Latest news with #LiDar
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Largest federal grant in Mass Audubon history terminated by Trump admin
The largest federal grant in Mass Audubon's 129-year history has been terminated by the Trump administration, leaving uncertain the future of 10,000 acres of forests and wetlands in the Connecticut River Watershed. Mass Audubon, the largest conservation organization in New England, received the $25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Regional Conservation Partnership Program last October — a slice of $1.5 billion in financial commitments to 92 conservation projects around the country. The funding was part of an expansion created by the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act. According to Politico, many of the termination notifications didn't explain why the grants were cut. A USDA spokesperson told the publication that Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins was returning the Regional Conservation Partnership Program 'to the Farm Bill's established priorities.' The funding would have protected 10,000 acres in the Connecticut River Watershed, according to Mass Audubon, as well as 'fostered partnerships with landowners to restore forest habitat by removing dams, restoring floodplain forests, and engaging in other restorative land management practices.' Read more: 'Small money, huge impact;' We traveled Conn. River to spot hazards of missing buoys 'Terminating grants that conserve our forests, keep working lands working, act as a flood protection buffer for communities, and leverage millions from other funding sources simply makes no sense, and represents a loss for all of us,' David O'Neill, president and CEO of Mass Audubon, said in a statement. The grant also included money that would have assisted in the development of a new measurement and monitoring approach for private landowners to evaluate conservation outcomes — using field measurements, LiDar (light detection and ranging), satellite imaging and AI machine learning to measure and monitor carbon, biodiversity and flood resilience. Mass Audubon had partnered with the Center for Geospatial Solutions at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy to develop the tool. The $25 million grant featured partnerships with Kestrel Land Trust, Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust, Hilltown Land Trust, East Quabbin Land Trust, Connecticut River Conservancy, Trout Unlimited and the Connecticut River Watershed Partnership. Mass Audubon said it is currently weighing its appeal options with the Trump administration. Springfield joins class action lawsuit against feds over cancelled EPA grant Why a database of bug genes could be one of Trump's most devastating cuts at Harvard How dishwashing plastic containers fuels heart issues and pollution Michigan tribes fight for $23M clawed back by Trump's EPA in DEI purge Read the original article on MassLive.
Scoop
13-05-2025
- Scoop
NZ-made ‘Cutting-Edge' VR Experience Tours The UK
Press Release – Antarctic Heritage Trust The VR experience uses a combination of LiDar and photogrammetry data to give the public access to the first expedition base on Antarcticas Ross Island built in 1902 – making it over 122 years old. Captain Robert Falcon Scott's Discovery Hut has opened its doors to the UK public thanks to Kiwi-made cutting-edge technology. The New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust (NZAHT), in collaboration the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT) are touring England and Scotland for the first time with two immersive virtual reality (VR) experiences. The virtual reality tour will visit schools, museums and Antarctic organisations where the British public can don the VR headset, hold the controllers and come face to face with penguins, feed huskies, and meet heroic-era explorers. Among those seeing first-hand how VR is transforming Antarctic education was UKAHT Patron HRH The Princess Royal at a special event at Gilbert White's House and Gardens in Hampshire. HRH The Princess Royal officially launched NZAHT's Ross Sea Heritage Restoration Project at Scott's Discovery hut in 2002. 'It was wonderful to update The Princess Royal on the significant work we have undertaken, and continue to do, to conserve the explorer bases of Antarctica's early explorers including Captain Robert Falson Scott and Sir Ernest Shackleton,' says NZAHT Executive Director Francesca Eathorne. 'We're excited to bring Scott's expedition base to people virtually, making it accessible to those who may not have the opportunity to visit these historic sites in person,' 'It gives great insight into the everyday items the explorers had with them and how they used the hut to support the important science and exploration they undertook.' NZAHT launched its new VR experience of Scott's Discovery Hut with Auckland-based virtual reality tech company StaplesVR in August last year. The VR experience uses a combination of LiDar and photogrammetry data to give the public access to the first expedition base on Antarctica's Ross Island built in 1902 – making it over 122 years old. 