Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/29869
NEWSLINK Agencies Monitor Air, Land, Sea Hazards after Japan Disasters U.S. federal agencies moved quickly in the after- math of Japan’s triple disaster to provide tools for visualizing and understanding quake, tsunami and radiation threats. The staggering 9.0-magnitude quake and subse- quent tsunami left thousands dead or missing, but addressing a potentially larger disaster—widespread radiation contamination from damaged nuclear reac- tors—quickly became the chief concern for Japan and beyond. Across the Pacific, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was making sure radiation- monitoring data were being made available. The agency quickly developed new map-based con- tent for its RadNet program, a nationwide radiation- monitoring system that continuously monitors air quality for environmental radiation. EPA integrated data from RadNet, which includes 100 air monitors across the United States as well as 40 deployable air monitors, into a Google Maps-based interface that allows users to find monitors based on location and then view recent radiation readings. The agency also is making available information to help the public interpret the sometimes highly technical radiation data. (Japan-related RadNet information can be found at www.epa.gov/japan2011.) As Japan continued its rescue-and-recovery efforts and worked to contain its reactors, and the world watched to see how far radiation would spread, monitor- ing additional quake and tsunami activity in the Pacific remained a priority. The National Data Buoy Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) worked to maintain map-based data on potential tsunami activity (www.ndbc.noaa.gov). Data are publicly available via two map interfaces: a “classic” map and a Google-powered map inter- face. Each interface allows users to browse locations of various Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunami (DART) buoy stations and view data such as recent water-column height. An additional map-based interface allows users to view historical data for certain buoys that make up the DART network. Data gleaned from DART stations ultimately help govern- ment researchers and officials model and predict wave-arrival time for tsunamis. At the U.S. Geological Survey, officials continued to maintain real-time map-based information on quake activity, maps showing the potential for seismic haz- ards, and “seismic design” maps and tools for engi- neers. Real-time quake-activity reports (available at earthquake.usgs.gov) give users multiple map modes for understanding quake-related data. For example, users can view quake activity plot- ted on maps showing faults and ridges—similar to a typical topographic map. Additional maps show the intensity of shaking at a location, the historical seismicity for an area and the population exposure for quake activity. Bentley Systems Highlights New Licensing Format Bentley Systems Inc. announced during an “annual A model from NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory shows the extent of the tsunami resulting from the March 11, 2011, quake off the coast of Japan. 6 G E O W O R L D / A P R I L 2 O 1 1 corporate update” that it changed its licensing prac- tices. The update, which highlighted the company’s 2010 revenues of $476 million and a year-over-year growth rate of 6 percent, served as a platform for Mobility/GPS Special Issue