LivingGeography

TIDAL - a new app from Brendan Conway

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Parkinson) — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 11:34:00 +0000

'Some people are on the pitch! They think it's all over'

The immortal words from Kenneth Wolstenholme's BBC TV commentary the 1966 FIFA World Cup Final England v West Germany on 30 July 1966 at Wembley Stadium, London.

TIDAL is a new app, created by Brendan Conway with AI (Claude Code) which visualises match momentum. Similar apps could be developed further to visualise other territorial sports or flows in physical systems.

Spatial analysis of a match is possible, from internationals to local matches e.g. school teams; pub matches; historical matches if the data on possession is available as a CSV file. An example is provided.

Access the app from Brendan's own GIS platform (also built using Claude).

It's called NAVIGATIO.

Scroll down to see the apps.

Add data from CSV (see downloadable model) or JSON; various data providers)

Here's the example of the 1966 World Cup Final that took place 60 years ago today.

World Cup 1966

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Parkinson) — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 10:15:00 +0000

A cross-posting from the World of Music blog.

Brendan Conway has been developing a range of GIS (and other) resources over the years.

He has shared some thinking around the 1966 World Cup Final, which took place 60th anniversary

This is on his new Substack.

There was mention of several musical elements as well, including a song created by Lonnie Donegan for World Cup Willie.

New from Ed Conway

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Parkinson) — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 15:53:21 +0000

A new Substack post by Ed Conway, author of the excellent 'Material World' book.

It explores the geography behind the clothing choices of Andy Burnham, and why a t-shirt can vary in price so much.

What's on the label is only part of the story - as our Year 8's know from our Consumption-related unit.

This is also a taster for Ed's new book 'Trade World', which is published in September.

There are three key products that the book focuses on: bread, cloth and cars.

London's Future

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Parkinson) — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 15:44:46 +0000

Imagine being in charge of a city the size of London, with all its complexity...

Its millions of inhabitants. The traffic. The infrastructure. Feeding everyone, and providing water and sewage. Providing employment opportunities; tackling crime... endless complexity and different competing requirements and view.

Ultimately keeping the city functioning and safe for residents and visitors are key priorities. The vision is for Good Growth.

There is a 2021 London Plan which runs to over 500 pages.

It can be downloaded as a PDF.

The London Plan 2021 is the Spatial Development Strategy for Greater London. It sets out a framework for how London will develop over the next 20-25 years and the Mayor’s vision for Good Growth.

The Plan is part of the statutory development plan for London, meaning that the policies in the Plan should inform decisions on planning applications across the capital. Borough’s Local Plans must be in ‘general conformity’ with the London Plan, ensuring that the planning system for London operates in a joined-up way and reflects the overall strategy for how London can develop sustainably, which the London Plan sets out.

A consultation is now open through to October on the next London Plan, which will guide change over the next 20 years.

This would be of interest to those teaching in London.

New ONS population estimates

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Parkinson) — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 15:33:51 +0000

The Office for National Statistics has released some new mid-year population estimates for England and Wales for 2025.

This stands at just over 62 million.

Over 600 000 people left the country so far, and the total net migration is well down on last year. Birth rates have also dropped.

Here are the details for Norfolk.

If you head for the data visualisation you can find out the details for your own county.

Has the population peaked?

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Parkinson) — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 19:44:20 +0000

A useful map on the Our World in Data site. I discovered it via this Substack post.

You can interact with the version below by changing the date.

Greenland's Statistics and Exploration

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Parkinson) — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 19:40:25 +0000

Via LinkedIn

Greenland has been much in the news for some time, particularly since President Trump wanted to acquire it for its geopolitical importance.

If you are thinking of using this country as a place study - given the recent interest due to its geopolitical situation, I recommend a copy of Elizabeth Buchanan's excellent book.

Elizabeth Buchanan’s short history begins with the Vikings, and their mysterious disappearance from Greenland in the 1400s. She explores the island’s evolution from a Danish possession into an autonomous territory; its role in the World Wars, and its strategic importance during the Cold War. Finally, she dissects Greenland’s position today at the centre of a new ‘great game’, balancing transatlantic ties, rising Chinese influence and mounting domestic pressures for independence—not to mention President Trump’s agenda to acquire the landmass.

