Blake Esselstyn

Fascinating exploration. In 2024, I was a visiting instructor introducing GIS, and a student from Western Sahara refused to accept that Felt could be a credible tool given how its base map showed Western Sahara's boundary (unlike UN, Wikipedia, Google, NatGeo, etc. when viewed from the Netherlands).

An illuminating look below the surface of this topic, revealing what such a change would entail.

- I did not make a significant wrong turn that required rejiggering the route, nor was there congestion on the roads that would have been nice to avoid.
- The car I was driving didn't support Android Auto.
- Yes, my phone is set to French language, in anticipation of #QGISFR2026 🤓
3/3.

Other notes:
- I was driving from Maastricht to near Charleroi in Belgium. YMMV depending on OSM data.
- In the screenshot, you can see I was in flight/airplane mode, using downloaded data. Still worked well.
- It also offers the "first person driver" view. I just prefer keeping north as up.
2/3

Screenshot of map interface of Organic Maps app during navigation.

After years of using Google Maps as my primary app for driving navigation, today I drove to an unfamiliar place using @organicmaps.bsky.social for the first time and was pleasantly surprised. Particularly nice was that the app was less talkative, not stating the obvious (e.g., merge).
1/3

Episode 27: Are you GLaD about GeoAI? A conversation with Kryzsztof Janowicz

🎧 new episode of the #GLaDpodcast is out!

You can run but you can’t hide. @levijohnwolf.bsky.social, @darribas.bsky.social and I went to the source (Krzysztof Janowicz) to hear more about Geo + AI, AI for Geo, and my personal bugbear GeoAI.

#geography #geoAI

open.spotify.com/episode/7zZj...

Check out the number of parties to choose from in the image ... could be a factor in participation.

Does the event start at 1:04? ;)

I just learned from a math teacher that it is a day: Perfect Square Day!

And this is a special one for this century, because 2025 is 45²

bsky.app/profile/sara...

Also, were you aware that 2025 is 45²?

I know three people whose birthday is today. I told them that they should celebrate at 1:04. =)

Do you know anyone whose birthday is today (Sept. 16th)?

If they like math—or even if they don't—you could point out to them that 9 / 16 / 25 is a sequence of perfect squares.

AND! 2025 is also a perfect square (45²).

Best time of day to acknowledge? Perhaps 1:04. 🤓

Elections Coordinator This job posting expires at 11:59PM on September 15, 2025. No applications can be submitted after 11:59PM on September 15, 2025. Job Title: Elections Coordinator Department: External Hiring Range: $29...

🗳️Job🗳️

The Buncombe County Board of Elections is hiring an absentee voting coordinator

It's a great team in a terrific location.

Sept 15 deadline.

buncombecounty.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Buncom...

I was a bit surprised to see that searches for "census geopackage" and "tiger geopackage" in Bluesky turned up zero results. May this post remedy that situation!

5/5

What does it say about me that I've been on Bluesky since November of 2023 and this is what I choose to make my first original post/thread about? 🤓

4/5

Census Bureau Releases New Geospatial Data The U.S. Census Bureau today announced the release of new geospatial data, including the first-time release of TIGER/Line files in GeoPackage format.

It also appears that this is not new news; the first such release evidently was in 2024.

(For my work, I still mostly use the 2020 geographies because of their alignment with the PL 94-171 redistricting file.)

www.census.gov/newsroom/pre...

3/5

TIGER Data Products Guide Help determining which TIGER Product to use.

And (at least as of today) it would appear that the Census Bureau is making the 2025 TIGER data available as GeoPackages and NOT shapefiles.

www.census.gov/programs-sur...

2/5

TIGER/Line GeoPackages View the available TIGER/Line GeoPackages from the Geography program.

TIL the US Census Bureau is releasing its latest TIGER/Line data in GeoPackage format! 🧵

www.census.gov/geographies/...

1/5

Evidently the 11th.

Is the talk on the 4th or the 11th? The CNG post shows both.

