AI and GIS: Finally Delivering on the promise

The field of artificial intelligence (AI) isn’t new, and neither are its grand promises. AI as an academic pursuit has its roots in the 1950s. Early AI researchers were filled with optimism, but—despite some initial work that appeared groundbreaking, such as the first artificial neural networks—the field saw slow progress over the next several decades. By the mid-1970s, the field had hit a bit of a roadblock—there was a loss in interest largely due to inflated expectations as well as the failure to deliver on the promise of AI. This period is known as the first AI winter.

Following the first AI winter, advances in the field saw AI once again, albeit slowly, gaining momentum and funding, but only for a brief time. By the early-1990s, AI had again failed to live up to expectations. While AI had been tightly integrated into people’s everyday lives, it still largely failed on problems that most humans deem simple, such as recognizing features in images or understanding speech. With a 40-year history and a failure to live up to the hype, things appeared bleak for AI.

Then something happened. In the last decade, due to the advent of massive volumes of data gathered from the Internet and powerful graphics processing units (GPUs) capable of supercomputer-like performance on certain tasks, a particular type of AI algorithm has seen massive resurgence. These algorithms are known as artificial neural networks because they loosely resemble biological neural networks such as those in the human brain. Since 2010, these algorithms have experienced exponential increases in performance on numerous benchmarks, including some that were thought to be out of reach by many. Neural networks have even achieved superhuman performance in a few domains. Though still not quite reaching the level of promise visualized during the 1950s, AI is at the point where it is already making a massive impact everywhere. This includes in geographic information system (GIS) technology.

The types of data that we look at in the geospatial realm can be broadly categorized into two types: structured and unstructured. Structured data includes vector data—parcel boundaries, roads, GPS bread crumbs, and so on. Unstructured data refers to raster data, voice, and text, which—while typically very usable by humans—is difficult for machines to extract actionable information from.

This is changing rapidly; major advances in AI have made it possible to unlock the potential of unstructured data, and to do so at scale. Deep learning—so called because it applies “deep” artificial neural networks that often are composed of hundreds of connected layers of calculation—has enabled a new revolution in the processing of unstructured data. For those of us working in GIS, this means massive increases in productivity.

Cartographic Style Transfer Using GAN—Map Style Transferred to a Different Basemap

Deep learning has created the ability to very accurately detect objects and classify pixels at scale. Exploitation of aerial, satellite, and street-view images and videos are some of the common uses that we see at Esri. Deep learning enables endeavors such as large-scale high-resolution land cover mapping, the detection and digitization of buildings and roads, and rapid exploitation of drone imagery to detect asset damage, to name a few. Recent advances in processing voice and text by using deep learning allow geospatial analysis without manual extraction of geospatial entities. A fascinating new class of algorithms, called Generative Adversarial Networks (GAN), can generate realistic—but fake—data, including photographs! At Esri, we’ve been investigating numerous applications of GAN, ranging from generating 3D models to simulating spatiotemporal data and even performing automatic cartographic map styling, as shown at right.

AI can also add value to structured data for tasks, including predicting geospatial events such as car crashes or crime, estimating drive times, or helping businesses determine where to construct the next new store. The list goes on—we are nowhere close to tapping all the potential of machine learning.

The thing is, the GIS community has been using AI for a very long time. Performing regression, kriging, clustering, hot-spot analysis—these capabilities have been adopted into a subfield of AI called machine learning. Machine learning, at its core, is composed of approaches that learn from data rather than being explicitly programmed. Machine learning has been changing the world for decades, though it’s only recently that the public has started to become aware. This is mostly due to the emergence of deep learning.

Adoption of newer machine learning approaches into geospatial workflows has been slow. But why? As GIS practitioners know very well, GIS is hard—often, subtly so. While massive advances have been made in machine learning, very little thought has gone into making these approaches spatial. This leaves geographers shaking their heads in disapproval when geospatial processing is not only excluded from machine learning algorithms but may be flat-out ignored! Machine learning researchers and data scientists typically don’t understand the significant challenges that something as ubiquitous as terrain brings to the table when estimating the travel time between two locations. Furthermore, the appropriate distance between objects is often ignored or handled poorly. If close things are more related than distant things, machine learning often doesn’t treat this with any rigor.

To overcome these challenges, GeoAI—the combination of AI and GIS—is beginning to take off. Applying AI within a spatial context requires a new approach, but organizations are beginning to recognize the power that geography brings to the table. Sometimes this may mean preparing data differently to account for spatial challenges, and other times this may require a whole new approach. The AI team at Esri has been actively bringing these two fascinating fields together, but it’s in global action that there will be change.

AI hasn’t yet lived up to the original mission—to produce human-level intelligent machines—but it doesn’t have to! We don’t need human-level intelligence to make a human-level impact. AI is here, and it’s not going away this time.

To learn more about GeoAI, visit GeoAI on Medium or watch this video from the Esri Partner Conference.

    Share

AAG mobile app tip sheet

    Share

AAG Mobile App User Manual

With the AAG mobile app, users can view everything in the program in addition to easily creating a digital calendar of events; browsing sessions by specialty group sponsorship, date, time, and presentation type; receive up to the minute notifications on schedule changes or coffee breaks; and see a list of people who are attending the annual meeting. Whether you are brand new to the AAG mobile app or you are looking for more information on how to use the app, this guide will offer detailed instructions.

Getting Started – Download and update your app

The AAG mobile app is currently available for all major smartphone brands such as Apple iPhone, Samsung, Google Pixel, and LG. To download the app for your smartphone, visit your app store and search for “AAG Meetings” or follow this link from your phone. For tablet devices, either visit the app store and search for “AAG Meetings” or visit the same link as you would for downloading the app to a smartphone. If you do not have a smartphone, have a Windows phone or table, or prefer to use a laptop, the AAG mobile app can also be used on a Windows phone/tablet or any laptop with this link: https://app.core-apps.com/aagam2023. Bookmark the link to easily return to the app on your laptop!

