Anthropogenic landscapes are areas of the Earth’s surface where the presence of humans is changing the ecological patterns of the land. We affect the earth to serve our needs for food, fuel, fiber, timber, shelter, trade and recreation.
Globaïa is an organization whose mission is to foster a consistent and informed participation of citizens in environmental issues by providing visualization information of today’s world and its likely future. The research group generates visual images that indicate the hotspots of human activity.
Their recent project marks the paths of human activity including roadways, railways, internet cables, airway traffic, electricity lines, and underwater data cables. The information is based on data from US government agencies.
The maps are not to scale since wires and cables are not seen in space – but they provide a visual glimpse of the increase of human activity. The images have a unique presence since they do not have labels, a legend, or text.
The image above illustrates the Global Transportation System.
Cities are yellow; roads are green ; ships are blue ; and airlines are white.
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