#geoinformatics

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The dark and cozy times have arrived! 🍂

[alpaca-clouds]

Why I care about history so much

Okay, because I have been asked about this a lot: No, I am not a historian. And I am not studying religion or mythology either. In fact I did my first masters degree in economics and currently am working on my second degree in geoinformatics. So... why do I write so much about history?

So, the easy answer is: I am autistic. I hyperfocus on history.

But there is also a more complicated answer to this.

See, what I want to do with my life is actually to work in science communication and especially work towards this with climate change and ecology. That is also why I do geoinformatics, because part of that is actually using maps and software to communicate this kind of information.

And here is the thing where history comes in. See, we often act as if the social science and the STEM fields are super far apart and super different. But I am going to tell you: They are not. Because it is all connected.

Climate change is the best example. There is a "history of climate change" as in a history of how we found out it was happening and how the fossil fuel tried to bury it. Climate change is also a topic where social science do intersect a lot of STEM stuff. How people behave in groups, how people interact with information, an how to communicate information is important for this.

A funny thing happened yesterday. I have one class this semester called "Geoinformatics in Society", which is kinda about this: How to use geoinformatics to communicate information to people. Yesterday the professor showed us some examples of this. One of them was a graphic showing a very abstract version of change over time of the life expectancy of countries between 1800 and 2015. And the prof was asking us about storytelling in it and what we could see. And me, who again has a hyperfocus on history, looked at it: "Oh, yeah, here we see the polio vaccine being given out. Oh, and there is the Spanish flu happening. These are the world wars. Oh, there was a famine hitting China." And so on. Because... well, those things intersect. The reason why life expectancy rose is largely to be attributed to science - but also to societal factors. These things intersect.

The professor in question is doing research on this kinda stuff. Which is something that people in my area do research on. So, yeah, it intersects.

But there is another reason, too. I am trans, queer and disabled. As such I experience a lot of marginalization and discrimination. And... well, understanding that is also just a need for me. And you need to understand history to understand that.

And when it comes to this... Well, you cannot just look at one thing in history and say "Oh, yeah, this is why this is happening." Because, well, so many factors play into it. Like, sure, there is Nazism playing into it. And eugenics. But you cannot look at either without looking at both the Enlightenment movement and colonialism. And well, you cannot look at those without looking at the crusades and the spice trade. And those? Well, you cannot talk about those without Byzantium. And for those you need to understand Rome and then... well, you get what I am getting at, right?

Everything is intersecting. And I think... I think understanding that is important.

[pinoyscientists]

As featured on CNN Philippines Life by Regine Cabato. Illustration by ROSS DU.

Julius Sempio, scientist specializing in geoinformatics and remote sensing

Julius Sempio is a scientist who stayed home, although his assignment takes him out of this world.

Sempio, who specializes in geoinformatics and remote sensing, is helping develop an effective archive and database for images coming from Diwata-1, a Philippine microsatellite launched into orbit last year, and the future Diwata-2. The system ensures data from the Diwata satellites “will be readily accessible for applications such as mapping, monitoring the environment and detecting changes in land features and land usage,” he explains.

He stumbled on the field almost by accident. He did not meet the retention grade for Computer Engineering at UP, and somehow ended up in Geodetic Engineering — which to his surprise, he found he liked.

“If it is because the theories are applied in field activities immediately after, or because I need to prove that I am worthy of a second chance as a UP Engineering student, I probably would not know,” he says.

Whatever the case was, Sempio got a license, worked on watershed modelling for Sendong-affected cities Cagayan de Oro and Iligan, and is now preoccupied with the satellite image database. His master’s thesis used such images to assess the vulnerability of farming communities to drought.

Sempio lauds government efforts like Project NOAH and the DREAM Program, and urges them to build on the Balik Scientist program to let scientists share their experiences with public school students.

“Most Filipino laymen have this tendency to cluster scientists as some sort of an unreachable cultural elite, made worse by a self-imposed false impression of intellectual incapacity to achieve the same level of knowledge,” he says. “This feeling of inferiority, however, can be negated by an education system that encourages scientific and critical thinking from childhood.”

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don’t forget to do fun things in life

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Whyyyy do I have to keep getting sick at the most inconvenient times?? 🤧🤧

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I’ve been here for 3 months now. I found friends, I am moving to a (hopefully) better place tomorrow and I am slowly starting to acclimate myself with Copenhagen!

I also applied for an exchange semester at Exeter university next fall and I got accepted.

Should I do it?? It’d mean that I do one out of 4 terms in Exeter and start writing my thesis afterwards. I’d move again. And again. I’d meet new people again. What do I do? 😂😭

Any advice? 🥺

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with this post, I am gearing up to start my master thesis era!!!!!!!! raw moment incoming - I am right now on day one of (hopefully) one (I know that sounds INSANE) of trying to figure out what to write my master thesis about. I have to send in the contract with a general theme on tuesday. I've never been late with deadlines, but this one snuck up on me while I was enjoying summer and preparing for my internship. I feel so lost but I kinda need to get this done tonight :( it can only get better from now on i guess? Also, did you spot my nonsense notes ? ALSO, why am I so INDECISIVE.

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August 28th, 2023

Starting at the University of Copenhagen today. I’m sitting in my Swedish home having an online welcome zoom meeting 😌😌 little Vera would be so proud.

I’m leaving for Copenhagen tonight✨ a new chapter is starting! Will be more active on here again!

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