Reflection
I strongly agree that everybody should have the opportunity to learn how to interpret weather maps as well as to learn the basics of natural weather cause and effect. It would also be benefitial to many in learning how to interpret aerial photography. This can give individuals the opportunity to decide for themselves if they would like to predict the weather on their own or turn to the local weather station or news source and rely on them to relay the information. It would be very beneficial if not crucial to have a basic understanding to use in emergency situations when other weather sources are not easily accessible. An example of this would be with hurricane Katrina. There were many people who did not have access to weather interpreters during the time hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. Even after the hurricane hit there were many people that could have took extra precaution in getting to safety knowing how severe the hurricane was, how long they could expect to be in the location they are in and possibly watch for signs of any reoccurring activity.
There are however, some ethical issues that may arise from the use of technology from aerial photography. Programs such as Google Earth provide anybody that has access to a computer, the opportunity to search anywhere on Earth with the ability to zoom into street level viewing. As helpful as this is for many it could also be seen as an invasion of privacy. I know the first time I completed a search on Google Earth I was on the look out for what I could find out about myself just by searching around my house with the information that was provided. The result was slightly alarming. I could get a general feel for which houses had children (from the children’s toys in the front or back yard) I was able to identify my cars with visible license plates showing. This information alone made me slightly nervous in knowing that anyone who wanted to could spend a few minutes and gather all of the information they would need to know about me to help identify me or gather enough information to lead them to my children’s school or the nearest park. This is disturbing to me even with trying to justify that the aerial view may help identify many important factors in other situations.
Most people who live in Utah know that we are living on a fault line and with that comes some measure of risk. I have lived in Davis county for 26 years and can say that I have never felt an Earthquake. This is somewhat surprising knowing that there are approximately 500 earthquakes a year that occur here. Lucky for us only 2% of those are felt. In the last 6,000 years large earthquakes have occurred on the Wasatch Front only once every 400 years. It is a slightly alarming to know that we are living on a major fault line and that at any moment the Earths plates could shift and cause a massive earthquake. This occurrence could cause millions if not billions dollars in damage and destroy the lives of thousand. Prior to taking this class I had not put enough thought into how the Earthquakes could effect us here in Utah. I have always assumed that when it happened it would happen but now that I have a better understanding of the history, patterns and facts that revolve around Earthquakes in Utah I have a solid base to back my own feeling and assumptions about living on the fault line in Utah.
better at interpreting their world from an aerial viewpoint and what ethical and civil liberty issues might or should concern citizens about this technology?
