Grassroots Mapping of the Gulf Oil Spill

The following is a description of this Grassroots project located on Kickstarter:

We are a group of citizens and activist mappers who are documenting the effects of the BP oil spill in the Gulf Coast with a set of novel DIY tools -- we send inexpensive cameras up in helium balloons and kites, and take aerial photos from up to 1500 ft. The data we're gathering will be vital in both the environmental assessment and response, as well as in the years of litigation following the spill. All the imagery we capture is released into the public domain and is free to use or redistribute.

We need support to keep a supply of helium, and to pay for gas, kites, cameras, and protective gear for our volunteers. We've already captured a great deal of amazing imagery which is available online:

http://grassrootsmapping.org/
http://grassrootsmapping.org/gulf-oil-spill
Louisiana Bucket Brigade, our collaborators and the local HQ, are sending volunteers out to affected coastal sites almost daily, and conducting training sessions for new volunteers in New Orleans and elsewhere along the gulf coast. Our imagery is being published across the web - not just photographs, but stitched maps like these:

http://maps.grassrootsmapping.org/may-9-chandeleur-balloon/
http://maps.grassrootsmapping.org/chandeleur-may8-plane/

Our photography is of higher resolution and greater coverage than much of what the press has, and we're now coordinating a nationwide effort to stitch the imagery into map overlays, which are viewable in Google Earth and OpenLayers. Our images are up to 10,000x higher resolution that the daily satellite images posted by NASA!

Help us get out there and record some evidence!

Project location: New Orleans, LA

Offshore Oil Vs. Offshore Wind: Who Wins?

This disaster is an obvious example of why "drill baby drill" was comically/tragically ignorant though a catchy slogan for some. Most people still believe that oil drilled in the U.S. is "domestic oil" destined for our consumption - so wrong...oil-biased conservatives consistently benefit from making simplistic arguments that are simply and intentionally meant to mislead and confuse.



What I fail to understand is why progressive leaders in Washington fail to connect the dots between where we are now and who brought us here. While avoiding laying blame on the likes of Bush/Cheney and their cheerleaders like Fox, Rush, and such seem more mature and sensible, Progressives miss catalyzing public opinion to move the clean energy agenda forward. Point fingers and name names, lest those fingers begin pointing (as they are beginning) at Democrats and progressives.



We support Michigan wind energy - http://www.thirdcoastkites.com
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Mapping and surveying with kites and balloons

With the Gulf Coast threatened by the BP oil spill environmental disaster, there have been non-profits as well as concerned citizens who are applying their expertise in monitoring and mitigating this catastrophe.

We found a very cool site where the students launch high-altitude balloons as well as towed kites outfitted with cameras to get aerial imagery of the shifting slick in the Gulf, helping to monitor its position.

This is a great example of how kiting technologies can be utilized for research, education, and environmental applications.

Check it out at: http://unterbahn.com/

Extreme Ocean Kiting

So I found this site about Anne Quemere - she's planning a solo Pacific crossing by kite! Outrageous and amazing! She has created a modified sea vessel, similar to other human powered ocean crafts, but this craft is not powered by oars or pedals, but by kite.

I think she has created a class of water craft that you may see more and more of, particularly in the tropical vacations spots around the world.

You can check out her site here: http://www.anne-quemere.com/indexgb.php