Juicy Geography’s web log
From one of my favourite blogs, information aesthetics comes news of iCharts
The site, described as a kind of “You Tube for interactive charts” encourages the sharing and embedding of charts, together with user comments. The embed versions are too wide to fit onto this page but here’s a couple of screen shots:
There’s a lot of really useful data on the site already - a good resource for KS4 and A level teaching.
Apologies, but it isn’t currently possible to contact me through the blog. If you need to get in touch please use the email noel dot jenkins at gmail.com
The problems are connected with the almost daily hacking of the blog. I’m trying to get on top of it!
Update:
I’ve spent hours going through my database, deleting all the files from my server and replacing all the core theme and plugin files to remove the persistent spam injection problem. The first sign of an attack is usually that Feedburner drops all the statistics for all the readers that use Google to subscribe. Only by viewing the source code can you see that the hack involves injecting loads of spam links into the header. With no illegal users, curious images, dodgy lines in my plugins or core files and nothing amiss with the database that I can see I’m still confused. I’ve now removed all the plugins apart from Akismet, and with a fresh install of Wordpress, change of passwords and some other hardening methods I hope that the problem has been fixed.
Another update…
Normal service has been now been resumed.
Frank Taylor’s Google Earth blog once again scoops the official announcement from Google regarding the much anticipated release of Google Earth for the iPhone.
Google Earth on the iPhone
I’ve just been testing it, and OMG as my daughter frequently proclaims! The interface is incredibly intuitive. The search box also brought up my contacts list, so the first place I visited was my parents house…
Butterleigh
The iPhone’s GPS quickly found my location in Google Earth, one obvious advantage over the normal platform.
GPS auto-location
Panning and zooming is simple - a combination of finger taps and movements. Tilting the phone also tilts the view. 3D terrain works! The developers have also made use of the iPhone’s landscape orientation enabling a wider view. Here’s Snowdon in it’s new, high resolution imagery.
Snowdon in 3D
Finally, the Panoramio and Wikipedia layers are available, as are the borders and places layers from the parent application.
Panoramio
This is brilliant news. Walking out of my house and away from my wifi link slowed everything right down so I won’t be seeing myself in real time scrambling over Crib Coch. On the next upgrade I wonder if we’ll see the ability to add placemarks?
Update: Google Earth help notes / Ogle Earth’s rather more considered review!
The aim of this review is to compare four different GPS applications for the iPhone. I selected them on the basis of generally positive reviews in the App Store, potential as an educational tool, and value for money. Over the course of preparing this piece, I had the opportunity to reflect on the perfect neo-geography iPhone application, and the ideal handheld learning device…
The applications on test are..
Each application was tested on a short bike ride around my block. I live in a rural part of the South West and phone reception is patchy - though actually O2 is the only carrier that works properly in my area. There’s no wifi or 3G reception and part of my route takes me through a GPS blackspot consisting of a lane with high banks and overhung with trees. I recorded a track and then uploaded it to the relevant web site. If the application permitted, I took photographs and recorded waypoints.
The first application to be tested was My Moving Map website / iTunes
This is a simple application that transmits your position to a website from which others can view your location, simply by entering your email address. It was extremely simple to set up and use. In operation, one merely taps the screen to broadcast the location of the device, which can also be seen on a Google map. The My Moving Map website not only offers a real-time map showing your location, that can be embedded in a blog (not Wordpress I found) but also allows tracks to be downloaded as a csv file and KML for viewing in Google Earth. Here’s a map showing a recent walk during which My Moving Map constantly pinged my location.
Without the ability to create waypoints, the application is limited, but could be fun for certain classroom situations. You could envisage giving your phone to chosen students to go on various missions around the school while their progress is being tracked on the interactive white board. The application is is missing a software lock (necessary for all GPS applications on the iPhone) It didn’t seem to work well in my jacket pocket either. For what is does though this is a great application and well worth £1.19.
Next I tested RunKeeper. website / iTunes
RunKeeper is a free application and simply records a track that is uploaded to an excellent website where it can be viewed on a Google Map and speed evaluated against altitude. The RunKeeper site also logs your trips. The track data is very accurate, but there’s no export option which is a shame as it precludes the use of sites such as Magnalox and GPS Visualiser. A software lock works well.
RunKeeper is very highly recommended and I’ll be using it frequently. I’m not convinced that there’s much value to the geographical curriculum though for a collaboration with the PE department it would be excellent. Ollie Bray has also reviewed this application and seems to be impressed. It would be my first choice for monitoring runs and bike rides.
Next up was EveryTrail website / iTunes
This is a really useful application for geotagging photos. Just walk around and use the camera. At the end of the trip, upload the details to the EveryTrail website where it can be analyzed and viewed in a mumber of ways. The EveryTrail website is a popular resource among the geotagging community. See the details of my test here.
The GPS track was very accurate, the application has a software lock and is extremely easy and reliable to use. The trail can be exported to Google Earth or as a GPX file. A great little application and definitely worth the £1.79. There is a real niche for this kind of application for fieldwork. I’d love to be able to add notes and recordings as well. The only other limitation is the notoriously poor iPhone camera!
