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Kenya
Virus and Resource Tracking
The Kenya Covid-19 Tracker launched by Map Kibera is an open-sourced platform intended to track cases in the country and resources available, especially in the slum areas of Nairobi, including Kibera. The map combines data on COVID-19 cases from government reports and local programs supporting health infrastructure and sanitary product distribution to inform local citizens of the ongoing pandemic situation. Community activities, including food and face masks distribution sites and handwashing stations, are reported to and vetted by a team on the ground before being placed on the map. The goal of the initiative is to ensure vulnerable communities in Kenya have access to comprehensive information about the virus. While open-sourced projects do not replace government public health data, they do highlight important local programs that may not be included in official reports.
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Iran
Ballistic Missile Launch Concerns
On Friday, the United Kingdom voiced concerns over Iran’s latest satellite launch. The issues include the use of ballistic missiles, which are cited as inconsistent with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231. The 2015 resolution refers to Iran refraining from work on ballistic missiles designed to deliver nuclear weapons following an agreement to limit its nuclear program for up to eight years. This follows an announcement on Wednesday by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that they had successfully launched the country’s first military Noor satellite named Qassed, meaning “messenger.” The U.S. claims the launch is proof that Iran’s space program is for military rather than commercial purposes. Iran denies the accusations stating the launch was not a cover for ballistic missile development and says it has never pursued the development of nuclear weapons.
This map depicts the trajectory of the Qassed satellite launch on 22 April 2020. Click on the map to learn more.
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World
New Maps of the Moon
In collaboration with NASA and the Lunar Planetary Institute, scientists at the United States Geological Survey have released the “Unified Geologic Map of the Moon,” a comprehensive and freely available map created with data spanning across five decades. Using maps developed from the Apollo missions supplemented by more recent exploratory satellites, the map will be an essential tool for the future of space travel. The map is color-coded by topography type and displayed at a 1:5,000,000 scale–each milometer on the map represents five kilometres on the moon. The first astronauts set to visit the moon in five decades–members of the Artemis mission, set for 2024, will have the maps at their disposal.
This map depicts the the “Unified Geologic Map of the Moon.” Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: What UNESCO World Heritage site is famous for its tall, thin, needle-like limestone rock formations?
A: Tsingy de Bemaraha Integral Nature Reserve
Located in western Madagascar, on the Bemaraha Plateau, the Tsingy de Bemaraha Integral Nature Reserve is known for its geomorphological structures of rocky spires called “tsingy” in the Malagasy language. Covering an area of approximately 152,000 hectares (375600.18 acres) the karstic landscapes and limestone uplands help provided local wildlife such as rare and endangered lemurs with protection against human encroachment.
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Q: Covering an area of about 795 square miles (2059.04 square kilometers), Bir Tawil is an area in Africa that belongs to no government as a result of a border dispute between which two countries?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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