Once you have downloaded the app, open it to see the list of AAG Meetings. Click on AAG 2023 to open the program for this year. If you have previously installed the app and you want , you may need to click on the button that reads “Exit to Meeting List” from the home screen of an old program to reach the list of all programs installed within the app. Once you are on the screen that shows the list of AAG Meetings, click the circular arrow button in the top right hand corner to update your app (this arrow button should be RED in color if it is not yet updated). After the app has been updated, click on the 2023 program.

Install the program by clicking the install button, then click the blue Open button to open the program.

Note: The first time you open the program, it may need to download updates. This could take a few minutes. Please install the app before attending the meeting and when you are connected to Wi-Fi to ensure the fastest initial download time. Upon opening the app for the first time, you will also be given helpful tips about where to find information in the app. Click Next after reading these tips. There will also be a button available to click if you no longer wish to receive these types of tips.

The Program is Installed! Now what? (The Basics of the App)

Basic features of the AAG app include the ability to set up an electronic calendar of the sessions you plan to attend, browse the program and schedule of events, search for a specific participant or event, and view the maps of the conference venues. If at any time the circular arrow button in the top right corner of the app (under the magnifying glass) turns red, this means that there is an update to the app! Click on the circular arrow to install the updates.

The Home screen of the AAG app is the first screen that will open when the app is launched. Along the top of the app, you will find the quick keys. These are shortcut buttons to take you to the frequently used features of the app. The button shaped like the House will return you to the main app screen. Use this button if you want to return to the main screen at any time. The next button to the right, shaped like a ticket window, is the list of exhibitors who will have a booth in the exhibition hall during the annual meeting. Continuing to the right, the button shaped like an easel, is the list of sessions during the meeting. The fourth button from the left on the top, with the number 19 on it, is your personal calendar. The button that looks like a page is the list of presentation abstracts. Finally the magnifying glass is the search button.

Below the advertisements on the Home screen Yellow bars will appear when you have a new message or when there is an upcoming event on your calendar. Clicking on the Yellow bar with the Caution symbol brings you to your recent messages. These are alerts that might contain useful information such as room changes or coffee breaks. The number next to the Caution symbol tells you how many unread messages you have. The Yellow bar with the calendar icon shows any upcoming events that you have added to your calendar (more below). Click on this bar to see the event.

Below the Yellow announcement bars are a variety of icon buttons that bring you to different features of the app. The basic features of the app will be explained below and include the Calendar, the Sessions, the Search, and the Maps.

The Calendar (My Schedule) button can be found both at the top of the screen and further down the screen. It looks like a flip calendar and has the number 19 on it. This feature allows users to create their own personal schedule of events from the sessions that they are browsing in the app. When you first open the app, the calendar will have nothing on it. As you browse sessions, click on the star icon next to any session you think looks interesting and would like to attend. These sessions are then automatically added to your calendar. It is also possible to add your own events to the calendar. To do this, click the + icon in the top right. From here, add a title, location, date, time, and duration of the event you would like to add to your calendar then select ‘Done’ in the top right. Events that you add to your calendar will be colored in blue while events that are added from the AAG Program are colored in purple. To browse your calendar, click on the date you would like to see at the top of the screen, then scroll down through the times to see all of your scheduled events. For a list view of your events, click on the icon that has the three dots and three lines. The alarm clock icon takes users to a list of all of the events that are currently happening at the annual meeting at the time of clicking on the icon.

To browse sessions in the AAG Annual Meeting program and to add them to your calendar, click on the Sessions button. This button looks like an easel and can be found both at the center top of the screen as well as further down the screen on the left hand side. Once you click on the sessions button, a screen will appear asking how you would like to browse the session. Browsing by Day allows you to look at all the sessions occurring on a particular day that you choose from the dates listed at the top of the screen. These sessions are organized by time and are alphabetical. Browsing by Session Type allows you to look through sessions based on the type of session it is: Illustrated Paper, Interactive Short Paper, Meeting, Panel, Paper, Plenary, Poster, or Special Event. These are then organized by date (select the date you would like to browse at the top of the screen), time, and alphabetical. To browse a session by specialty group sponsors, select Browse by Sponsor Group. This will produce a list of all of the specialty groups and sponsors. Select which sponsor you would like to browse, then select if you would like to browse those sponsored sessions by day or by session type. Lastly, you can browse by Theme to see sessions related to the three AAG 2018 Annual Meeting Themes. Browsing by Theme also allows you to browse by day, session type, and sponsor group after selecting your theme of choice. Click on any session while browsing to learn more about the session, including the session description, organizers, and presenters, and presentation titles. To automatically add a session to your calendar, click on the Star on the left. To learn more about the presenter and read their presentation abstracts, click on any presentation in the session agenda. You can also save individual presentations to your calendar instead of entire sessions by looking at the presentation abstract and selecting the Star icon on the left.

The Magnifying Glass shaped icon lets you Search for anything throughout the entire AAG Program. Simply search for the last name of a presenter, a keyword, or an event title in the search box after clicking on the Magnifying Glass. The search results will be displayed below the search bar. Click on any of the results for more information.

Lastly, the Maps icon (this looks like a small 9×9 grid of squares and can be found in the middle of your screen) contains floor plans of the conference hotels as well as a walking map of the main street routes between the AAG meeting hotels. For the hotel floorplans, any of the rooms that are highlighted in orange are rooms being used for the AAG Annual Meeting. If you click on any orange colored room in the floor plan, it will take you to a list of all of the sessions that will be taking place in that room during the conference, organized by date and time.

The above information explains the basic functions of the AAG Mobile App. Using these basic functions will give you everything that the printed program provided, in a faster and more convenient way. It also gives you the ability to easily make a digital calendar of events to attend and find your way through the hotels using the floorplan maps. For more advanced features of the app, continue reading.