Finally I looked at iTrail website / iTunes
I really wanted to like iTrail, having chosen to review it ahead of the more expensive GPS Kit. Like RunKeeper, iTrail is a tracking application; it’s USP is that it also records waypoints. In practice I found it difficult to use. iTrail crashed on several occasions, and I was unable to complete a journey without experiencing a problem. I’ve had several attempts, but each have ended up in frustration. The programmer mentions on his site that iTrail is in constant development, which is encouraging news. There are two modes - Quick Trail - which you’d use if you just wished to monitor a walk or run (though RunKeeper would be a free alternative). In Trail Mode you can add waypoints (though not photos). I found the lock button worked sporadically, more often than not resulting in the selection of Quick Mode, after which it was confusing to regain Trail Mode. The application crashed several times when entering waypoint information. I’d like to see the lock button moved to a different part of the screen, and a button to toggle between the modes. When it worked, the GPS track was accurate, and the program does give you an indication of GPS strength. A strong point is the ability to export KML and GPX data formats direct to a computer (rather than a third party web site) I’m going to watch out for updates to iTrail, though at the minute I wouldn’t rely on it. I’d like to think that out of the four applications, this one has the most potential for further development.
Summary of features:
Conclusion: The best GPS applications on the iPhone are the simplest. There’s little point in pretending that the iPhone, in it’s current incarnation could possibly replace a specialized GPS device for serious navigation or field studies. Poor battery life and cost are just two of the constraints. (Hence this is a rather futile post, despite the hours spent in preparation!) However researching the post has helped me draw up a specification for the ideal neo-geography iPhone application which would…
Record a GPS track
Display a live view in Google Maps (similar to the free Maps app)
Have a screen lock and dimmer to preserve battery life
Create waypoints
Able to annotate waypoints with short written notes
Able to annotate waypoints with audio recordings
Add photos to waypoints
Geotag photos
Export in KML format and GPX format
Offer tools for analysis of performance, speed, altitude etc
I’m looking forward to seeing which developer gets there first!
Although I’m really conscious of the fact that I’m in the fortunate position of owning an iPhone (though it’s on PAYG) the era of widespread adoption of handheld devices as learning tools in schools is clearly arriving. I don’t think that the web-book type devices currently popular in some schools are quite mature enough yet for really immersive geographical fieldwork. However I’m sure that altruistic Apple developers are working away to create the ideal classroom computer, in the form of a slightly enlarged iPhone/tablet device featuring the same touchscreen interface, a better camera (and video recording) and a long life battery. The device would incorporate all the functions of the iPhone and also suport Flash, Google Docs, Google Earth and optimized versions of iWork and iLife. Not much to ask for…
I’ve reposted (with permission) a recent message to the blog from Jamie Woolley of Greenpeace.
I thought you might be interested in a new Google Earth letter I’ve just
launched, which is following Greenpeace’s ship the Esperanza, as she carries out environmental campaign work, (and created with the Spreadsheet Mapper).
Download it from here, most of the content it features originates on our blog http://forest4climate.wordpress.com
I’m on board and we’re currently sailing from New Guinea on our way to Jakarta.
The purpose of this trip and the campaign as a whole is to highlight the
importance of forests in efforts to tackle climate change and the threats posed
to Indonesia’s remaining forests from logging and palm oil plantations. We’re
documenting what we find along the way, both the magnificence of the forests
which are still standing in this fascinating part of the world and the rampant
deforestation happening right now. But it’s also about how we can protect these
forests, both for the amazing cultures and biodiversity they harbour but also as
a vital buffer against climate change.
Indonesia is the third largest greenhouse gas emitter in the world and that’s
largely down to deforestation, so what happens to the forests affects not just
local communities (whose traditional rights are being trampled on in the rush
to make money), but everyone on the planet. That’s why Greenpeace is investing
so much time and resources into this trip, and the international make-up of the
crew (including Indonesians, Russians, Argentinians, German and Papua New
Guineans) reflects the global concern around what’s happening here.
I’m posting from the ship and over the next few weeks we’ll be travelling the
length of Indonesia to see exactly what the state of play is. If you’d like any
more information or would like to use any images, please drop me a line (we’re
GMT +9).
We also have a blog running in Bahasa Indonesian
(http://www.forestforclimate.wordpress.com/) and we’re also on Twitter
(http://twitter.com/gp_esperanza).
cheers -
Jamie
PS The Google Maps version is here
On the basis that Wordle can be used to conduct all major decison-making tasks involving chunks of text, here’s the result of my analysis of the AQA GCSE Geography specs A and B.
AQA syllabus A Wordled
AQA Spec B
Hmm - which one to choose? On close inspection, A has more references to GIS and gives prominence to words like Global and Population. Spec B however highlights the words Urban and Investigate, while both give equal importance to Management and Sustainable. Difficult choice - I might display both images side by side on the interactive whiteboard in a darkened room, and let subliminal messages permeate my consciousness.
Wordling the old specs was much easier:
Old Spec A
Old Spec B
A simple choice between Landscapes and Questions…. I think that’s why QCA are more involved in the approval process nowdays!
Recent Comments