UmaTerra Portal - OneEarth to All

UmaTerra Portal OneEarth to all: A global interactive map with layers to visualize and analyze complex interactions between environmental and societal factors.

Environmental Layers

• Biomes/Ecosystems: Classification of major terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems (e.g., forests, grasslands, deserts, oceans, coral reefs).
• Climate Data: Temperature, precipitation, humidity, wind patterns (historical and projected future data). Could include specific climate hazards like drought or flood risk.
• Biodiversity: Species richness, endemism, habitat fragmentation, protected areas.
• Water Resources: Water availability, groundwater levels, river basins, water quality (pollution levels, salinity).
• Land Cover/Land Use: Forest cover, urban areas, agricultural land, ice/snow cover. Changes over time could be shown as a time series.
• Soil Health: Soil types, erosion rates, nutrient levels, soil organic carbon.
• Air Quality: Levels of pollutants (PM2.5, ozone, etc.), sources of pollution.
• Natural Hazards: Earthquake risk, volcanic activity, wildfire risk, floodplains, coastal erosion.
• Elevation/Topography: Essential for understanding many environmental processes and visualizing landscapes.

Social Layers

• Population Density: Distribution of human populations.
• Demographics: Age, gender, ethnicity, poverty levels, literacy rates.
• Socioeconomic Status (SES): Income levels, access to resources (healthcare, education, sanitation), employment rates.
• Infrastructure: Roads, transportation networks, energy grids, access to clean water and sanitation.
• Governance: Political boundaries, governance effectiveness, corruption levels.
• Conflict Zones: Areas experiencing armed conflict or political instability.
• Indigenous Territories: Recognition and mapping of Indigenous lands and rights.
• Migration Patterns: Historical and current migration flows.
• Food Security: Access to adequate food, malnutrition rates.
• Health Indicators: Disease prevalence, life expectancy, access to healthcare.

Interconnected Layers

• Environmental Justice: Overlap of environmental hazards and vulnerable populations.
• Resource Depletion: Linking resource extraction (e.g., mining, logging) with social impacts on local communities.
• Climate Change Vulnerability: Mapping populations and ecosystems most vulnerable to climate change impacts.
• Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Visualizing progress towards achieving specific SDGs (e.g., clean water, affordable energy, climate action).

Key Considerations

• Data Sources: Using reliable and verifiable data from reputable sources is crucial.
• Data Resolution: The detail of the data will depend on the scale of the map and the questions it aims to answer.
• Data Visualization: Choosing appropriate methods to represent data visually (e.g., color ramps, choropleth maps, points) to avoid misleading interpretations.
• Interactivity: The map should ideally be interactive, allowing users to zoom, pan, select layers, and access detailed information.