'To create something as realistic and true to real world form as Scott's Discovery Hut VR, the team at StaplesVR spent over 1000 hours modelling each artefact and piece of timber to be painstakingly accurate. It was incredibly important to ensure we accurately captured the heritage and significance of the building along with the items inside,' says StaplesVR Technical Manager Krystal Paraone. Christchurch man Clarence Hare was on the 1901-1904 expedition with Captain Robert Falcon Scott's. Some of his descendants living in the UK will be taking the opportunity to virtually visit a place that is important to their family history. A significant amount of the funds for the initial conservation of Scott's explorer bases was raised in the UK. NZAHT is delighted to now be able to share their work to save Scott's Discovery Hut – including conserving over 500 artefacts inside – with those who supported them. 'The conservation work our teams undertake is world-leading and sharing it through VR helps us to educate people around the importance of saving this cultural heritage for future generations,' Eathorne says. NZAHT and UKAHT have a long history of successful partnership, helping each other with cold-climate heritage conservation work in one of the world's most extreme environments. The joint tour marks an exciting step forward in their collaboration, combining their expertise in digital technologies and storytelling to make the remote cultural heritage sites that they care for more accessible to all. There will be two virtual reality experiences on offer during the tour. The UK Antarctic Heritage Trust's A Frozen Night is a 30-minute-long VR experience which transports participants to a fully immersive reconstruction of a historic scientific base where they will step into the shoes of over-wintering Antarctic scientists. UKAHT's Chief Executive Camilla Nichol says those taking part will be among the first in the UK to engage with Antarctic heritage sites in this new and unique way. 'A Frozen Night is UKAHT's first virtual reality experience based on a true story from the archives and narrated by those who lived and worked in our southernmost base, Stonington Island. One of the earliest British sites, established in 1948 and a key dog sledging base, Stonington Island enabled teams to travel far inland into the Antarctic Peninsula. 'Now, for the first time, A Frozen Night allows people to virtually travel into Stonington's past to experience the wonders and risks of Antarctic field work.' The virtual reality tour, generously funded by The Charles Hayward Foundation and donors to NZAHT's Inspiring Explorers™ Fund, will also visit the Scott Polar Research Institute and Discovery Point Museum, home to Scott's Discovery ship About New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust Antarctic Heritage Trust is a New Zealand-based not-for-profit with a vision of Inspiring Explorers. A world leader in cold-climate heritage conservation, the Trust cares for the expedition bases and more than 20,000 artefacts left behind by Antarctic explorers, including Carsten Borchgrevink, Captain Robert Falcon Scott, Sir Ernest Shackleton and Sir Edmund Hillary. To date the Trust has restored and conserved Scott's huts at Cape Evans and Hut Point, Shackleton's hut at Cape Royds and Hillary's hut at Scott Base. This has led to a number of significant discoveries including 114-year-old whisky under Ernest Shackleton's hut, a notebook from surgeon and photographer George Murray Levick at Scott's Cape Evans hut as well as lost Ross Sea Party photographs. In 2017, conservators discovered a century-old fruitcake and a 118-year-old watercolour amongst artefacts from Antarctica's first buildings at Cape Adare. The Trust shares the legacy of exploration through outreach programmes and encourages the spirit of exploration through expeditions to engage and inspire a new generation. You can read more at About UK Antarctic Heritage Trust The UK Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT) is a UK-based charity dedicated to conserving Britain's fascinating history and legacy in Antarctica. UKAHT was born out of a small group's passion to champion the legacy of all those who went before us in the Antarctic. Since 1993, the organisation has worked to protect this, from conserving the huts left by those first pioneers and managing the historic site of Base A, Port Lockroy, to collaborating with other groups to ensure that science and tourism on the Antarctic Peninsula are sustainable. Following a conservation survey in 1994, British Base A, Port Lockroy, was recognised for its historic importance and designated as a Historic Site and Monument 61 under the Antarctic Treaty. The huts were renovated in 1996 by a team from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and have since been open to visitors during the Antarctic summer. UKAHT took over the running of Port Lockroy in 2006. The charity also runs the world's southernmost post office at Base A, Port Lockroy, on behalf of the Government of the British Antarctic Territory, which in turn donates a portion of the Post Office revenue to UKAHT. Anyone wishing to help protect and share the wonder of Antarctica and its heritage can support the charities and New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust and the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust by becoming a member or making a donation.
