There is a dearth of ocean data from a range of continual monitoring tools and databases maintained by governments and conservation societies. Reconciling the data to form a clear and coherent picture of ocean health is a large challenge, especially when the goal is to make a useful resource for people to learn and become more conscientious of the changes the ocean is experiencing. Mapping Ocean Wealth is a project started by the National Conservancy in 2017 and makes an effort to display data for every area of the planet where data exists on ocean health and habitat. For the Nature Conservancy, the ocean holds such value from its ecological function, tourist appeal, and overall cultural value— so much so that the world’s “wealth” is tied inexorably to it. Users can click on different layers for carbon storage, wetlands, coral reef habitats, restoration sites, marine protected areas, and a number of other categories, specifying what they want to be displayed by region and investigate what data is relevant to a particular ocean or country. The customized view of the map really means that the map can be used by almost anybody with an internet connection and interest in the ocean, and any attempt to amalgamate the vast ocean of marine data is commendable. A possible critique lies in collecting data on indigenous land or traditional area without consent, though whether or not that was a consideration is less clear.
“Mapping Ocean Wealth.” Nature Conservancy. Accessed July 24, 2020. http://maps.oceanwealth.org/#
Categories
Data, Psychology
Air Pollution Robot
The dangers of air pollution to human health are well documented, though the traditional methodology of collecting and reporting on sample lags behind the need to keep abreast and regulate air pollution in a meaningful amount of time. The use of drones and robots have been identified by researchers as resources that can be tweaked […]
Artificial Life, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Ecological Monitoring, Industry/Natural Commodities, Lifestyle, Monitoring
Telematic Rivers
Erica Kermani’s artwork seeks to answer a central question: if rivers were seeing an equal, living entity, would humans take issues like climate change threatening them more seriously? In his year-long art exhibition in 2017, Kermani, in collaboration with Diana Salcedo & Jeana Chesnik, created a new forum of interaction between humans and rivers to […]
Climate Change, Ecological Monitoring, Lifestyle, Monitoring, Pollution, Visual Technologies
Co-occupied Boundaries
Art is easily found in nature but rarely is what considered art today inherently natural. The concept of co-occupied mediums that serve to be both functional for nature and aesthetically pleasing to people is being actively explored by Asya Ilgun and Phil Ayres, from the CITAstudio at The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. In […]
Climate Change, Ecological Monitoring, Lifestyle, Monitoring, Pollution, Visual Technologies