Fischer, geographic information specialist Malanding Jaiteh, deputy director Marc Levy, and research associate Valentina Mara traveled to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, for a March 2–3 workshop to review a draft report on Environmental Performance Indicators. The report, prepared by CIESIN in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative (AGEDI), explains how the methodology of the global Environmental Performance Index (EPI) can be adapted to the specific environmental characteristics and priorities of Abu Dhabi. At the workshop, CIESIN staff presented the draft architecture for an Abu Dhabi Environmental Performance Index and reviewed indicators which had been calculated. The report is now undergoing final peer review and will be completed in the coming months. |
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| CIESIN Looks Back and Ahead: A Message from the Director | ||
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March 6, 2009
CIESIN was established in 1989 on the premise that Earth science data and information—brought together using advanced information technology and networks—was central to sound environmental management at local, regional, and global scales. Looking back over the past two decades, this vision could not have been more prescient! When I joined CIESIN in 1993 at its original headquarters in Michigan, I was impressed by its ambitious agenda to develop and integrate natural and social science data resources and apply new information technologies in support of interdisciplinary research and applications. The Internet was just getting off the ground. CIESIN staff were experimenting with then-new tools like Gopher, Mosaic (the first widely-used Web browser, developed by the National Center for Supercomputing Applications), and online databases. One of my first projects was to work with the eminent geographer, Professor Waldo Tobler. He had a unique idea to develop a new view of the distribution of population around the globe—a view not limited by national-level boundaries and data. To implement this idea, it was necessary to gather population and spatial data from sources all over the world and carefully assemble and then transform these data using the emerging technology of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The result was the first version of “Gridded Population of the World” (GPW), a data set that has helped transform our perception and understanding of human settlement of our planet. Full Story |
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| ‘Secondhand Planet’ Discussed in Guest Lecture | ||
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March 4, 2009
Looked at from space, it easy to grasp what a tiny percentage of the Earth’s surface remains unspoiled. There is little question that human activities are damaging the systems which we depend on to support life. The challenge of keeping the planet habitable for ourselves and future generations is an issue that occupies many of us and affects everyone, researchers and lay persons alike. Will human society be successful in responding to this challenge to patch our tattered environment and find innovative and resourceful means to sustainably manage our secondhand home? Using this theme of “Secondhand Planet” as a title and a springboard for his presentation, CIESIN director Robert S. Chen on March 4 gave the Goldring Distinguished Visiting Lecture for the Program in the Environment of the University of Michigan. Chen’s talk reviewed the broad range of environmental changes occurring on the Earth visible from space in recent decades, and suggested ways to improve sustainable management of Earth, our “secondhand” home. The public lecture was co-sponsored and hosted by the University of Michigan’s Exhibit Museum of Natural History in Ann Arbor, Michigan. |
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| Bangkok Workshop Examines Asian Cities at Risk | ||
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February 27, 2009 CIESIN deputy director Marc Levy participated in and gave a plenary address for a workshop, Cities at Risk:Developing Adaptive Capacity for Climate Change in Asia’s Coastal Megacities, held on February 26–28 in Bangkok. Levy’s talk, “Current and Projected Populations at Risk: Dynamics of Asian Urban Population Growth in Low Elevation Coastal Zones,” summarized CIESIN’s work quantifying exposure to potential sea level rise, with particular attention to the especially high exposure in Asian cities. It also drew attention to the need to improve how spatial demographic data is collected. The workshop was organized by International START Secretariat, East West Center, and Ibaraki University/IR3S. The invited group of scientists, urban planners, officials, and representatives of disaster management and development agencies met to review the implications of climate change and sea level rise for rapidly growing coastal populations and infrastructure. They focused on the following cities along Asia’s coast: Dhaka; Shanghai and Hong Kong /Shenzhen/Guangzhou; Mumbai and Calcutta; Jakarta; Karachi; Manila; Bangkok; and Ho Chi Minh City. The group will identify next steps and priorities for subsequent research and capacity building.
