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Indians Use Google Earth and GPS To Protect Amazon

Damien1972 writes "Deep in the most remote jungles of South America, Amazon Indians are using Google Earth, GPS, and other technologies to protect their fast-dwindling home. Tribes in Suriname, Brazil, and Colombia are combining their traditional knowledge of the rainforest with Western technology to conserve forests and maintain ties to their history and cultural traditions. Indians use Google Earth to remotely monitor their lands by checking for signs of miners and GPS to map their lands. "Google Earth is used primarily for vigilance," says Vasco van Roosmalen, program director of a nonprofit involved in the project."

13 of 172 comments (clear)

  1. Too bad they can only stop what happened years ago by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    Those maps are out of date, it'll be useless to find new operations.

  2. Native Americans use Google Earth by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 4, Informative

    I don't think they outsourced it to India.

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    1. Re:Native Americans use Google Earth by redfieldp · · Score: 4, Informative

      Um, yes, that would be Brazil in South AMERICA. Hence, Native AMERICANS.

    2. Re:Native Americans use Google Earth by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 4, Informative

      you'll have to excuse some posters. They seem to think America only means the USA, when it refers to two continents.

      Just like India is a subcontinent just south of Asia.

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  3. Images were updated by request by xPsi · · Score: 5, Informative

    Initially, I thought that their exercise was futile because Google Earth doesn't not have real time images and it is impossible (at a glance, although sometimes you can tell with some detective work) to know when various pictures were taken (e.g. see the Google Earth FAQ). But, it turns out that the group working in the Amazon actively makes requests to Google to update certain images faster so they can legitimately monitor various regions. e.g. from TFA:
    ""When Google Earth updated these images earlier this year with higher resolution versions, we could find nearly all the disturbances in the forest....We offered the Google Earth team a list of coordinates where it would be helpful to have sharper images. We also discussed the possibility of finding ways to include the Indians' nonproprietary data, as a layer with Indian names, on Google Earth."

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  4. Re:Too bad they can only stop what happened years by ArcherB · · Score: 2, Informative

    This is not a troll! Whoever modded this should be meta-moderated out of existence!

    I was going to say the same thing. When I pull up my house on Google Earth, it shows an empty lot where my house has been for at least three years. Yeah, these Indians may find a mine, but by the time they get there, all the miners would have left and the forest would have retaken the land.

    I mean, it's not like you can go outside, wave at the sky and find yourself on GoogleEarth!

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  5. you do know... by Oo.et.oO · · Score: 4, Informative

    that indians are FROM INDIA, right?

    is this supposed to be like a queer calling a queer a queer?

  6. !offtopic by winomonkey · · Score: 3, Informative

    Hey mods...the above post is not off topic, it is merely pointing out that articles, blurbs, and summaries should make the distinction that Indians (ala India) are not the same as Native Americans. Hundreds of years after the initial confusion and we are still getting this stuff wrong. Indians are not native to the Amazon.

    Perhaps you meant some of these indigeneous peoples from Brazil:
    * Ache
    * Aconã
    * Aimoré (Botocudo)
    * Anacé
    * Apinajé
    * Aranã
    * Asheninka
    * Atikum-Umã
    * Awá
    * Baniwa
    * Caingang (Kaingang)
    * Caripuna
    * Caxixó
    * Fulni-o
    * Guajajara
    * Guaraní
    * Jeripankó
    * Juká
    * Kaimbé
    * Kalabaça-Jandaíra
    * Kalankó
    * Kamayurá (Kamaiurá)
    * Kambiwá
    * Kanindé
    * Kantaruré
    * Kapinawá
    * Karajá
    * Karapotó
    * Kariri-Xokó
    * Karuazu
    * Kiriri
    * Katuquina (Catökinn)
    * Kaxinawa
    * Kayapo
    * Korubo
    * Koiupanká
    * Krahó
    * Krenak
    * Macuxi
    * Matipu
    * Maxakali
    * Munduruku
    * Ofayé
    * Panará
    * Pankaiuká
    * Pankará
    * Pankararé
    * Pankararu
    * Pankaru
    * Pataxó
    * Pataxó-Hã-Hã-Hãe
    * Payaku
    * Pipipã de Kambixuru
    * Pirahã
    * Pitaguary
    * Potiguara
    * Quilombolo
    * Tapirape
    * Tapeba
    * Tapuia
    * Tamoio
    * Terena
    * Ticuna
    * Tremembé
    * Truká
    * Tsohom Djapa
    * Tumbalalá
    * Tupinambá
    * Tupiniquim (Tupinikim)
    * Waiapi
    * Waorani
    * Wassu-Cocal
    * Xacriaba
    * Xavante
    * Xerente
    * Xokó
    * Xucuru
    * Yanomami
    * Yawalapiti
    * Yawanawa

  7. Re:Too bad they can only stop what happened years by The_Wilschon · · Score: 2, Informative

    They have satellites up there which are dedicated to monitoring the amazon, as well as radar stations on the ground. So they're using google earth for mapping, not for imaging, I would infer. I know that they have active satellites in orbit currently because my father worked on the project that put them there. I'm rather puzzled though by this story which does not mention either the company my father works for nor the name of the project.

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  8. Re:Best way to ensure conservation by nwbvt · · Score: 2, Informative

    No, the tragedy of the commons applies when there is no property, and everything is part of the commons. Hence the name, tragedy of the commons. For instance, one could argue that with regard to the atmosphere. We cannot divide the atmosphere up into private lots, and there is no incentive to keep any of it clean.

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  9. Re:Best way to ensure conservation by SnowZero · · Score: 3, Informative

    The Nature Conservancy is a really nice organization that works that way. A friend who donates to it pointed it out to me. In short, they use donations to buy at-risk land, and also get conservation easements from private land owners who wish to protect their own land. Advocacy organizations can spend lots of money lobbying, and potentially fail anyway, while its extremely difficult to fight someone when they actually own the land.

  10. Re:Who in the feck writes this titles? by falconwolf · · Score: 2, Informative

    Indians live in that subcontinent over near the Asia. Various Native and Indengious people live in South America.

    Aboriginal, Indigenous, or Native people also live in India, such as the Hmar, Arunachal Pradesh, Boro, and many others.

    Falcon
  11. non-aboriginal nation in Americas before 1776 by falconwolf · · Score: 2, Informative

    Can you name a non-aboriginal nation that was founded in North or South America before the United States in 1776? Didn't think so.

    Yes I can, Vineland which is now called Nova Scotia.

    Falcon