Buchanan poses four provocative yet compelling scenarios for Greenland’s future—from full independence to an icy standoff with Denmark. Her analysis is an essential read for anyone curious about this frozen frontier and its place on the world stage.

Bankstat is the site for Greenland statistics.

The RGS has been involved in a project linked with Greenland too.

Following funding last year from the NERC Arctic Office, the Greenland Connection project seeks to tell the hidden stories of UK-led exploration in Greenland and illustrate the diversity of people involved.
The project, formed by a group of interdisciplinary researchers, has led to the production of a fascinating new collection of StoryMaps, covering topics including Indigenous participation in Greenland expeditions, the untold histories of women involved, and the geopolitics of the governance of Greenland today.
The resources are available to a range of audiences (aged 16+) and have been translated into three languages – Greenlandic, Danish and English – reflecting the project's core aim to magnify different voices.Here's the Story Map.

UK's UNESCO designated sites

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Parkinson) — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 12:33:58 +0000

A new updated map from the UK National Commission for UNESCO.

It can be downloaded as a PDF.

It shows the 65 locations in the UK which have some sort of UNESCO designation.

These include cities of literature, national landscapes and World Heritage Sites, such as the Jurassic Coast and Stonehenge.

How many of these are you visiting this summer?

GridTown

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Parkinson) — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 08:27:41 +0000

Trevor Hinkle has produced a new game which he has shared via his LinkedIn account. It may be of interest to geographers and those who like incorporating games into their teaching.

Grid Town is a browser game where you manage a growing town’s electricity grid. Your goal: navigate the challenges of intermittency, household consumption patterns, and economic realities to run a thriving town entirely on carbon-free energy.

Trevor's ambition for Grid Town is twofold: to be a fun challenge you keep coming back to enjoy and to educate people on the energy transition via a simplified model of the grid.

You can play the game here: gridtowngame.com

Trevor welcomes feedback. Give it a go!

A GCSE Natural History podcast

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Parkinson) — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 11:19:42 +0000

A cross posting from my GCSE Natural History blog.

Shared by the Green Alliance.

After more than a decade of campaigning, a natural history GCSE for England is finally on the table. In this special episode, former MP Caroline Lucas and conservationist Mary Colwell sit down to unpack the government’s new consultation: what it gets right, what it’s missing and what bumblebees have to do with it.

A new Podcast with Mary Colwell.

A transcript is available.

Mary's views on the consultation document:

Yeah, there’s lots to welcome about it actually, and from earlier iterations it’s hugely improved. So it really has shifted, um, the focus back onto studying nature, which is really accessible to you, and I think that is the most important thing. The GCSE has to be grounded in localism. It has to be the nature you see on a day-to-day basis. Now, that might not be puffins and dolphins. It might just be, uh, the worms in your garden, the butterflies, the bees, the street trees, the flowers that grow up in the streets in the springtime. It might be the everyday stuff, but that doesn’t mean it’s lacking in wonder. And so to put the emphasis back on what people will see every day is really good.

I welcome the sense of wanting to be a naturalist has come through a lot more strongly. But where I’d say it was lacking is in two or three areas. One is in the keeping of field notebooks and jottings and recordings, actually physically committing down on paper or electronically your thoughts, your observations, your data.

That’s not explicitly put in there as part of a requirement for the GCSE, and that is so important. There is not a naturalist who has ever lived that hasn’t kept a notebook. And notebooks are not only places to write numbers down, they’re places where you express that connection that we were talking about earlier, which is so important.

They’re places where your interaction, your relationship, personal relationship with what’s before you is recorded, and that psychological process sets in train a whole lifetime of connection. The other thing that’s missing, I think, is a sense of the shifting baseline. And I think until we understand that some of the greatest losses in UK nature has happened within living memory.

In the last 100 years, we have lost 50% of the mass of wildlife in the UK. Until we know that, we won’t make sense of what’s before us now. And that shifting baseline, that sense of "this is normal". You look out of the window and this is what’s normal because this is what you see, as opposed to if you’d looked out of the window 50 years ago, you’d have seen a very different world.

But we just gradually get used to less. We gradually get used to an impoverished world. And so if they could put in some way of tackling the shifting baseline in a way that younger people could talk to the older generation, it could be members of their family or their community. What was it like here 50 years ago?

Listen to it here...