See: Cities at Work Workshop Info |
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| New Global Digital Soil Map to Address Critical Gap in Knowledge for Improved Crop Production | ||
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February 17, 2009 A major initiative for developing and disseminating accurate digital information about soils in countries throughout the world was announced today. CIESIN’s role in this initiative will be to work with international partners to integrate and deliver soils data for the global database using state-of-the-art information and data management technologies. The global digital soil map, GlobalSoilMap.net, aims to provide farmers, policy makers, and scientists with critical information on how to address declining soil fertility and improve soil management for better crop productivity. By expanding a spatial database of soil properties, GlobalSoilMap.net will leverage work begun recently by the Africa Soil Information Service (AfSIS) on the first-ever, detailed digital map of soil in 42 countries of sub-Saharan Africa. GlobalSoilMap.net is being funded in part by the $18 million grant to create AfSIS, which was awarded to International Centre for Tropical Agriculture-Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility Institute (CIAT-TSBF) by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). An international consortium led by ISRIC-World Soil Information, based in the Netherlands, and including the Earth Institute of Columbia University will raise further funds and enhance the methodology for the map. Unlike the existing global soil map, based on outdated data and difficult for non-soil scientists to interpret , GlobalSoilMap.net will leverage contemporary technological advances to more accurately collect soil data, predict soil conditions, and provide usable information for applied users. It will be made freely available online and through cost-effective media, and will utilize innovative new sources of soil information.
See: Africa Soil Information Service Web site |
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| Use of SEDAC Data for Environmental Assessments Featured in New NASA Research Anthology | ||
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February 16, 2009 As countries begin to see the benefit of treating natural resources like investments, the vital role of data in informing environment policy making is becoming more apparent. But gathering rigorous data that lets countries compare environmental resources is not easy, and many countries lack the resources to do so. An article selected for Sensing Our Planet: NASA Earth Science Research Features 2008 looks at the how data produced by the Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center operated by NASA (SEDAC) for the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) and other environmental assessments is helping address this issue. The volume highlights multidisciplinary research that uses Earth-observing data from NASA Earth science data centers, including research on wind power, air pollution, earthquakes, and more. The article, “Scorecard for the Environment,” discusses the pilot EPI produced by SEDAC and the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy (YCELP), that ranked countries according to how well they are taking care of the environment. The 2008 EPI ranks countries based on two objectives, environmental health, and ecosystem vitality; the objectives are broken down into 25 indicators, tracked over time. Also featured in the article: the use of SEDAC data in formulating the Natural Resource Management Index (NRMI), used by the Millennium Challenge Corporpration (MCC). The MCC uses the NRMI as part of a suite of performance indicators to help determine country eligibility for its foreign aid programs.
See: “Scorecard on the Environment” online article |
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| Interactive Map Allows Viewing of Members, Geographical Relationships | ||
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February 16, 2009 CIESIN has created an interactive map that facilitates viewing of members of the Environmental Consortium of Hudson Valley Colleges and Universities. The map, created by CIESIN geographic information specialist Tricia Chai-Onn, utilizes Google Earth to display member information and other geographically related resources. The Interactive Membership Map is publicly accessible via the Consortium’s Members Page. There are currently 50 institutional members in the Consortium, 300 individual members, and nine affiliate members. The Environmental Consortium of Hudson Valley Colleges and Universities is an intercollegiate collaboration established to more fully engage its members in the regional environment, emphasizing interdisciplinary study.
See: Interactive Membership Map |
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| Workshop Examines Communications and Collaboration Strategies to Enhance Research Translation | ||
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February 14, 2009 CIESIN staff hosted a Research Translation Workshop, “Translating SBRP Triumphs into Public Health Progress: Understanding and Implementing Effective Research Translation,” for the NIEHS Superfund Basic Research Program (SBRP) on February 11-13 at the Lamont Campus of Columbia University (CU) in Palisades, New York. Fifty participants from SBRP university grantees, NIEHS, EPA, and the CDC Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) attended the workshop. Several noted speakers gave presentations on environmental health issues. The workshop provided the time and venue for Research Translation Core scientists and staff to share with each other their expertise, experiences, challenges, and vision through facilitated discussions. The workshop was an integral part of a broader effort to expand capacity and strengthen the effectiveness of the SBRP RTCs in translating basic scientific research to key policymakers, researchers, commercial enterprises, and public groups in a timely and accurate manner to enhance public health. |
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| Climate Vulnerability Issues Raised in DC Briefing | ||
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February 12, 2009 A Capitol Hill briefing addressing potential population displacement from climate change impacts was led by CIESIN associate research scientist Susana Adamo and senior research associate Alex de Sherbinin on February 11. The briefing featured past research on environmental migration and the kind of future climate impacts that could result in various forms of population mobility. A morning session addressed members of congress and key staff and an afternoon session was open to staff and the public. The briefings were organized by CARE and the Population Resource Center.
