isciences at the hands-on museum local tech event

Giving you the power to know your world!

What does ISciences do?

We study the Earth and its people.

We help people understand the Earth.

We help people understand how their actions change the Earth.

Image Top: Political Boundaries (ISciences)Image Middle: Blue Marble (NASA)Image Bottom: Human Footprint (SEDAC)

How does ISciences do it?

We use maps to tell stories.

We find data about Earth and its people.

We turn data into maps.

The story of Earth and its people is a story about change.

Global temperatures on the rise.

Making maps that tell stories.

What country will grow fastest in 2010?

High population growth

Low population growthShrinking populations

Projected population growth in Somalia is greatest (3.74%), and many other African

nations are also growing at a fast rate.

SourcePopulation Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, 2003. World Population Prospects: The 2002 Revision. Dataset on CD-ROM. New York: United Nations.

Where have people changed the

environment the most?

Map: Human Influence Index 2006 (SEDAC)

cities

roads

Large human influence

Little/No human influence

Which of these countries have the least Internet

access?Most access

Least access

Azerbaijan and Syria

SourceInternational Telecommunications Union (ITU), 2003. World Telecommunication Development Report. Digital Access Index.

Studying our living Earth through science and technology.

What is remote sensing?Sensors on satellites collect

data (which is like taking pictures) of the earth.

Scientists receive the data.

Then turn the data into images……and maps.

Helping people understand how their actions impact the future.

What can happen if we use too much water?

Credit: University of Maryland Global Land Cover Facility and NASA Goddard Level 1 and Atmospheric Archive and Distribution System.

The Aral Sea has shrunk dramatically as the rivers that feed it have been diverted and tapped for farms.

How have humans changed the oceans?

Map: Human Impact on Marine Ecosystems (NCEAS, 2008)

This map shows human impact on marine ecosystems. Red means that humans have had a very high impact on these ocean areas.

Can you see forests disappear?

Source: Images from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite.

The state of Rondônia in western Brazil is one of the most deforested parts of the Amazon. The change in green tree cover is easy to see by comparing these 2000 and 2009 true-color images.

July 30, 2000 August 21, 2009

How much original wilderness is left in

Michigan?

Map: Last of the Wild v2 (SEDAC)

Green areas are the only remaining wilderness.

Helping you understand the changing world.

How is the ozone layer changing?

Source: NASA’s Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer and the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute Ozone Monitoring Instrument.

In the 1980s, scientists realized the ozone layer of Earth’s atmosphere was thinning over the South Pole. Here, purple and dark blue areas show

where ozone is thinnest.

1980 2008

Which country has the most people: India or China?

China has the larger population. China’s population is 1,313,973,713. India’s

population is 1,095,351,995.

Based on current growth rates, India’s population will become greater than China’s in 2029.

Source CIA World Factbook Multiyear 2002-2006.

Highest population

Lowest population

Which of these countries have the most Internet

access?Most access

Least access

Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Netherlands, Norway, United Kingdom,

Switzerland, Austria, and Luxembourg

SourceInternational Telecommunications Union (ITU), 2003. World Telecommunication Development Report. Digital Access Index.

Sustainability Science & Earth Information Products

Where is ISciences?

ISciences is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan and has offices in Burlington, Vermont

and Washington, DC.