Resources of the Week
Two different items for you this week. Maps--International
Source: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) ReliefWeb Map Centre
If you've been keeping up with ResourceShelf for any length of time, you're probably aware that we have a thing for online maps here. ReliefWeb, OCHA's "global network for humanitarian information on complex emergencies and natural disasters," was established as a one-stop information hub for "timely and reliable information during crises." And sometimes, a map can convey as much or more information than a written document...or provide supplementary information.
You can access maps via a sensitive map or else use the two dropdown menus -- one allows you to select maps by country and another which permits selection of maps by emergency. When you select a country -- let's use Iraq again, since there is high interest in the situation there -- you are presented with a listing of maps in reverse chronological order, from newest through oldest. Links at the top allow you to view the maps:
+ By type -- either reference (standard geographic maps) or thematic (specific emergency, incident or disaster)
+ By source -- according to the agency/organization which prouduced the maps
+ By keyword -- e.g., food, health, landmines, natural resources, weather and climate, etc.
Each map is dated and includes a brief description as to its format and file size. There's also a link that will take you to related documents found elsewhere on the ReliefWeb site.
You can search for maps via a form that allows you to type in a title or specify criteria -- region, country, source, data type, date -- by using dropdown menus.
The Map Centre is updated continually. You can take a look at the newest additions by clicking the "Latest Maps" link at the top of the right navigation column, under the dropdown menu. Under that, there's a selection of links to current "featured" maps. If you'd like to keep track of newly added maps, you can subscribe to an e-mail update; choose to receive it weekly or monthly.
+++
Studs Terkel--Multimedia Resources
Source: Chicago Historical Society Studs Terkel: Conversations with America
Studs Terkel, the venerable Chicago-based author and radio personality, has produced an awesome body of work in his 90-plus years on this planet. The breadth of his subject matter comprises a comprehensive history of the 20th Century. This website makes available a significant amount of recorded material from Terkel's radio programs, books and interviews, organized into seven galleries:
+ The Studs Terkel Program (WFMT radio program in Chicago)
+ Division Street: America (twentieth century urban life in and around Chicago)
+ Hard Times (The Great Depression)
+ The Good War (World War II)
+ Race (interviews with people about their views on race)
+ Talking to Myself (Terkel on his own life)
+ Greatest Hits (particularly memorable moments from Terkel's radio program)
You can search the audio materials archived here. Detailed biographical information about Terkel is available. You will need the free RealPlayer to listen to the audio material and Flash to access portions of the website. Both may downloaded from this page.
The site is part of Historical Voices, a "searchable online database of spoken word collections spanning the 20th century," funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
A family of resources to help information workers be more effective, raise the value of information in their organisations and contribute to success. Read more »
Recently I have found myself cooing over visualisation maps (and heat maps) of health and well being resources. The content rich data is overlayed with mapping technologies, and some interesting themes and patterns are emerging.
A lot of the talk around social media in the last year has been around information overload. Social media has provided us with new and exciting ways to create content. But it has also meant learning new ways to manage and engage with social media tools. Are we teetering on the edge of an information overload precipice?
Information overload is a figment of your imagination. Or a failure of your filter. Or a symptom of your technological submissiveness. Depends on who you ask.
What if you had to sort through 3.5 million articles and social media posts a day and try to pull out the most relevant items for your organisation? What if you then had to cobble it all together into something readable for your top groups and executives in your organisation?
Alacra Compliance saves time by aggregating information from both free and fee-based sources and enabling users to conduct an accurate federated search across these sources (coined “simultaneous search” by Alacra).
FreePint Family
Quilting big data threads
The fallacy of information overload
Information overload: fact, fantasy or filter failure? 