Basics, schmasics. I want to know more! (Advanced App Features)

For those app users who want to explore every inch of what the AAG Mobile App has to offer, this section includes additional features of the app beyond the basics. In this section, learn how to create a personal profile and add friends, use multiple devices, read the front matter of the AAG Program and other essentials, read conference abstracts, see lists of presenters and attendees, take notes, read daily Geograms, find your current location, browse a list of exhibitors, and view social media feeds.

It is possible on the AAG Mobile App to create a personal profile such as what you might find on LinkedIN or Facebook. This profile can then be made publicly available to everyone using the AAG Mobile App or used to connect to friends and colleagues. There are multiple ways to set up your personal profile. Either click on the three diagonal lines on the upper left side of the app to open the Message Center and then click at the top to set up a profile or click on the gear icon on the upper right hand side of the app to open the settings and select “MyProfile.” Once in your profile, add your name and any other information you wish. If it is easier, the icon with the arrow in a circle in the top right allows you to import a profile from another site such as LinkedIN. If you would like your profile to be publicly available to others using the AAG Mobile App, make sure that the box is checked next to the phrase: “Tap here to publish your profile to the Attendees list to engage with others users of the app.”

To see who else has created a profile in the AAG Mobile App, select the icon on the Home screen labeled Attendees that has a picture of the two human profiles. This gives you an option to browse all the attendees who have made a profile or to browse attendees by type of attendee (First Timer, Session Chair, Session Organizer, or Student). Connect with people by selecting their name and hitting the “Request Friend” button. After the person you requested to be your friend approves your request, you can send them a message, share your calendar, share notes, or request a meeting all through the app! Simply hit the three diagonal lines in the upper left corner of the app Home screen to open the Message Center and view your list of friends. Click on a friend to open their profile and view the options at the left: envelope (send message), paper and pencil (share notes), calendar (see their schedule after it has been shared with you), ID card (add to address book), trash can (delete friend), hand shake (invite to a meeting), or question mark (help screen).

If you do not want to publicly make your profile available or you know someone who does not have a public profile, you can still add them as a friend on the AAG Mobile App using a friend code. When you click the three diagonal lines from your Home screen to open the Message Center, there will be an icon labeled “+ Add a Friend.” After you click this, you have the option of entering a code that your friend gave you or finding out what your friend code is to give to a friend. The friend code option is only necessary for those app users who do not have a public profile.

To use the AAG Mobile App on multiple devices and be sure that all of your information syncs to each device, Multi Device Sync must be set up. To set this up, first go to Settings on your primary device by clicking the gear icon in the upper right. Scroll down to Multi Device Sync and select First Device. Enter in your email address and a password. On your additional devices, open the settings by selecting the gear icon in the upper right. Scroll down to Multi Device Sync and select Additional Device. Enter the same email address and password that was used for the First Device. After this step is complete be sure to update your app on all your devices by clicking on the circular arrows in the upper right of the Home screen. Your devices should now all be synced to each other and any information added to one device will appear on all of your devices. If for some reason you do not see information being synced, double check that you are logged in on the Multi Device Sync screen in the Settings. Once you have checked that you are logged in, update the app on all devices.

The remaining buttons on the AAG Mobile App access additional information useful for the AAG Annual Meeting. The Abstracts button is similar to the Sessions button, but allows users to search through all of the abstracts submitted for the Annual Meeting. The Presenters button provides a list of everyone who will be doing a presentation at the Annual Meeting. The Presenters button is different than the Attendees button because the Attendees button only contains those who have created a personal profile on the AAG Mobile App and made their profile public whereas the Presenters button is anyone who is presenting at the conference. The Essentials button contains files of useful information typically found in the front matter of the printed program such as information about the Jobs and Careers Center, the Newcomers Guide, Session Chairs instructions, Student Networking Happy Hour, and other information. The Exhibitors button provides a list of those who will have a booth in the Exhibition Hall. Exhibitors can be starred similar to individuals or sessions and saved under the My Favorites button with anything else you have starred in the app. The Social Media button shows you the current Twitter feed of #AAG2023, the AAG Facebook page, the #AAG2023 Instagram feed, the AAG YouTube channel, and a section of photos that users may have uploaded to the AAG Mobile App so that you can follow along with the online conversations even if you do not have a social media profile yourself. The Membership button navigates to the AAG website that contains more information about renewing and benefits of an AAG membership. The Locate Me button helps you find your way if you are lost. Type in a room that you are standing next to and the app will show you where you are on the hotel floor plans. Lastly, the Notes button lets you see any notes you may have taken about a session. It also allows you to add a note to save for later.

    Share

Social Media at #aagDC

We’re getting closer to the 2019 AAG Annual Meeting! Whether you will be attending the meeting all week, for a few days, or looking to follow the action from afar, there are plenty of ways to get involved using social media. Social media is a great way for seasoned conference goers and newcomers alike to network, report on new research, engage in lively debate with those inside and outside of the discipline, and find out what’s going on during the largest geography conference in the world! Start planning your #aagDC social media strategy today with these helpful guidelines!