See: “Disaster & Displacement: The Human Face of Climate Change” |
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| Progress Toward Environmental Performance Index for China Reviewed at Beijing Meeting | ||
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February 8, 2009
CIESIN deputy director Marc Levy, senior research associate Alex de Sherbinin, and information scientist Xiaoshi Xing participated in an experts meeting in Beijing February 5, the purpose of which was to review data and indicators for the China Environmental Performance Index (EPI). The meeting was co-organized with the Chinese Academy for Environmental Planning (CAEP) and the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy (YCELP). CIESIN and YCELP were responsible for leading development of the 2008 EPI, a global environmental performance assessment which ranked 149 countries on 25 indicators tracked across six established policy categories. The China EPI is expected to be released in September 2009. |
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| Database on Impacts Associated with Observed Changes in Climate Now Available | ||
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February 6, 2009
The fourth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released in 2008 concluded that it is likely that anthropogenic warming has had a discernible influence on many physical and biological systems. The database underlying this conclusion has now been made available through the IPCC Data Distribution Center (DDC), which is collaboratively operated by the British Atmospheric Data Centre in the United Kingdom, the Deutsches Klimarechenzentrum (DKRZ) in Germany, and CIESIN. The Observed Climate Change Impacts Database was developed by an international team of scientists led by Dr. Cynthia Rosenzweig of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) and the Earth Institute at Columbia University. The database collates information from a wide range of scientific studies that document significant environmental changes such as diminishing glaciers, melting permafrost, earlier snowmelt, lake and river warming, and coastal erosion as well as changes in biological systems such as earlier leaf unfolding and blooming dates and alterations in species interactions. Studies included in the database were based on observational data for at least 20 years between 1970 and 2004, and in some cases drew on more than 35 years of data. In a paper published in Nature in 2008, Dr. Rosenzweig and her colleagues demonstrated that the patterns of observed changes documented in the database and observed regional changes in temperature cannot be explained by natural variations alone. They therefore concluded that anthropogenic climate change is already having significant impacts on physical and biological systems globally and in some continents. The DDC was established in 1997 to support the data needs of the IPCC assessments. CIESIN began supporting the DDC in 2003 as part of its NASA-funded Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC), focusing on socioeconomic data and scenarios needed for the integrated assessment of climate change impacts.
See: IPCC Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) Observed Climate Change Impacts Database |
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| Cooperation on Environmental Treaty Data Formalized | ||
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February 5, 2009
CIESIN and the Environmental Law Centre of IUCN (The International Union for Conservation of Nature) have signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that formalizes a long-standing collaboration between the Environmental Treaty and Resource Indicator (ENTRI) service of the NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC) and the ECOLEX service developed by IUCN, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the U.N. (FAO), and the U.N. Environment Program (UNEP). Under the MOA, IUCN will provide access to its regularly updated treaty status database, and CIESIN will provide ECOLEX with advanced data query functions and ENTRI’s Conference of Party decision search tool (ENTRI COP). The MOA also lays the groundwork for further cooperation in developing new services for the international legal and research communities concerned with environmental treaties.
See: Environmental Treaties and Resource Indicators Web site |
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| New Digital Soil Map Will Offer Insights Critical to Boosting Africa Food Production | ||
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January 29, 2009 A new initiative to produce the first ever detailed digital map of soil in 42 countries of the Sub-Saharan region of Africa will be funded by a four-year award of US$18 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). Led by African soil scientists and CIAT’s Nairobi-based Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility (TSBF) Institute, the Africa Soil Information Service (AfSIS) project will draw on an international partnership that includes the Earth Institute and CIESIN, the World Soil Information (ISRIC) at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, and the World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF) in Nairobi. The new digital soil map will ultimately be developed as part of a global soil mapping initiative, called GlobalSoilMap.net. Information on the condition of soils is considered critical to boosting yields of historically underperforming small farms in this region of Africa. The new project will combine the latest soil science and technology with remote satellite imagery and on-the-ground efforts to analyze thousands of soil samples. The aim is to inform decision making related to the supplementation needed to improve agricultural production, and to target the most appropriate crop varieties for a particular area. CIESIN will work with African partners to build the data systems required to collect, analyze, and disseminate this information to a wide range of end users.
