187 GIS is vital for environmental and conservation efforts, providing essential tools for mapping, analyzing, and visualizing ecological data. It aids in tracking and managing natural resources, planning conservation strategies, and monitoring environmental changes. For example, GIS is utilized to map and analyze the health of coral reefs, track the spread of invasive species, and plan restoration projects. It also supports the creation of digital twins of ecosystems, which simulate and predict environmental changes, aiding in decisionmaking and policy formulation. Additionally, GIS is instrumental in managing protected areas, guiding rewilding efforts, and assisting in the management of natural resources. A key aspect of its utility is highlighted by its ability to create digital twins, which "can simulate and predict environmental changes, helping in decision-making and policy formulation." Researchers developed a detailed map pinpointing poaching hot spots for pangolins in Central Africa, along Cameroon's borders with Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Nigeria. This wildlife trafficking map, derived from genetic analysis of pangolin scales, provides precise locations of poaching activities, which is crucial for enhancing law enforcement efforts. The data reveals a shift in poaching from West Africa to Central Africa over the past decade, with economic developments like the Kribi Deepwater Port in Cameroon posing additional threats to biodiversity. The multinational nature of these hot spots highlights the challenges in enforcement across borders. The research links wildlife trafficking to broader socio-political issues, noting that it contributes to political instability and violence. The new TEMPO sensor was launched into geostationary orbit to monitor air pollution across North America. TEMPO offers highresolution data that enables scientists to identify specific pollution sources and evaluate their impact on health and the environment. This data is incorporated into GIS for advanced analysis. Neighborhoods and communities across the country will benefit from TEMPO's game-changing data. TEMPO data promises to improve air quality awareness, influence policy decisions, and tackle health disparities linked to pollution. Tennessee State Parks achieved a real-time operational awareness with the One Smart Park app. This tool has been transformative, Safeguarding Habitats and Wildlife enhancing operational awareness and management across all state parks. The One Smart Park application has improved data accessibility and sharing among park rangers, enabling effective management of natural resources. It integrates 15 data layers, allowing for real-time updates and improved situational awareness, which enhances operational efficiency and strengthens the relationship between field teams and the central office. "Rangers have been given back the tools for natural resource management, which hasn't always been one of their primary roles, and leadership is really supporting that,” said Leah Fuller, GIS specialist at Tennessee State Parks. Rewilding the Scottish Highlands started with a 300-year-old map. GIS has enabled Trees for Life to effectively integrate technical skills with natural history and field ecology knowledge. The GIScentric approach enhanced data capture. It involved ecosystem value analysis and visualization of species interconnections. Alan McDonnell, head of nature restoration at Trees for Life, spoke about how GIS helps center an idea: "When you come up with an idea to restore an area, it often starts as a fuzzy concept in your mind. The ability to map it helps bring it all together." This technology not only aids in planning and executing restoration projects but also serves as an educational tool. Analysts are looking at the habitat potential to reintroduce the Eurasian lynx and its environmental impacts. Efforts to save the North Atlantic right whale involve the creation of a predictive model that uses GIS technology to map whale hot spots. This model integrates visual and acoustic data along with oceanographic variables such as ocean currents and chlorophyll concentrations to forecast whale distribution. This information is vital for decision-makers like NOAA and the National Marine Fisheries Service to implement protective measures, including vessel speed restrictions and planning offshore activities to minimize impact on the whales. The model is part of a publicly accessible repository that identifies critical habitat areas for conservation and is continuously updated. "The goal of these models is to make maps that show the absolute density of the animals. You can go to a location and predict how many whales you're going to find there," said Jason Roberts, a former software engineer turned scientific researcher at the Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab.
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