Myrna James Yoo
Publisher and Managing Editor Apogeo Spatial
Dear Readers,
Apogeo Spatial is thrilled to announce a partnership with NASA to publish “live” photos from the International Space Station, taken by astronaut Nick Hague. He’s living aboard the ISS from March through October, doing experiments and research, and launching satellites, such as the first one for a new quantum communications company based in Singapore, SpeQtral Space.
Nick’s photos and comments appear here, with a note of welcome by Claudia Welss, the Board Chair for IONS (the Institute for Noetic Sciences). We believe that the opportunity of going to space and seeing the earth “with new eyes” is an important one to help people look back at Earth and understand that we need to work together to save the planet.
More citizens will be going to space as the space tourism industry heats up. Several companies are proving to be ready, including Virgin Galactic with their first successful flights in December 2018, and Blue Origin, with several to date as well. Anyone can apply to go to space with Space for Humanity footing the bill, so apply at www.SpaceForHumanity.org.
Space is in the public consciousness like rarely before, as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first walk on the moon! Join us at Apollopalooza at Denver’s Wings Over the Rockies museum, where an entire week of festivities will take place. On July 16 at 2:15, I’ll be talking about how “Space Is for Everyone” with Dr. Michael Schmidt, who will share what happens to human bodies when we go into space, among other interesting things.
Blue Origin Founder Jeff Bezos in 2017 with the New Shepard capsule.
Space writer Leonard David will be discussing his new book, Moon Rush: The New Space Race on July 15 at 10:30. You can read about his book found here.
We are more committed than ever to publishing more about climate change and conservation of the planet and how our industry is so important. Real progress cannot be made without you – your software, your tools, your imagery, your data, and your commitment.
We know that every single one of the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) need geospatial solutions. In this issue, we revisit on page 8 the list of Geospatial Platforms that we featured from Fall 2015-Summer 2018, which included 28 companies! There is also a current list of platforms and a user-friendly guide to their differentiators.
Let this be a Clarion Call to Action. The Earth is calling out for our attention, with not enough water in droughts, too much water with floods and melting ice and sea-level rise, and fire and storms like never before. What will it take for us to hear this call?
In May, at Earth’s Call (www.EarthsCall.org) in Aspen, Colorado, change-makers, activists, filmmakers, and musicians came together to hear the call, to tune into it with compassion and grace. Musician Michael Fitzpatrick, who has traveled with the Dalai Lama to play cello, created the event in order to share the earth’s call and “tune” the planet. Many of us are now collaborating and working together to respond to the call.
DJ Spooky (aka Paul D. Miller) was there, and he shared how patterns and data are inherent in everything. Some of his projects are about the planet and its changes. My interview with him appears here.
Myrna inside Blue Origin’s New Shepard capsule that will take tourists to space.
I challenge you as individuals, and as companies, to do more to contribute to saving our planet – the only place we currently have to live.
I invite you to partner with us to do even more to share your important stories. Join us by sponsoring our work to promote your work, and people will learn that they can apply your solutions. We all have a part to play.
YOU have a part to play. YOU are essential in saving the world.
Here are a few ways in which you can join us:
1. Sponsor an ongoing series in one area, such as Disaster Response or Reaching the U.N. SDGs or Fresh Water Access or Flood Risk or Food Security.
2. Sponsor an NGO column or series in which we will highlight their impactful work and projects.
3. Continue to advertise and invest your marketing dollars where it makes a difference, not just to increase your sales, but to increase coverage of important work towards saving the planet.
Reach out to me if this call resonates with you with the subject line: I want to join you to answer Earth’s call.
Earth is calling out to us. Do you hear it? Do you feel it? Do you know it?
I do. It breaks my heart. Answering that call is my life’s mission. If you hear it too, please join me.
Very sincerely,
Myrna