Twitter

One of the most frequently used social media sites for live events, Twitter is a great place to start scoping out the annual meeting. Twitter is used by geographers to discuss and share research ideas or connect with others, often leading to face to face meet-ups at the annual meeting. As the main social media channel, the AAG annual meeting has had active Twitter users since at least 2011 in Seattle. The hashtag #AAG followed by the year of the event used to be the standard AAG Annual Meeting tag. However, this year we decided to switch it up! Due to increased traffic from other events who are already using #AAG2019 (hat tip to the ASEAN Autism Games) and the fact that as geographers we are always thinking about place and space, we will now use the hashtag #aag followed by the location of the conference. This year the official conference hashtag will be #aagDC! Start using and following #aagDC; posts are already being compiled in anticipation of the meeting! If you are new to Twitter, try these tips to benefit most from the network:

  • Follow @theAAG on Twitter! The official AAG Twitter account will be active throughout the meeting with important announcements, live tweets of events, and fun photos throughout the conference hotels. Due to popularity, the AAG will continue to conduct a Twitter poll once a day for members to choose a session they would like to see live-Tweeted!
  • Use #aagDC on all your meeting related communications. Sometimes it is difficult to fit your thoughts into the (now expanded!) 280 character count, but try to include the hashtag #aagDC in each of your tweets. This will ensure that your tweets are being seen by others both at the conference and following along offsite. If you are new to hashtags, a hashtag is a way to organize a specific topic into one feed. Click on the hashtag to see the conversations happening related to that topic.
  • Whenever possible, try to include Twitter handles. If you are tweeting about a paper, panel, or poster, be sure to attribute the research to the right person by using their Twitter handle. Presenters and panelists should consider including their handles on an opening slide or in a poster corner. Conversely, if you do not want your research to be tweeted, please state that information upfront so the audience is aware of your desires.
  • Unable to attend the meeting this year? Follow the hashtag and join the conversation!

Facebook

Do you prefer Facebook over Twitter as your social media site of choice? While there will be less live coverage of specific sessions, Facebook is a great way to share photos, videos, and news about the annual meeting with your friends, family, and colleagues.

  • Make sure you like the AAG Facebook page (www.facebook.com/geographers) and set the page so that you see it first in your News Feed by clicking on the “Following” dropdown menu on the AAG Facebook page itself. This will ensure that you receive the latest meeting related announcements as soon as you open the Facebook app or website.
  • Be on the lookout for Facebook Live videos from some of the major events like the Exhibition Hall opening and the World Geography Bowl finals!
  • Check on the page each morning for reminders of the day’s schedule of events.

Instagram

The AAG’s newest social media channel, Instagram is a fun place to share your photos of activities at the annual meeting and your daily life as a geographer!

  • Follow @theAAG on Instagram for photos of the annual meeting as well as behind the scenes looks at the work that goes into planning the conference on a yearly basis!
  • Share your photos of the meeting with other attendees using the conference hashtag #aagDC and look for an Instagram collage of #aagDC photos after the meeting ends.
  • Want to be featured in our new Instagram Campaign to meet members of the AAG, #MeettheAAG? Look for AAG Staff throughout the meeting who will be taking photos and collecting information about AAG members that will be showcased during the summer.

General Communications

Because the AAG social media channels will be busy during the annual meeting, AAG staff may not be able to provide a timely reply through these mediums. The AAG Annual Meeting App is a good place to start for conference information with regards to floor plans, session times and locations, and abstracts. If you have questions or concerns and need to contact a staff member, the best option is to find a conference volunteer (wearing a neon yellow t-shirt) or to stop by the AAG Meridian or Registration area in the Atrium of the Marriott Hotel.

    Share

New Books: March 2019

Every month the AAG compiles a list of newly-published books in geography and related areas. Some are selected for review in the AAG Review of Books.

Publishers are welcome to send new volumes to the Editor-in-Chief (Kent Mathewson, Editor-in-Chief, AAG Review of BooksDepartment of Geography and Anthropology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803).

Anyone interested in reviewing these or other titles should also contact the Editor-in-Chief.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to current public health policies which have prompted the closing of most offices, we are unable to access incoming books at this time. We are working on a solution during this transition and will continue our new books processing as soon as we can. In the meantime, please feel free to peruse previous books from our archived lists.

March 2019

Adventures in Modernism: Thinking with Marshall Berman by Jennifer Corby (ed.) (Urban Research 2019)

The Alps: An Environmental History by Jon Mathieu (Polity 2019)

The Caribbean: A Brief History (3rd Edition) by Gad Heuman (Bloomsbury 2018)

Circulation and Urbanization by Ross Exo Adams (Sage Publishing 2019)

Civilization Critical: Energy, Food, Nature, and the Future by Darrin Qualman (Fernwood Publishing 2019)

The Codex Mexicanus: A Guide to Life in Late Sixteenth-Century New Spain by Lori Boornazian Diel (University of Texas Press 2018)

Detain and Deport: The Chaotic U.S. Immigration Enforcement Regime by Nancy Hiemstra (University of Georgia Press 2019)

Digital Geographies by James Ash, Rob Kitchin, and Agnieszka Leszczynski (eds.) (Sage Publishing 2018)

Dream City: Creation, Destruction, and Reinvention in Downtown Detroit by Conrad Kickert (The MIT Press 2019)

Governing Gifts: Faith, Charity, and the Security State by Erica Caple James (ed.) (University of New Mexico Press 2019)

At Home on the Waves: Human Habitation of the Sea from the Mesolithic to Today by Tanya J. King and Gary Robinson (eds.) (Berghahn Books 2019)

Inventing Exoticism: Geography, Globalism, and Europe’s Early Modern World by Benjamin Schmidt (University of Pennsylvania Press 2019)

Latin American Migrations to the U.S. Heartland: Changing Social Landscapes in Middle America by Linda Allegro and Andrew Grant Wood (eds.) (University of Illinois Press 2018)

Law as Refuge of Anarchy: Societies without Hegemony or State by Hermann Amborn (The MIT Press 2019)

Lisbon, City of the Sea: A History by Malcolm Jack (I.B. Tauris 2019)

Making Climate Change History: Documents from Global Warming’s Past by Joshua P. Howe (University of Washington Press 2017)

Making History – Creating a Landscape: The Portuguese American Community of Southeastern New England by James W. Fonseca (CreateSpace 2018)

Postwar Emigration to South America from Japan and the Ryukyu Islands by Pedro Iacobelli (Bloomsbury Academic 2019)

São Paulo: A Graphic Biography by Felipe Correa (University of Texas Press 2018)

The Second Coming by Franco Berardi (Polity Books 2019)

Subaltern Geographies by Tariq Jazeel and Stephen Legg (eds.) (University of Georgia Press 2019)

