Geography Blog
Accounts of Haiti’s earthquake
On January 12, 2010, a massive earthquake struck near Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. The death and destruction from the earthquake are beyond comprehension. My friend Joseph writes from Port-au-Prince, “We are still here. Our house is gone but we are here. There is no food or water. We’re in the street with our children, but we’re [...]
Dr. Anna Versluis offers Perspectives on Earthquake Disaster
In an interview published in USA Today, Dr. Anna Versluis of the Gustavus Geography Department discussed the complications of poor infrastructure in the recovery efforts . Read the full article at http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2010-01-13-Haiti-main_N.htm Please consider giving to the relief efforts. Dr. Versluis recommended a number of highly reputable organizations working in Haiti in her January 14 blog post.
Destruction following Haiti’s earthquake: before and after satellite images
I lived in Port-au-Prince for a number of years, and continue to do research in Haiti. Many of my friends are victims of the earthquake. Please consider giving to help Haiti’s recovery from the earthquake. Many organizations are sending assistance to Haiti. The two organizations I worked with in Haiti are accepting donations for the [...]
Correlation of Noodles and Chipotle Locations: A Coincidence? We Think Not.
Have you ever noticed that where there is a Noodles restaurant, there is almost always a Chipotle restaurant close by? Is this a coincidence, or a planned tactic for these two restaurant chains in Minnesota? Students Aubrey Austin and Amy Gosewisch were very intrigued by this question and wanted to explore it using GIS. The students [...]
What effect does Saint Peter’s urban growth have on the water cycle?
In natural systems, precipitation falling on land make take several paths. It may infiltrate the ground, perhaps eventually recharging groundwater aquifers. It may evaporate. It may enter the soil and be used by plants. And in cases of heavy rainfall or quick snowmelt, it may travel overland as runoff to the nearest lake, stream, river [...]
Visitor interest in Red Wing, MN
Red Wing is one of Minnesota’s premier tourist destinations. It is nestled in the bluffs along the Mississippi River and attracts nature enthusiasts who hike the bluffs and bike the trails, history buffs who appreciate the town’s commitment to historic preservation, and everyone in between. The Red Wing Visitor and Convention Bureau receives requests daily for [...]
Searching for treasure. . .
On a cold December day, the GIS class braved the snow and cold to go geocaching in Seven Mile Creek Park. The students used GPS devices to navigate to hidden “caches.” Navigate is a fancy way to say we bushwacked up and slipped down some very steep slopes. . .sometimes to find the cache right [...]
Gustie Geographer works for US Fish and Wildlife
Over the past summer, Gustavus Geography major Whitney Westley worked at the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Whitney was a GIS intern working to create spatial databases and maps on invasive plant species in Minnesota like purple loosestrife and common tansy. She also got to work on several other projects. “I got to do a [...]
Urban Geography Field Trip
Food and beverages played an important part in the GEG-336 class field trip. The trip focused on the differences between the Southwest, North, and Northeast sectors of Minneapolis. Plus, we walked through new condominium developments along the Downtown Riverfront. Lunch at Emily’s Lebanese Deli in Northeast Minneapolis kept the scholars going strong.
NMU Geographers Use GIS to Predict Archeological Sites
An interesting 11/29/20009 article from the StarTribune shares how Northern Michigan University geographers used satellite imagery and digital elevation models to identify landforms associated with ancient shorelines. That work revealed that 4,500 years ago the water levels were 30-40 feet higher than today. Then, they devloped a GIS model to predict Native American archeological sites [...]