The National
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Weekly UAE museum and gallery guide: Must-see exhibitions by Sama Alshaibi and Shilpa Gupta
A new wave of solo exhibitions is rolling across galleries and institutions in the UAE. Diasporic experiences represented by flowers, paintings ruminating on psychological states through fables and a project aimed at capturing the palimpsest-like nature of Baghdad, here are four exhibitions to see this weekend. The title of Sama Alshaibi's solo exhibition at Ayyam Gallery is drawn from the Arabic word for palimpsest. The Iraqi-Palestinian artist is presenting a series of mixed-media collages and video works that present Baghdad as a site of fragmented narratives and memories. Alshaibi travelled to the Iraqi capital between 2021 and 2023, using LiDar technology to document its streets, landmarks and marshlands. She captured structures and the flow of daily life. The works featured in the exhibition are drawn from data mappings, archival materials and photographs. Together, they form a thoughtful exploration of a city that is constantly adapting to new geopolitical realities. Monday to Friday, 10am – 6pm; Saturday, 12pm – 6pm; until May 30; Ayyam Gallery, Dubai Maitha Abdalla's works bloom from the seams between the real and the uncanny. The Emirati artist, whose practice spans several mediums, often uses folktales and myths to explore themes such as psychology, social conditioning and gender. Her solo exhibition at Abu Dhabi's cultural foundation reflects upon these topics through a mix of painting and sculptures that toe the line between the figurative and the abstract. Saturday to Thursday, 9am – 8pm; Friday, 2pm – 8pm; until August 30; Cultural Foundation Abu Dhabi In her first regional solo exhibition, Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons references the flora and fauna of Latin America, the Middle East and Africa to examine experiences of diaspora. The Cuban artist touches upon experiences of unity and longing in her works. Her paintings and sculptures are vibrant, brimming with hibiscus, sugarcanes and guava leaves. The works come together as an arresting exploration of the connection between landscapes and collective memories. Monday to Saturday, 11am – 7pm; until Thursday; Efie Gallery, Dubai Shilpa Gupta: Lines Of Flight at Ishara Art Foundation Shilpa Gupta's first solo exhibition in the Middle East is being held at the Ishara Art Foundation. It presents a large body of work, produced since 2006. The artworks, though ranging in medium, all have a central preoccupation in that they challenge the notions of border, terrestrial and political. Some drawings highlight works by poets from around the world who faced persecution, showing how their writings transcended demarcations. A room-filled installation, titled Listening Air, meanwhile, features songs of resistance, emanating from microphones that move across the space. Monday to Saturday, 10am – 7pm; until May 31; Ishara Art Foundation, Dubai
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Rosendin to demo robotic solar panel installers on Texas jobsite
This story was originally published on Construction Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Construction Dive newsletter. San Jose, California-based electrical contractor Rosendin claims it has made a major breakthrough in solar construction technology and will demonstrate a new autonomous robotic solution for photovoltaic installation, according to a news release. Rosendin's Renewable Energy Group will host the live exhibition of the tech — a 3-piece robotic system made of two panel-carrying robots and one panel-setting bot — at a large-scale solar energy project under construction in West Texas on April 17, according to the release. Operators will demonstrate the robot's features, which include autonomous operations, obstacle detection and avoidance using LiDar, maneuverability across uneven terrain and precise positioning of PV panels within 2mm using GPS and KMZ mapping, per the release. A real-time demonstration will show how skilled electrical teams work alongside the robotic system, collaboratively installing PV panels more quickly, safely and efficiently. Rosendin said that the robots will triple installation speeds, enhance worker safety and address the industry's persistent labor shortage, particularly as commercial solar panels can measure 4 feet by 8 feet and weigh between 80-100 pounds, per a Rosendin information packet detailing the robots. 'We created a solution that will revolutionize the installation of renewable energy facilities worldwide by providing a safer, faster, repeatable, and more cost-effective means of deploying solar installations in remote locations,' said David Lincoln, Rosendin senior vice president, in the release. On a solar project in Danevang, Texas, the robots achieved an installation rate equaling 350-400 modules per eight-hour shift, alongside a two-man crew working collaboratively with the robots. This installation rate was three times the rate of a standard three- to four-person crew installing modules manually, per the news release. This isn't the first time robotic technology has been tested on a solar project — in March 2023, Minneapolis-based Mortenson hosted a field trial for Salt Lake City, Utah-based Palladyne AI, then known as Sarcos Technology and Robotics, on one of its jobsites. Sign in to access your portfolio