Water Resources Planning: Fundamentals for an Integrated Framework (Fourth Edition) by Andrew A. Dzurik, Tara Shenoy Kulkarni, and Bonnie Kranzer Boland (Rowman and Littlefield 2018)

    Share

Regional Division Annual Reports 2019

    Share

Rights of Nature: The New Paradigm

Rights of Nature is a short-hand term for a form of ecological governance that both provides for and prioritizes Nature’s right to flourish. It also provides for various subsidiary rights, such as the right to restoration, the right to its natural processes, and the right to ecosystem functioning without interference. The term “Rights of Nature” gives the impression that the primary focus is defending Nature’s rights in courts of law. However, the Rights of Nature paradigm aims for a more fundamental shift in governance than only defending rights: placing Nature and its needs before human needs, so that human needs are reconfigured within Nature’s limits. Providing Nature with legal personhood and the guardians to defend its rights in court helps change the framework to a form of ecological governance, rather than laws that provide only for human needs. Currently, American law merely regulates human uses of the natural environment and provides for minimal curbs on overuse by such means as fines for pollution or, more rarely, refusal to grant permits for projects deemed too ecologically damaging.

What is Rights of Nature Governance?

The upsurge in interest in ecological governance is driven by the clear signals worldwide of increasing ecological degradation at systemic levels, ranging from climate change to greatly accelerated species loss across ecosystems. It is clear to many thinkers and advocates that the current industrial paradigm is now threatening ecological integrity worldwide and with it the ability of human communities to live sustainably and support critical needs for food, fresh water, decent shelter and ways of making a living.

Rights of Nature is less a specific template than an overarching ideal of ecological governance, the details of which are fashioned in unique ways in each culture that is seeking to enhance or restore sustainable living within Nature’s limits. This requires that Nature be granted the same rights to flourish and maintain itself as humans grant themselves in their legal structures. But underlying the need for legal protections is the concept that humans and Nature are in a relationship, rather than Nature merely providing a hoard of natural resources for indiscriminate human use. The legal structures discussed in Rights of Nature literature codifies the details of this restored relationship, rather than actually creating it.

Fully implementing a Rights of Nature or similar form of ecological governance, is the only way to reach true sustainability, because it places human activities within the framework of Nature’s laws and limitations, as other forms of governance do not. The problem, however, is how to define “sustainability,” as this overused term has lost both its mooring and meaning. Four criteria need to guide an understanding of the sustainability that a Rights of Nature paradigm aims for: (a) true sustainability prohibits mitigation or substitution for monetary or political gain; (b) sustainable projects create sustainable levels of human use, rather than encouraging continued over-consumption; (c) sustainable use shrinks the human footprint on the earth, not expands it; (d) true sustainability is a flexible and continuous process, as populations, technologies, and needs change, but it always maintains Nature’s biophysical integrity throughout, despite the dynamic changes inherent in ecological processes.

The History of the Rights of Nature Paradigm

The idea of granting Nature legal rights originated in a court case decided in 1972 by the United States Supreme Court, Sierra Club versus Morton. The Forest Service had issued permits for Disney Enterprises to build a complex of recreation and lodging facilities in Mineral King Valley in the Sierra Nevada of California. The Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund sued to stop the project, but the lower court held that the Fund would not be adversely affected by the project and thus had no legal standing to sue. The United States Supreme Court decided to hear the case. As the case was pending, Christopher Stone, a professor at the University of California School of Law, authored a law review article arguing that natural areas and objects should have legal rights to defend their ecological integrity from harms that would damage them.

Mineral King Valley, now part of Sequoia National Park, California. Photo courtesy of National Park Service.

The country of Ecuador was the first to place Rights of Nature in its governing laws. Section 7 of the new Constitution of Ecuador adopted in 2008 says, “Nature, or Pacha Mama, where life is reproduced and occurs, has the right to integral respect for its existence and for the maintenance and regeneration of its life cycles, structure, functions and evolutionary processes.” The Constitution also grants Nature the right to be restored and requires the government to prevent or restrict activities leading to species extinction, ecosystem destruction, and permanent alteration of natural cycles. Significantly, the Ecuadoran Constitution also protects its people’s rights to food sovereignty, and the right, especially of indigenous peoples, to remain on their ancestral lands, protecting their rights to develop ancestral traditions and societies and retain ownership of their community lands.This article, entitled “Should Trees Have Standing?” caught the attention of Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas. The Court ruled against the Sierra Club, but Justice Douglas wrote a now-famous dissent in which he said, “Contemporary public concern for protecting nature’s ecological equilibrium should lead to the conferral of standing upon environmental objects to sue for their own preservation.” Ultimately, the Sierra Club was able to prevent the destruction of Mineral King Valley, which is now part of Sequoia National Park. Professor Stone’s provocative article, suggesting that Nature be granted legal personhood to protect its own integrity, slowly began to attract more attention.

This new Constitutional provision on Nature’s Rights is slowly changing the face of Ecuadoran law. The very first lawsuit using the Rights of Nature provision was decided in Ecuador in 2011. It concerned a new road built along the Vilcabamba River in Loja Province and the dumping of construction rubble into the river. The Provincial Justice Court of Loja ruled in favor of the river, noting that damage to nature is generational in extent and that therefore the “precautionary principle” should guide development projects. The court required the government to take immediate corrective actions and appointed a delegation to oversee the cleanup.

Evo Morales Ayma, President of Bolivia and Rights of Nature advocate, holding up a manual of the World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth during a press conference at UN Headquarters on May 7, 2010. United Nations photograph by Eskinder Debebe.

