More than 30 years ago, the late architect and futurist R.
Buckminster Fuller, who, among other things, invented the geodesic
dome, said, ?There is no energy crisis, food crisis, or
environmental crisis. There is only a crisis of ignorance.? Fuller
imagined a ?Geoscope? that would allow people to overcome that
ignorance by seeing, in real time, humanity?s impact on the planet,
and compute possible future scenarios so as to make better choices
and correct our past mistakes. The Buckminster Fuller Institute
(BFI) is close to making that vision a reality, in the form of a
computer program under development called the EARTHscope (download
a Flash demo at the link below). A sort of interactive atlas, this
visually stunning tool will let you tap into a vast library of both
historical and live data, and view multi-layered displays showing
the current state of each of Earth?s life-support systems?energy,
population, education, food, human rights, and many others. The
most interesting feature will allow you to compare future scenarios
for ?business as usual? and ?sustainability.? The EARTHscope, says
BFI president Josh Arnow, ?makes the invisible visible.?
?Leif Utne
Go there>>
EARTHscope:
Dynamic Global Displays of Critical Issues
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