Visualizing The National Parks – Celebrating 100 Years Of America\’s Wonder

On August 25, 2016, the National Park Service (NPS) turns 100. After a century of shepherding America\’s splendor, the Park Service and its personnel will rightfully be feted as dedicated, humble stewards of our country\’s most precious landscapes.

Personally, we have been lucky enough to visit many of the nation\’s 59 parks on all points of the compass. Each site has never failed to live up to its consecration as a place of American rarity, pride, and beauty. From the unspoiled trails to the popular overlooks, every curated destination within the wilderness is a testament to the work and vision of the Parks Service.

Source: National Park Service

This august anniversary introduces many opportunities to weave the Parks into authentic classroom lessons. For example, the \”Every Kid In A Park\” initiative seeks to connect our nation\’s youth to its most treasured spaces. Additionally, a wide range of visualizations now provide easy ways to incorporate the centennial into state standards and skill-based curricula. At their least, these videos and graphics offer terrific kick-offs to a morning\’s discussion. At their best, these charts and illustrations support critical student proficiencies. They also bring to life the gorgeous panoply of natural wonder that would make any Disney confection blush.

To start, the \”Find Your Park\” website gathers videos and social media interactions of everyday first-person testimonials about the grandeur of America\’s vistas. As a companion, the NPS has opened its Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data to the public, for educators and graphic artists to tap in building models of terrains and visitations.

Some of the best renderings of the National Parks come from the Works Project Administration during the 1930s New Deal. These art deco posters from the Federal Arts Project capture the majesty of the otherworldly settings in colorful and appealing travel enticements. National Geographic has assembled a nice collection of these posters from the Library Of Congress.

Source: National Park Service

In a video homage, the outdoor outfitter O.A.R.S. has put together a stunning tribute to the Parks, told through the stirring words of Theodore Roosevelt. As befitting its founder, the NPS takes seriously its safeguarding of America\’s geology. It invites students of energy, minerals, and paleontology to explore the singular contours and cliffs through open online access and badging of restoration and geoscience. These resources are terrific for earth science and environmentally minded teachers to investigate with their students.

Source: FiveThirtyEight

In math and statistics, the minds at FiveThirtyEight (who usually spend their time worrying about political polls and baseball ERAs) have analyzed the popularity of each park. They crafted crisp graphs and charts for STEM educators to draw from in ranking the visitors to each venerated location. As they note, \”the U.S. national parks have never been so popular,\” and the Great Smoky Mountains continues its reign as the most-visited National Park, due to its location and exquisiteness.

Source: FiveThirtyEight

In probing the specifics beneath the Great Smoky Mountains\’ charm, researcher John Farrell raked the Instagram API to determine where in the Park photographs were most frequently snapped. His visualization layers social media atop traditional coordinate geography to present a new picture of the Park\’s usage. He includes similar map mash-ups for other coast-to-coast sites.

Source: John Farrell

For its part, the NPS has put together its own retro advertisement, in the classic style of antique movie reels or 1950s television ads. This wry film is a perfect nod to the 100-year heritage of the organization. It also displays a warm embrace of every citizen who passes through the Parks\’ gates.

Digging deeper into the soil and flora, Luke Easterwood, Michael Gelon, Hadar Scharff, and Matt Soave have analyzed the Parks\’ Vegetation Inventory. They built a visualization series to \”encourage insightful discoveries\” through the Tableau interface. These charts and graphs drill down to specific physiognomic classes and leaf phenology details.

Source: mattsoave.com

In order to help navigate the Parks, the Sierra Club has designed a System Map based on the urban subway template. This seemingly humorous rendering actually gives travelers a valuable guide in planning their vacations and in connecting the dots between regional marvels.

Source: Fast Company

Source: David Hockney

Finally, the purest representations of America\’s National Parks have always come from the minds of the country\’s painters. Beginning with the light portraits of Thomas Moran, many artists have sought to capture the glory of glaciers and geysers. Most recently, David Hockney scratched a series of brilliant sweeps on his iPad in his \”Yosemite Suite.\” These personal, stylized views prove to any viewer that the nation\’s Parks are love letters to its wilderness. They are the last vestige against urbanity and a hallmark of global distinction.

Visualizing The National Parks – Celebrating 100 Years Of America\’s Wonder

Source: National Geographic

Source: National Park Service

Source: FiveThirtyEight

Source: John Farrell

Source: mattsoave.com

Source: Fast Company

Source: David Hockney

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In order to ensure safety in and out of our homes, be sure to turn off the lights and unplug all electrical appliances like TV, computers etc because they have stand by functions that consume electricity even when turned off. Be careful not to leave electrical cords where people might step on them. Be away from areas marked with signs that read \”Danger: High Voltage.\” Avoid excessive illumination and never use water to put out an electrical fire, never climb utility poles and fences around electrical plants. Always put away electrical appliances and power tools immediately after use.

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History is full of evidences where people have achieved a lot by there will and determination. Columbus could discover America only because he stood firm against all the storms of difficulties. Great conqueror like Napoleon or Hitler were all men of determination whose will power helped them in facing the troubled times. Even we can achieve our goals and face the difficulties if we are determined.

Short Article on \’Electrical Safety Measures\’ (200 Words)

Short Article on \’Where there is a will there is a way\’ (120 Words)

Short Article on \’Electrical Safety Measures\’ (200 Words)

Short Article on \’Where there is a will there is a way\’ (120 Words)

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Atmosphere is very imperative to sustain life on Earth. To protect the atmosphere it is possible and simple, avoid polluting the air and water basically. Fight global warming by planting more trees and keeping your surrounding clean. You can reduce fuel consumption by using energy efficient appliances. We can preserve the atmosphere by practicing and encouraging good hygiene, reducing green house gases and emissions that are going into the air. Thus there are several solutions and ways that we can practice to protect the Earth\’s atmosphere. Effort is the key in life to your success.

Short Article on \’Protect Atmosphere, Save Life\’ (200 Words)

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Snakes require specific living conditions and food in order to thrive. Any simple wooden box will do to house a pet snake. Snakes do not need much room. It should be big enough to slither around in.

Snakes shed their skin approximately every 3 months, during this time, snake may need extra water in its water bowl to soak in. When a snake gets ill, it\’s usually best to turn it loose.

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