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Daily Archives: December 8, 2014

California drought, visualized with open data

USGS News release: ” A newly released interactive California Drought visualization website aims to provide the public with atlas-like, state-wide coverage of the drought and a timeline of its impacts on water resources. The U.S. Geological Survey developed the interactive website as part of the federal government’s Open Water Data Initiative. The drought visualization page features high-tech graphics that illustrate the effect of drought on regional reservoir storage from 2011-2014. For the visualization, drought data are integrated through space and time with maps and plots of reservoir storage. Reservoir levels can be seen to respond to seasonal drivers in each year. However, available water decreases overall as the drought persists. The connection between snowpack and reservoir levels is also displayed interactively. Current streamflow collected at USGS gaging stations is graphed relative to historic averages. Additionally, California’s water use profile is summarized. California has been experiencing one of its most severe drought in over a century, and 2013 was the driest calendar year in the state’s 119-year recorded history. In January, California Governor, Jerry Brown, declared a State of Emergency to help officials manage the drought. “USGS is determined to provide managers and residents with timely and meaningful data to help decision making and planning for the state’s water resources,” said Nate Booth, chief of USGS Water Information. “The drought affects streamflow across the state, which leads to reduced reservoir replenishment as well as groundwater depletion.” White House open data policies continue to provide opportunities for innovation at the nexus between water resource management and information technology. The Open Water Data Initiative promotes these goals with an initial objective of presenting valuable water data in a more user friendly, easily accessible format.”

  • “The State of California is experiencing one of the most severe droughts on record, which has implications for citizens of California and beyond. Many State, Federal, and Tribal agencies make routine observations of the water cycle. This website graphically visualizes these data to help understand the effect of drought on rivers, streams, lakes, and reservoirs. Below, learn more about water use and changes in the water cycle due to the current drought in California. The data presented here are drawn from free and publicly accessible sources. In addition, the analytical, graphical, and software tools used are open-source and available for public re-use. For more information about drought and science-based decision making in California, visit the USGS California Water Science Center webpage. Firefox is recommended for the best viewing experience.”

Americans Feel Better Informed Thanks to the Internet

“Rather than crushing them with too much information and making it hard to find useful material, most Americans say the internet and cell phones have brought benefits in learning, sharing and diversifying the flow of information into their lives. A new survey by the Pew Research Center finds that the vast majority of Americans believe… Continue Reading

BCBS assessment of Basel III implementation in EU and US

Freshfields: “The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) has assessed the implementation of the Basel capital framework in the nine EU Member States that are members of BCBS and the US.  The assessments were conducted under the BCBS’ regulatory consistency assessment programme (RCAP), which assesses the consistency and completeness of a jurisdiction’s adopted standards and… Continue Reading

Congress Tells DoD to Report on Leaks

Secrecy News – Steven Aftergood: For the next two years, Congress wants to receive quarterly reports from the Department of Defense on how the Pentagon is responding to leaks of classified information. The reporting requirement was included in the pending National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2015 (Sec. 1052). “Compromises of classified information cause indiscriminate and… Continue Reading

Almost all U.S. nuclear plants require life extension past 60 years to operate beyond 2050

“When nuclear power plants are built, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has the authority to issue initial operating licenses for a period of 40 years. Beyond that, the reactors need license renewals, and the NRC has granted 20-year license renewals to 74 of the 100 operating reactors in the United States. These reactors may now operate… Continue Reading

Warrant Canaries as Tools for Transparency in the Wake of the Snowden Disclosures

Gilens, Naomi, The NSA Has Not Been Here: Warrant Canaries as Tools for Transparency in the Wake of the Snowden Disclosures (April 2014). Available for dowload at at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2498150 “Technology companies are increasingly experimenting with “warrant canaries” as a means of increasing transparency around the national security orders they receive. A warrant canary is… Continue Reading