The Hill
10-03-2025
- Automotive
- The Hill
Japan's Nissan tests driverless vehicles in city streets filled with cars and people
YOKOHAMA, Japan (AP) — The van makes its way slowly but surely through the city streets, braking gently when a car swerves into its lane. But its steering wheel is turning on its own, and there's no one in the driver's seat. The driverless technology from Nissan Motor Corp., which uses 14 cameras, nine radars and six LiDar sensors installed in and around the vehicle, highlights Japan's eagerness to catch up with players like Google's Waymo that have taken the lead in the U.S. Japan, home to the world's top automakers, has not kept pace with the global shift to autonomous driving, so far led by China and the U.S. But momentum is building. Waymo is going to land in Japan this year. Details haven't been disclosed, but it has a partnership with major cab company Nihon Kotsu, which will oversee and manage their all-electric Jaguar I-PACE sport-utility vehicles, first in the Tokyo area, still with a human cab driver riding along. During Nissan's demonstration, the streets were bustling with other cars and pedestrians. The vehicle stayed within the maximum speed limit in the area of 40 kph (25 mph), its destination set with a smartphone app. Takeshi Kimura, the Mobility and AI Laboratory engineer at Nissan, insists an automaker is more adept at integrating self-driving technology with the overall workings of a car — simply because it knows cars better. 'How the sensors must be adapted to the car's movements, or to monitor sensors and computers to ensure reliability and safety requires an understanding of the auto system overall,' he said during a recent demonstration that took reporters on a brief ride. Nissan's technology, being tested on its Serena minivan, is still technically at the industry's Level Two because a person sits before a remote-control panel in a separate location outside the vehicle, in this case, at the automaker's headquarters, and is ready to step in if the technology fails. Nissan also has a human sitting in the front passenger seat during the test rides, who can take over the driving, if needed. Unless there is a problem, the people in the remote control room and the passenger seat are doing nothing. Nissan plans to have 20 such vehicles moving in the Yokohama area in the next couple of years, with the plan to reach Level Four, which means no human involvement even as backup, by 2029 or 2030. Autonomous vehicles can serve a real need given the nation's shrinking population, including a shortage of drivers. Other companies are working on the technology in Japan, including startups like Tier IV, which is pushing an open source collaboration on autonomous driving technology. So far, Japan has approved the use of so-called Level Four autonomous vehicles in a rural area in Fukui Prefecture, but those look more like golf carts. A Level Four bus is scuttling around a limited area near Tokyo's Haneda airport. But its maximum speed is 12 kmph (7.5 mph). Nissan's autonomous vehicle is a real car, capable of all its mechanical workings and speed levels. Toyota Motor Corp. recently showed its very own 'city' or living area for its workers and partnering startups, near Mount Fuji, being built especially to test various technology, including autonomous driving. Progress has been cautious. University of Tokyo Professor Takeo Igarashi, who specializes in computer and information technology, believes challenges remain because it's human nature to be more alarmed by accidents with driverless vehicles than regular crashes. 'In human driving, the driver takes responsibility. It's so clear. But nobody is driving so you don't know who will take responsibility,' Igarashi told The Associated Press. 'In Japan, the expectation for commercial services is very high. The customer expects perfect quality for any service — restaurants or drivers or anything. This kind of auto-driving is a service form a company, and everybody expects high quality and perfection. Even a small mistake is not acceptable.' Nissan says its technology is safe. After all, a human can't be looking at the front, the back and all around at the same time. But the driverless car can, with all its sensors. When a system failure happened during the recent demonstration, the car just came to a stop and all was well. Phil Koopman, professor of electrical and computer engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, believes the autonomous vehicle industry is just getting started. The main problem is what's known as 'edge cases,' those rare but dangerous situations that the machine has not yet been taught to respond to. Using autonomous fleets of a significant size for some time is needed for such edge cases to be learned, he said. 'We will see each city require special engineering efforts and the creation of a special remote support center. This will be a city-by-city deployment for many years,' said Koopman. 'There is no magic switch.'