The text of this post says Sept 4; the image says Sept 11. Which is accurate?

Sending my sympathies, Ruth.

Little typo in Michal Migurski's name. His handle is @mike.teczno.com

🎉 Big Changes Ahead: QGIS Is Moving to Qt6 and Launching QGIS 4.0! Exciting times are ahead for the QGIS project! We’re thrilled to share some major updates coming to the QGIS platform over the next few months. These changes are part of a long-planned technical mi…

Big news! QGIS 4.0 is on the horizon! #QGIS
blog.qgis.org/2025/04/17/q...

Maroon banner at the top with the Swarthmore logo, then the text: Social Science Quantitative Laboratory Associate Swarthmore College: Sociology & Anthropology Department Location Swarthmore, Pennsylvania Open Date Apr 05, 2025 Description Swarthmore College is seeking an individual to serve as an Associate in its Social Sciences Quantitative Lab (SSQL). This appointment is for a full-time, academic-year position for three years, with the possibility of renewal upon successful review. The expected starting date is August 2025. The SSQL promotes students’ quantitative skills by providing tutorial services, statistical consultation, and research support to students in the social sciences. More information about the SSQL can be found here: https://www.swarthmore.edu/ssql. Swarthmore College is a highly selective liberal arts college whose mission combines academic rigor with social responsibility. It is located in the suburbs roughly 10 miles west of Philadelphia and 15 miles north of Wilmington and has a SEPTA stop right on campus. Swarthmore has a strong institutional commitment to diversity, and actively seeks and welcomes applications from candidates with exceptional qualifications, particularly those with demonstrable commitments to a more inclusive society and world. Applicants from traditionally underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply. For more information on Faculty Diversity and Excellence at Swarthmore, see http://www.swarthmore.edu/faculty-diversity-excellence/information-candidates-new-faculty Responsibilities (continues in next image) Planning and facilitating in-person workshops and classroom visits to support the teaching of quantitative methods in the social sciences—particularly in Political Science and Sociology/Anthropology—with the goal of familiarizing students with statistical software (R, Stata, and Excel) and helping them develop related data skills, including data collection, management, visualization, analysis, and export

Responsibilities (continiued) Providing statistical support to students during regular office hours and by appointment, including assisting students with the identification, manipulation, and analysis of data sets for their empirical research projects Planning and hosting stand-alone workshops to train students to work with statistical software commonly used in the social sciences, such as R, Stata, Python, Matlab, and/or Geographic Information System (GIS) Collaborating with social science faculty teaching quantitative courses on how best to support their courses and their students Creating additional opportunities for students with less experience in quantitative and computational methods to develop skills and confidence Offering supplementary workshops in quantitative social sciences to help students develop skills for success as research assistants and to prepare them for quantitative careers and job markets Qualifications A Master of Arts or Science (MA or MS), or equivalent, in Political Science, Sociology, Economics, Public Policy, Statistics, Data Science, or a related field is required; a PhD in one of these fields is preferred. Familiarity with statistics/econometrics, causal inference methods, and preparing data for quantitative social science research is required. Familiarity with computational and simulation methods is a plus. Programming expertise in R and Excel and ability to learn new technical skills are required. Expertise in Python, Matlab, GIS, and/or other related software is a plus. Demonstrated excellence in inclusive and equitable teaching practices that support the success of students from diverse backgrounds and with varying levels of preparation in quantitative skills. We seek applicants who cultivate welcoming classroom environments and use pedagogical strategies that promote belonging, engagement, and academic growth for all students.

JOB! Please RT.

Swarthmore is hiring for our Social Science Quantitative Lab Associate to support & do teaching quant methods to undergrads. Especially looking for people familiar with sociology and/or political science, and R. Apply by 4/18.

apply.interfolio.com/165892

Happy to answer questions.

Wish I could be there!

I'm fairly sure I know the answer to the trivia question. I was in that country earlier this month before the recent (and distressing) turn of events.

Good thread to review if you want a refresher before the arguments today.