Other recent efforts include a state court in India granting legal personhood to the heavily polluted Ganges and Yamuna Rivers, and local Rights of Nature legislation in various regions of the United States. Most recently (in February 2019), the people of Toledo, Ohio passed a Bill of Community Rights and Nature’s Rights to protect Lake Erie, subject to nearly annual toxic algal blooms, mainly as a result of industrial agricultural practices in the lake’s watershed. The legislation passed with 61% of the vote, but is already subject to a lawsuit, as nearly all other such local attempts in the United States have been.Bolivia subsequently, in 2010, enacted a comprehensive Rights of Nature statute, and also hosted an international gathering of concerned organizations from around the world, which led to the founding of the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature. Advocates and governments worldwide are also experimenting with innovative ways to approach ecosystem protection that reach past the current human-centered legal paradigm. One of the most successful is in New Zealand, where a fusion of Western legal concepts and Maori traditions of the Whanganui River’s importance as an ancestor, and Maori responsibilities to protect and conserve it, led to a formal agreement, finalized in 2012, to grant the river a legal identity. The implementing legislation passed in 2017. The definition of the river is adopted from the Whanganui iwi, the Maori group whose entire history is tied to the river. The river is defined as a living and integral whole, whose life is inseparable from the Whanganui iwi. Appointed guardians from the Whanganui iwi and the New Zealand government now protect the river. This successful project is considered a model for other efforts to blend indigenous law and tradition with Western legal structures for the protection of Nature.

The reason is not hard to seek: a Rights of Nature legal structure, if implemented nationwide, would constitute a monumental shift in the way Americans approach Nature, with relationship to Nature as the foremost goal, and the protection and flourishing of Nature given primacy over natural resources extraction and use. It would change the basis and thrust of the economy. Thus far, all attempts at Rights of Nature legislation in the United States have been local. These locally-approved laws clash with the hierarchical structure of American governance, which pre-empts most natural resources regulation to state or federal levels.

Questions and Challenges for a Rights of Nature Paradigm

Clearly, major changes in human use of the environment must take place; the ecological signals are unmistakable that current levels are unsustainable. The question is how best to move forward. There are many unanswered questions about ecological governance. How would Rights of Nature laws be implemented? What level of Nature would be granted the right to flourish: a watershed, an entire ecosystem, a single river, a valley, the climate of the world? Who would determine whether a given use interferes with Nature’s well-being and how would it be measured? If there are damages, how would they be measured, what would the remedy be, and how would it be implemented? How would human communities reconfigure themselves to live sustainably and stably, without instability, poverty and excessive resource use? How would human needs and Nature’s need to flourish without interference be balanced to create wholeness for both parties?

These questions and many more are being explored in a growing trickle of papers, articles, and books. CRC Press published the first book surveying Rights of Nature activity worldwide since an environmental philosophy work by Roderick Nash in 1989. The new book, released in 2017, begins the conversation on changes needed in human land use patterns (in the United States). It is titled Sustainability and the Rights of Nature: An Introduction, by Cameron La Follette and Chris Maser. The authors recognize that implementing ecological governance and deep sustainability models is something that must be done locally, place by place, region by region. Therefore, they are working on a second book, Sustainability and the Rights of Nature in Practice, in which advocates, scholars, and government officials from around the world discuss the path ahead, and the challenges and opportunities they face, from places as diverse as Germany and Kiribati, Bhutan and Scotland, Nigeria and Venezuela.

The problems humans now face around the world, ranging from marine plastics to climate change to severe soil erosion and ecosystem depletion, require communities and nations to apply every creative means to restore the human relationship with Nature. This requires the best scientific information on ecosystems, geography, hydrology and many other fields. But it also requires collaboration between people of differing traditions who share a landscape and region, to forge new partnerships and models that can govern humans’ return to a relationship with Nature, which sustains all.

Some cultures have retained much of their traditional relationship with Nature, and the customs and laws governing it, especially indigenous peoples in many regions. But the industrial paradigm of extraction and use without limits – or very minimal limits – is commonplace worldwide, and wreaking havoc on ecosystems, income inequality, and environmental health and resilience. It is clear that the existing legal framework, which favors human use and restricts use only to maintain, at best, minimal levels of ecosystem function, must change. Rights of Nature, and other potential forms of ecological governance now being explored, provide the path to a new and vital relationship between humans and Nature.

Cameron La Follette has a Masters in Psychology from New York University, and a Law degree from Columbia University. She is the lead author on Sustainability and the Rights of Nature: An Introduction, and lead editor on the forthcoming book Sustainability and the Rights of Nature in Practice.

    Share

Newsletter – March 2019

PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

Harassment-Free AAG: What to expect at the Washington D.C. Meeting 

By Sheryl Luzzadder-Beach and Lorraine Dowler

“The AAG charged a task force in Spring 2018 to gather information and recommend programmatic changes in order to envision a safer and more inclusive national meeting… the goal of this proposed program is to work towards a Harassment-Free AAG so that all of our members can benefit equally from attending the national meeting. This approach places the AAG as an institutional leader in addressing diverging and intersectional forms of potential harassment at a national meeting.”

Continue Reading.


ANNUAL MEETING

Download the AAG Mobile App Today!

Tired of carrying a large printed program around the AAG Annual Meeting? Want to easily organize your AAG session schedule in a digital calendar format? Make the most of your AAG annual meeting experience by downloading the AAG mobile app. Don’t wait until you’re standing in the registration line. Get the app now and start planning your schedule.

Go green with the AAG Mobile App.

Jumpstart your Career with the #aagDC Jobs and Careers Center

During the 2019 AAG Annual Meeting, the AAG Jobs and Careers Center will feature over 75 sessions, panels, and workshops focused on professional development. Sessions will cover a broad range of topics including working as a geographer in the public, private, nonprofit, or academic sector; networking strategies; diversity in academia; becoming a certified GIS Professional (GISP); women in leadership roles in geography and more. Career mentoring sessions for geographers from high school to mid-career as well as job postings will also be available.

View the entire series of events.

