Newspaper Page Text
The Lee County Ledger
Wednesday, July 28,2021 - Page IB
Georgia River Network Partners with Earth Views to Create
“Google Street View-Style” Maps of Georgia Rivers
Special to the Ledger
Georgia’s rivers are
getting a better map.
Georgia River Network
is partnering with Earth-
Views to create modern,
360-degree digital maps
of Georgia rivers. Simi
lar to the “Street View”
feature on Google Maps,
anyone can go online
to EarthViews.com and
explore an expanding
list of Georgia’s rivers
ranging from the Tall
apoosa in the west to the
Ogeechee in the east.
With plans to map hun
dreds of miles of Geor
gia Rivers during 2021,
Georgia River Network
is leading the way in
using digital mapping
technology to help edu
cate people about these
critical waterways, as
well as help scientists
with research and river
management. Founded
in 1998, Georgia River
Network serves as the
voice of Georgia’s rivers
and works to empower
everyone to enjoy, con
nect with, and advocate
for economically vital
and clean flowing rivers.
EarthViews introduced
the world to better
waterway maps in 2016
when they mapped the
Elwha River in Wash
ington state forty-eight
hours after the largest
dam removal project
in history. Since then,
EarthViews has part
nered with NGO’s
federal, state and local
agencies including the
National Park Service
and National Geograph
ic to map
thousands
of miles
of rivers
around North
America and
Africa.
EarthViews
vision is to
use modern
mapping
technology
to connect
people to critically
important aquatic eco
systems. To accomplish
this vision EarthViews
developed an application
to bring waterways to
your desktop, mobile or
VR device via easy-to-
use, publicly available,
interactive maps. These
reality-based maps have
many uses for water-
Great Ways to Encourage
Kids to Move More
(StatePoint) Want
to encourage kids to
move more? The latest
technology, gear and
apps are helping make
movement and exercise
fun. Here’s how:
• Learn online: From
dance to yoga to martial
arts, there are a range of
online classes available
that are designed just for
kids. These are perfect
for a time when many
extracurricular activi
ties are not meeting in
person.
• Get up and go: New
wearable tech options
for kids are packed
with features that invite
kids to get up and go.
Check out the sleek,
yet durable KidiZoom
Smart watch DX2. This
multi-function smart-
watch is just like Mom
and Dad’s, but designed
just for kids! Whether
kids are biking, skate
boarding or playing
sports, the watch’s two
cameras allow them to
capture on-the-go action
videos. Plus, it includes
an assortment of games,
such as Monster De
tector, which uses the
camera and augmented
reality to help kids find
and capture monsters
in the real world. They
can also use the watch’s
motion sensor for active
play challenges.
• Catch me if you can:
Kids can create awe
some videos with the
KidiZoom Creator Cam,
a high-definition video
camera kit that includes
a tripod and selfie stick,
as well as a built-in
microphone and edit
ing tools. The included
green screen comes with
over 20 animated back
grounds — like getting
chased by a T-Rex and
going to outer space
— for cool trick shots
and time-lapse videos
that not only hone kids’
creativity and technical
skills, but also encour
age them to move.
• Adventure time:
Whether on a camping
excursion or a backyard
safari, kids can add
excitement to any ad
venture by using walk
ie-talkies. The kid-safe
KidiGo Walkie Talkies
have a 650-foot range
and feature a digital
connection that is clear
and keeps kids’ conver
sations secure. Little
adventurers can also
send messages back and
forth by choosing from
preset animated messag
es or use the devices for
real-time gaming.
• Move and do good:
With the free UNICEF
Kid Power app, kids will
be inspired to do good
while moving. Using the
app, playful movement
is transformed into life
saving nutrition deliv
ered to children in need
around the world.
By looking to new
games, apps and devic
es, you can encourage
your little ones to move
more and have more on-
the-go fun.
way conservationists,
rivers users and natu
ral resource managers
including:
• Locate points of
interest.
• Educate with
virtual field trips.
• Scope areas for
recreation activities.
• Collect data.
• Visualize water
way data in context.
• Digitally
preserve the waterway,
creating a baseline of
current conditions.
• See it before
you get there to enhance
waterway emergency
management and navi
gation.
In March when it
joined the
darSasal EarthViews
mapping
partnership
program,
Georgia
River
Network
received
an easy-to-
use mobile
mapping
kit. Since
then, GRN’s Paddle
Georgia coordinator,
Joe Cook and volun
teers have been captur
ing imagery and data
while paddling Geor
gia’s rivers. The data
is then downloaded to
EarthViews portal and
processed by Earth-
Views for publication
on EarthViews’ growing
Map of Waterways.
For Cook, who is
working on Georgia
River Network’s guide
book series to Georgia
rivers in cooperation
with the University of
Georgia Press, the tech
nology is another way to
assure the information
provided about rivers is
accurate.
“When traveling and
documenting rivers,
I take notes on paper
maps,” Cook said, “Hav
ing photographic docu
mentation of every foot
of the river supplements
these notes. And, for
river users, Earthviews
maps are the equivalent
of “try it before you buy
it.” As we document
more rivers, it should
make our rivers more
accessible and safer
because you can see
what you’re getting into
before ever putting your
boat in the water.”
Since January, Georgia
River Network has doc
umented sections of the
St. Marys, Suwannee,
Ogeechee, Tallapoosa,
Chattahoochee, Flint,
Ocmulgee, Ohoopee and
Satilla rivers as well as
Spring Creek and South
Chickamauga Creek.
The organization’s goal
is to map all of the
state’s 19 established
water trails.
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