|
IEDRO volunteer, Ms. Monica Drazba, will be working in Managua, Nicaragua to negotiate with INETER, the Nicaraguan national meteorological service, to digitize its 16,500 precipitation strip charts using the program being developed by Ed Root.
Data rescue for Nicaragua (www.ineter.gob.ni) involves a different sort of data digitization. In this country, precipitation is measured in over 100 locations using strip charts. Our project in this situation starts in the same manner, digitally photographing all charts at a sufficient resolution. The next step is somewhat trickier, as it is not a simple matter to read the charts for their respective information.
A sample precipitation strip chart
IEDRO volunteers are developing a computer program that will read environmental charts showing rainfall, temperature, relative humidity, atmospheric pressure, sunshine, wind direction and speed, stream flow, and other parameters and digitize the information within seconds instead of the 15 to 20 minutes now required to digitize these charts manually.
This will provide hundreds of millions of historical environmental observations in a format that can easily be used by researchers, educators, engineers, farmers, and the general public.
Population: 5,785,846
Capital: Managua
Ethnic groups: Mestizo (mixed Amerindian and White), White, Black, Amerindian
Language: Spanish (official), Miskito, English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast, other
Religion: Roman Catholic, Evangelical, Moravian, Jehovah's Witness, other, none
Median age: 21.7 years
Life expectancy: 71.21 years
GDP per capita: $3,000/year
Industries: Food processing, chemicals, machinery and metal products, textiles, clothing, petroleum refining and distribution, beverages, footwear, wood
Economy: Nicaragua has widespread under-employment and the second lowest per capita income in the Western Hemisphere. Textiles and apparel account for nearly 60% of Nicaragua's exports; however, recent increases in the minimum wage will likely erode its comparative advantage in this industry.
References
CIA World Factbook: Nicaragua
|
