Weekly GEOINT Community News

Boston Public Schools Introduce New World Maps

Boston public schools introduced a new standard map of the world in its classrooms last week. According to The Guardian, the Mercator projection has been the standard for maps of the world for nearly 500 years, but the projection exaggerates the northern hemisphere, making North America and Europe bigger than South America and Africa. Now Boston schools are transitioning to use the Peters projection, which shrinks the U.S. and Europe down to their realistic size. According to the article, Boston is the first U.S. public school district to adopt the Peters projection.

Planet Launches Explorer Beta Online Tool

Planet introduced a new tool called Planet Explorer Beta that allows users to detect changes in Earth imagery captured by the company, reports TechCrunch. According to the article, as Planet repeatedly monitors the same locations over time, almost all undergo visible change. Explorer Beta is available to the public and doesn’t require users to create an account.

Esri Donates Software to Combat Drug Epidemic

Esri will donate software to winners of the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Grant to combat the national opioid and heroin abuse epidemic. The new partnership will promote Esri’s capabilities to government agencies with the need to more efficiently manage drug intelligence and community surveillance efforts. The deadline for grant submissions to NIJ is March 23. Learn more about the NIJ Grant.

Photo Credit: Planet