|
|
| GeoCommunity Mailing List |
| |
| Mailing List Archives |
| Subject: | RE: GISList: Ouch! What timing.... |
| Date: |
11/20/2002 12:23:59 PM |
| From: |
Vivek Mapari |
|
|
WISH YOU A VERY HAPPY GIS DAY.
On GIS Day a quick note:
Why is the Highest Mountain in the World called "EVEREST"?
The highest mountain in the world is named for a surveyor, Colonel Sir
George Everest. It is a fitting tribute to the man who, for more than
twenty-five years and despite numerous hardships, prevailed in surveying the
longest are-of-the-meridian ever accomplished at the time. The Great
Trigonometrical Survey India, begun at Cape Comorin in 1806 by William
Lambton, would then run almost 2,400 kilometers north to the Himalayas,
extending over 20 along the meridian. During this tremendous undertaking,
Everest was relentless in his pursuit of accuracy. To that end, he made
countless adaptations to the surveying equipment, methods, and mathematics
in order to minimize problems specific to the Great Survey: immense size
and scope, the terrain, weather conditions, and the desired accuracy.
Interested read more at: http://www.surveyhistory.org/sir_george_everest.htm
Regards,
Vivek
VIVEK MAPARI
Geospatial Solutions
Datamatics Technologies Ltd.
Suite 3, Merchantman House,
Eastern Perimeter Road,
TW6 2SR UK
Mobile: 07951954670
Tel.: 0208 823 9437
Fax: 0208 823 9401
-----Original Message-----
From: Anthony Quartararo [mailto:ajq3@spatialnetworks.com]
Sent: Wednesday, November 20, 2002 3:29 PM
To: gislist@geocomm.com
Subject: GISList: Ouch! What timing....
This came out this morning...
http://www.cnn.com/2002/EDUCATION/11/20/geography.quiz/index.html
Not very high marks for the country where the world's leading GIS
vendors are based, and to be released on "GIS Day", ouch. Strange that
the NGS would release this today, given their involvement with GIS Day,
but perhaps it is strategic in nature, attempting to draw attention to
the need for even more education in geography (while not necessarily
GIS). Granted, rattling off the names of all 50 states and their
respective capitals is not a very high standard for understanding
geographic issues, the article makes the point that given the current
global environment (and future likely trends), not knowing about basic
geographic fundamentals can truly be harmful. The only consolation is
that no country received and "A", but that's not really a consolation
now is it. Albeit, the survey's population of 300 people ranging in age
from 18-24 and from various countries is not exactly rock-solid social
science, but even anecdotally, this is a dismal showing. My guess is
that without the continued efforts of the major GIS vendors involved in
education in one form or another, these numbers would be even more
distressing. All the more reason to nix "social studies" and
reinstitute "geography" as required curriculum throughout K-12 and
undergraduate programs.
Regards,
Anthony
To unsubscribe, write to gislist-unsubscribe@geocomm.com
________________________________________________________________________
GeoCommunity GeoBids - less than $1 per day!
Get Access to the latest GIS & Geospatial Industry RFPs and bids
http://www.geobids.com
Setup a GeoCommunity Account and have access to
the GISDataDepot DRG & DOQQ Catalog
http://www.geocomm.com/login.php
To unsubscribe, write to gislist-unsubscribe@geocomm.com
________________________________________________________________________
GeoCommunity GeoBids - less than $1 per day!
Get Access to the latest GIS & Geospatial Industry RFPs and bids
http://www.geobids.com
Setup a GeoCommunity Account and have access to
the GISDataDepot DRG & DOQQ Catalog
http://www.geocomm.com/login.php
|
|
Sponsored by:
For information
regarding
advertising rates
Click Here!
|