Geospatial Health: Theme Plenaries and Highlighted Sessions

Leading scholars will gather at the 2019 AAG Annual Meeting to discuss important topics at the convergence of geography, GIScience, and health – a featured theme of this year’s meeting. Plenaries and highlighted sessions include:

  • Integrating Geography, GIScience, and Health Research
  • Replication of Scientific Research: An Integrated Approach to Sharing, Accessing, Building on, and Replicating Research Involving Confidential Geospatial Data
  • An integrated approach for sharing, accessing, and analyzing confidential geospatial data: the Geospatial Virtual Data Enclave (GVDE) Workshop
  • Global Perspectives on Geospatial Health Research
  • Building the International Geospatial Health Research Network
  • Geomasking techniques built-into an integrated platform for research involving confidential geospatial data: the Geospatial Virtual Data Enclave (GVDE) Workshop
  • Emerging Trends in Geospatial Health Research

See more information the Geospatial Health theme.

Cheer on your Regional Team at the 2019 World Geography Bow

AAG2018-WGB_0230-300x200The annual round robin tournament features teams of students from each of the AAG Regional Divisions competing for both a team championship title and individually for an MVP Award. The 2019 World Geography Bowl will be held on Thursday, April 4 in the Maryland and Virginia Rooms in the Marriott. The first round starts at 7 PM! Stop by on your way to the international reception (across the hall) or join in to watch the championship round after the reception concludes! Prizes donated from generous sponsors are awarded to winning teams and individuals.

Learn more about the bowl.

Student Networking Social and #aagDC Activities

Students make up approximately 40% of annual meeting attendees so there are plenty of opportunities for students to get involved in the 2019 Annual Meeting. From career mentoring to undergraduate research sessions to specialty group competitions and business meetings, there are events that give students the chance to meet one another and expand their network. Be sure to attend the Student Networking Social on April 3 from 4:30-6:10 PM before the Opening Reception for a chance to win a FREE registration for the 2020 AAG meeting in Denver!

Read more about student focused activities and events.

AAG Diversity Ambassadors Program Turns 10!

The 2019 Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, marks the 10-year anniversary of the AAG’s Diversity Ambassadors Program which began at the 2009 Annual Meeting in Las Vegas. To celebrate this anniversary, AAG staff and Diversity Ambassadors have planned a line-up of diversity-themed sessions culminating in a special forum, “Celebrating Diversity in Geography.” The final line-up of diversity-related sessions is available to view and will also be published in the 2019 Annual Meeting Program and Annual Meeting app.

Download the event schedule.

Focus on new

“Focus on Washington, DC and the Mid Atlantic” is an ongoing series curated by the Local Arrangements Committee to provide insight on and understanding of the geographies of Washington, DC and the greater Mid Atlantic region in preparation for the 2019 AAG Annual Meeting.

Find local venues to explore in Washington, D.C.

Planning your trip to #aagDC? Looking for some D.C. insider tips? As the city where the AAG and most of its staff call home, we rounded up some of our favorite places and spaces throughout the greater Washington, D.C. area, compiling them on our Instagram account (@theaag) with the hashtag #AAGgetslocal. Check out some of the AAG staff members’ favorite spots where they live, work, and play. Know a good local spot? Feel free to share it with the hashtag #aagDC!

See local D.C. favorites.

Don’t delay – book your room for #aagDC today!

AAG has negotiated a discounted block of hotel rooms at the 2019 AAG Annual Meeting headquarters, the Marriott Wardman Park. This rate is available on a first come, first served basis. Spring is a busy season in DC, be sure to reserve your room before they are filled and rates increase.


PUBLICATIONS

NEW Annals issue alert:
Research featuring Belfast to Tanzania; Carbon Emissions to National Identity

The latest issue of the Annals of the American Association of Geographers is now available (Vol 109, Issue 1, January 2019) with 17 new research articles on wide-ranging topics in geography. Topics include urban watershedsspatial scale in modelingmental healththe carbon credit economyIrish identitydeforestation, and urban CO2 emissions. Study areas include Tanzaniathe Navajo NationCentral MexicoGuangzhouPeru’s Lake ParónSingapore, and Belfast. Authors are from a variety of global institutions including: University of TorontoNewcastle University, and The Pennsylvania State University.

All AAG members have full online access to all issues of the Annals through the Members Only page. In every issue, the editors choose one article to make freely available for two months. In this issue you can read The Grass Beneath: Conservation, Agro-Industrialization, and Land-Water Enclosures in Postcolonial Tanzania by Youjin B. Chung for free for the next two months.

Questions about the Annals? Contact annals [at] aag [dot] org.

In addition to the most recently published journal, read the latest issue of the other AAG journals online:

• Annals of the American Association of Geographers
• The Professional Geographer
• GeoHumanities
• The AAG Review of Books

New Books in Geography – February Available! 

New-books1-1-1Read the latest works in geography and related disciplines as found on the February New Books in Geography list! February’s list features titles with subjects including migration, borders, Brexit, wine, ArcGIS Pro, and more.

Browse the whole list of new books.


ASSOCIATION NEWS

Search for AAG Executive Director Underway

After 17 years of distinguished service, Douglas Richardson is retiring from the post of executive director of the AAG. The Association is currently seeking applications and nominations for the position of Executive Director. A full job description and posting is available online.

See the position announcement.

AAG Announces Additional 2019 AAG Award Recipients

Congratulations to the recipients of 2018 AAG Awards including the Harm de Blij Award, Miller Award, Laws Award, Rose Award, Marcus Fund, Burrill Award, Wilbanks Award, and BA/BS Geography Program Award! Also announced are those receiving dissertation and research grants. Formal recognition of the awardees will occur during the AAG Awards Luncheon at the Annual Meeting on Sunday, April 8, 2019.

Learn more about the awardees.