See: Africa Soil Information Service Web site |
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| Geospatial Analysis Techniques Introduced to Bangladesh Academic and Professional Community | ||
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January 18, 2009
CIESIN was invited to present a spatial analysis training workshop at Dhaka University, Department of Geology in Dhaka, Bangladesh. More than 40 participants attended the workshop, held January 12–15, including professors and graduate students from the University and members of the Bangladesh Water Development Board and UNICEF. The course was developed and presented by CIESIN’s associate director of Geospatial Applications, Mark Becker. The training focused on basic spatial analysis techniques and mapping with geographic information systems (GIS) using data from Columbia University’s NIEHS Superfund Basic Research Program, which studies the health effects and geochemistry of arsenic and manganese. This workshop was funded by the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, through a grant from the John E. Fogarty International Center for Advanced Study in the Health Sciences. |
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| CIESIN to Expand Collaboration with Scientists and Students from France | ||
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January 15, 2009 An award by the Alliance Program to CIESIN director Robert Chen and Prof. Eric Strobl of École Polytechnique in Paris will enable a new transatlantic seminar series beginning in spring 2009 assessing multiple risks in the context of sustainable development. The seminar series will encompass public lectures, informal seminars, and student interactions in both New York and Paris, involving scientists from the Earth Institute at Columbia University and faculty from École Polytechnique, Sciences Po, and Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne. Seminar topics will include global-scale, multi-hazard risk assessment, emerging risks such as genetically modified organisms and emerging infectious diseases, and the economics of natural disasters and climate change. CIESIN will also host three third-year students from École Polytechnique for three months in the spring of 2009. These interns will work with CIESIN staff on research projects dealing with the spread of cardiovascular disease in China, ecological restoration in Haiti, and socioeconomic scenarios for climate impact assessments. CIESIN successfully hosted two interns from École Polytechnique in spring 2008. Prof. Strobl, an associate professor in economics, will serve as the faculty coordinator at École Polytechnique, working with Prof. Olivier Godard, professor and research director at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. CIESIN deputy director Marc Levy will also lecture on environment-security interactions and other topics in the seminar series. Other faculty from the Earth Institute and the three French universities will be invited to participate. The series will build on sustainable development discussions begun in 2003 between CIESIN and École Polytechnique in an Alliance Program-sponsored panel chaired by Prof. Godard.
See: Alliance Program Web site |
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| Conflict-Related Hazards Study Results Presented at Bangkok Risk Assessment Seminar | ||
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January 14, 2009 CIESIN director Robert Chen participated in a Seminar on Risk Assessment and Mitigation Measures for Natural- and Conflict-Related Hazards in Asia organized by the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) on January 12-13 in Bangkok. The seminar, opened by Norway’s ambassador to the Kingdom of Thailand, Merete Fjeld Brattested, presented the results of an 18-month study led by NGI for the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific of the United Nations (UN) Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Chen chaired a session on two unique elements of the study: an analysis of civil conflict in Asia by the International Peace Research Institute, Oslo (PRIO) and an assessment of disaster coping capacity in the region by Stene & Lahidji. Chen also discussed the context for the study and potential follow-on activities, and chaired a breakout group involving disaster risk managers from the UN and other humanitarian organizations in the Asia-Pacific region. The results of a new drought risk analysis developed with assistance from CIESIN were presented by Brad Lyon of the International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI). CIESIN and the Center for Hazards and Risk Research (CHRR) also contributed substantially to the assessment of tsunami and earthquake risks in the region.
See: International Centre for Geohazards (NGI) Web site |
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| CIESIN to Provide Geospatial Analysis Training in Bonn | ||
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January 8, 2009 With support from the IUSSP (International Union for the Scientific Study of Population), CIESIN will hold a five-day training workshop in geospatial data analysis techniques in Bonn, Germany in April 2009. The workshop, which is meant for staff from census bureaus, health ministries, and/or non-governmental organizations in developing countries, will focus on using geospatial analysis to help guide efforts to meet the MDGs (Millennium Development Goals) and promote sustainable development. The workshop will be held in conjunction with the next International Human Dimensions Programme Open Meeting. Digital recording of the training and course materials will be made available on the Web site of PERN (Population-Environment Research Network), hosted by CIESIN. The training is being developed in response to an identified need for processing spatial data and making such data available at the level of neighborhood and locality in order to improve planning and resource management. The training will also address the growing need by local and national researchers to analyze and integrate census and survey data with environmental, health, and sanitation data in support of sustainable development planning.
See: IUSSP Web site |
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| Climate Change Adaptation, Species Distribution Discussed on Earth and Sky Radio Series | ||
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January 7, 2009 Climate change adaptation and species grids data were the subjects of recent interviews with CIESIN staff for the Earth and Sky Radio series podcasts. For a January 6 podcast, senior research associate Alex de Sherbinin spoke about Climate Change to Prompt Migration. Last month, he discussed Adapting to Climate Change. GIS specialist Malanding Jaiteh was also featured in two podcasts in December focused on species grid data, recently released by the NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC) operated by CIESIN: On Where Species Live and Scientists Develop Species Distribution Grids.The species grids data document the spatial distribution of birds and mammals of the Americas and amphibians of the world. Part of the EarthSky network, the Earth and Sky podcasts are distributed to more than 1,900 international broadcast outlets, reaching an audience of 14 million people.
See: Earth and Sky Radio Series Web site |
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