Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/75042
Time-sensitive GeoWorld departments such as NetLink, PeopleLink, Product News and Business News now are maintained solely at the GeoPlace.com Web site. Check there often for the latest updates as they happen. For Conservation, Nickel Project Turns to Earth- Observation Technology Managers of a nickel-mine project on the biologically diverse island nation of Madagascar are applying GIS to balance operational objectives with conservation needs. The Ambatovy mine project, 80 kilometers east of the capi- tal, Antananarivo, involves four joint-venture partners: Sherritt International Corp. of Canada, Sumitomo Corp. of Japan, Korea Resources Corp. and SNC-Lavalin Inc. of Canada. Fourteen lenders, including the European Investment Bank (EIB), the financing arm of the European Union, are support- ing the project, which is expected to produce 60,000 tons of refined nickel and 5,600 tons of refined cobalt per year. To preserve the region's biodiversity, which includes rainforests that are home to unique flora and fauna, the Ambatovy Project developed a comprehensive biodiversity mitigation and conservation plan. In addition, geoin- formation projects firm GAF AG—under a contract with EIB and with assistance from systems-engineering firm LuxSpace—applied Earth-observation technology to help monitor forest habitats in and around the mining area. Specifically, GAF performed a land-cover analysis using recent and historic satellite data. The information helped identify forest change, quantify the amount of forest loss, specify land-use classes and report on the success of conservation efforts. A multinational mining project in Madagascar applied Earth-observing technology to help manage conservation and biodiversity challenges associated with production. "The investigation based on Earth-observation data is a really valuable asset for our work," said Andrew Cooke, environmental manager of the Ambatovy Project. "The data provide objective and reproducible information and enable a quantification of the results of conservation efforts. In particular for our offsite offset area, which is difficult to access, Earth-observation data are the only means available for demonstrating achievement of the required biodiversity gains." network. All of our efforts are focused on concluding this process in an efficient and successful manner." The company made its filing in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. The recognition proceeding is being filed in the Superior Court of Justice in Toronto. License Deal Brings GIS administrative use, and it will be made available to recognized state youth groups, such as the 4-H Club, scouting organizations, and Boys and Girls Clubs. The New York Institute of Technology's Technology- Tool to N.Y. Classrooms New York state leaders inked a license that will put more geospatial software in the classroom—ulti- mately introducing GIS tools to more than 2.7 million students in grades K through 12. The license gives the state unlimited classroom use of Esri's ArcGIS software. It also includes Based Learning Systems (NYIT TBLS) will manage the program's statewide rollout. NYIT worked alongside the New York State GIS Association, NYS Teacher Centers, and individuals from universities and organizations in New York to secure the license agreement. "A growing number of educators are using the power of maps, the excitement of new technologies, and the relevance of real-world investigations to moti- vate students to learn science, and prepare them to think critically and creatively," said Stan Silverman, director of NYIT TBLS. "The key is providing students, teachers and administrators world-class tools to view data through multiple lenses, and allowing them to tackle interdisciplinary problems." JUL Y 2O12 / WWW . GEOPLA CE . COM 7 GAF AG