2018 AAG Book Awards Announced

The AAG is pleased to announce the recipients of the three 2018 AAG Book Awards: the John Brinckerhoff Jackson Prize, the AAG Globe Book Award for Public Understanding of Geography, and the AAG Meridian Book Award for Outstanding Scholarly Work in Geography. The AAG Book Awards mark distinguished and outstanding works published by geography authors during the previous year, 2018. Formal recognition of the awardees will occur during the AAG Awards Luncheon at the Annual Meeting on Sunday, April 7, 2019.

See the Book Awards.

AAG Calls for Nominations for Standing and Awards Committees

The AAG Council will make appointments to several of the AAG Standing Committees at its spring 2019 meeting. These appointments will replace members whose terms will expire on June 30, 2019. If you wish to nominate yourself or other qualified individuals for one or more of these vacancies, please notify AAG Secretary Cathleen McAnneny on or before March 15, 2019. Please make sure that your nominee is willing to serve if appointed. Include contact information for your nominee as well as a brief paragraph indicating his/her suitability for the position.

Click here for a list and description of committees.


MEMBER NEWS

Profiles of Professional Geographers

Geography careers are rewarding! Bruce Mitchell, Senior Research Analyst at the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, describes how his work in analyzing access to financial institutions for low income groups in the U.S. has helped to promote economic equity throughout the country. Geographers lend a unique spatial perspective to this type of work.

Learn more about Geography Careers.

March Member Updates

The latest news about AAG Members.

Dr. Taylor Shelton (Mississippi State University) received an honorable mention for Urban Geography’s recently established Early Career Researcher (ECR) prize for the paper Rethinking the RECAP. Read more.


RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Updates from the Geography and Spatial Sciences (GSS) Program at NSF

ATTACHMENT DETAILS NSF_logo2s-1

Long-time GSS Program Officer Tom Baerwald retired at the end of 2018. Current program officers are Antoinette WinklerPrins and Jackie Vadjunec, use gss-info [at] nsf [dot] gov to reach them with any questions about the program. At the upcoming AAG Annual Meeting in Washington, DC there will be sessions to honor Tom’s achievements followed by a reception celebrate his next phase in life. Please feel free to join in! During the AAG Annual Meeting, the GSS program will also host several outreach events during which time you can become familiar with opportunities for geographers at NSF, and the GSS program specifically.

See the NSF sponsored events.

Geography Education Research Sessions at 2019 AAG Annual Meeting

NCRGE_logoEach year for the AAG Annual Meeting, The National Center for Research in Geography Education (NCRGE) organizes and compiles a track of papers, posters, and panels focusing on geography education research. NCRGE is sponsoring this track to raise the visibility of research in geography education, grow the NCRGE research coordination network, and provide productive spaces for discussion about geography education research and what makes research in the field potentially transformative. The track features a full-day symposium on Thursday, April 4.

Click here to view the full track schedule.

Government and Nonprofit Officials to Discuss National Education Research Challenges and Opportunities at 2019 AAG Annual Meeting

On Friday, April 5, the 2019 AAG Annual Meeting program will feature two panels examining national education research challenges and opportunities for geographers. Panelists include representatives from federal and state government agencies and major nonprofit organizations. Both panels are sponsored by the National Center for Research in Geography Education (NCRGE).

Click here for the panel descriptions and locations.

Transformative Research in Geography Education: Request for Proposals

NCRGE_logoThe National Center for Research in Geography Education (NCRGE) invites proposals to develop new collaborative and interdisciplinary research networks in geography education. Through this program, NCRGE aspires to strengthen geography education research processes and promote the growth of sustainable, and potentially transformative, lines of research.

View the Request for Proposals.


FEATURED ARTICLES

Deoxygenation of the Ocean Affects Everyone, So Act Now

By Dawn J. Wright and Sylvia A. Earle

“Did you know that more than half of the oxygen we breathe comes from the ocean? This oxygen is produced in large part by the photosynthesis of billions and trillions of small plants in the ocean called phytoplankton, as well as the blending of seawater with the atmosphere right at the ocean’s surface. But the ocean is facing unprecedented pressures that are causing massive disruptions in the ecosystem and nutrient cycle of phytoplankton and countless other species…”

Continue reading.

Rights of Nature: The New Paradigm

By Cameron La Follette

“Rights of Nature is a short-hand term for a form of ecological governance that both provides for and prioritizes Nature’s right to flourish. It also provides for various subsidiary rights, such as the right to restoration, the right to its natural processes, and the right to ecosystem functioning without interference. The term “Rights of Nature” gives the impression that the primary focus is defending Nature’s rights in courts of law. However, the Rights of Nature paradigm aims for a more fundamental shift in governance than only defending rights: placing Nature and its needs before human needs, so that human needs are reconfigured within Nature’s limits.”

Continue reading.


GEOGRAPHERS IN THE NEWS

EVENTS CALENDAR

Submit News to the AAG Newsletter. To share your news, email us!

    Share

Harassment-Free AAG: What to expect at the Washington D.C. Meeting

I am excited to write that there are four weeks to go in our countdown to the AAG Annual Meetings in Washington DC (April 3-7, 2019). I welcome guest columnist Dr. Lorraine Dowler, who has been a prior contributor to this space, and this month we highlight Climate Change to which we can all contribute positively for the AAG Meetings.

Harassing behavior by powerful individuals towards those more vulnerable has given rise to recent social movements including #MeToo, #UsToo and, Idle No More to name a few. These social movements are also influencing the academy as countless numbers of academic associations are currently examining how safe and inclusive their academic meetings are for those members who do not represent the majority of meeting attendees. These associations are gathering data about harassment through surveys, updating professional codes of conduct and hiring consultants to develop programs that directly address harassment and the creation of safe and inclusive spaces at academic meetings. Relatedly, the AAG charged a task force in Spring 2018 to gather information and recommend programmatic changes in order to envision a safer and more inclusive national meeting. The Council approved the task’s force proposal for the 2019 meeting, and this column will furnish a preliminary overview of resources that will be available to attendees at the Washington meeting.

    Share

Council Meeting Minutes Spring 2019

    Share