Europe's soils are drying out

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Parkinson) — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 10:46:31 +0000

And that is not good news...

Rivers are running low across Europe, cutting the generation of clean hydropower and restricting cargo ships. The Rhine at Lobith in the Netherlands is now lower than the minimum level seen in the hot summer of 1976. The scientists warned that this disruption could push up the price of food and energy, hitting low-income households hardest.

The original research is here.

DG Outtake #13: Explore Uganda

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Parkinson) — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 10:12:30 +0000

This is one of a series of blog posts linked to the research I did for the 'Discover Geography' series, and mentioning some of the reading I did to prepare some of the chapters.

Not all of this material made it into the final book so I'm sharing it in these posts.

This is the official tourist site for the country of Uganda.

Uganda has a wealth of natural resources, and is sometimes known as the 'Pearl of Africa'. It features in the Discover Geography series.

EMO-GI #22: Oak National resources on digital literacy

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Parkinson) — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 10:11:29 +0000

Oak National Academy has been busy for the last five years, starting by providing support during the COVID19 pandemic, and then later working on a huge curriculum project which was funded by the DfE.

I was involved as a writer and expert reviewer in creating the resources for KS2 and KS3 Geography, in association with the GA.

They have now produced some new resources for students of different ages.

The Year 8 resources are about 'Using AI and digital tools responsibly'.

These may be of interest for us as we will be producing the

For example, one lesson looks at Chatbots.

Thanks to Graeme Schofield for the tipoff here.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

Wyld's Great Globe

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Parkinson) — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 16:30:02 +0000

A post from Brian Suda, with thanks to Ben Hennig for the link.

It mentions a huge globe that was placed in Leicester Square in 1851.

It was there for nearly 11 years and built to capitalize on the Great Exhibition tourism. His globe was unique in that the map was rendered on the inside of the sphere rather than the outside. The projection on the globe matches that of the Earth so everything is scaled and positioned correctly.

James Hutton Institute

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Parkinson) — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 16:22:47 +0000

We are preparing some resources on the theme of futures.

Geography is a subject which has a focus on the future.

The James Hutton Institute works in this area.

The Unearthed part of the website explores how resources are used.

PTI Geography Symposium #6 - Further reading

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Parkinson) — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 09:53:47 +0000

A cross-posting from my Passed the point of no Return blog.

I made notes during the sessions that I attended at the PTI Geography Symposium.

The two Climate Change sessions on the first day were particularly useful and had lots of research links mentioned.

Bill McGuire was up first. I have a copy of his latest book: 'The Fate of the World'. This is the key resource for this session.

Image: Alan Parkinson

It's a bit bleak in its prognosis for the atmosphere, but physics doesn't care what people think or hope.

He started by explaining that we've never been in the situation we are in now, where the atmosphere is changing so rapidly. We have left the Holocene where we have been for 12 000 years.

We are burning "ancient sunlight" in the form of fossil fuels. Plants captured and drew down that energy.

There are 3 possible climate futures: the Pliocene, the Eocene and the Miocene.

We may end up with a permanent El Niño - like effect.

He also mentioned a report which the Government originally suppressed on ecosystem collapse and national security.

Produced by the Joint Intelligence Committee.

He used some ideas from Tom Harris's Substack.

Following Bill - and a tea break - we have Olivia Taylor from the University of Sussex.

Image: Alan Parkinson

Olivia started by talking about the inter-disciplinary nature of the problem that we face. A "wicked problem".

She referred to the UNFCCC report, and 2015's Paris agreement.

With COP31 coming up, every tenth of a degree increase in temperature will make a difference.

She referred to the three pillars of the response:

mitigation
adaptation
loss and damage (compensation or reparations)

She also referred to the impact on Small Island States who have had the least impact on the carbon in the atmosphere.

There were connections also with the EMO-GI project as she referenced a paper by Hickman et al which explored young people's thoughts on climate change and climate anxiety and another by Panu Pihkala - someone else whose work has influenced our thinking on the EMO-GI project.

She referred to the need for "trusted messengers"/

She also referenced the excellent work of Robin Wall Kimmerer, particularly her book 'Braiding Sweetgrass', which is recommended, with references to indigenous knowledges.

We need "critical hope".

The GA posted a quick review of the event from Becky Kitchen with some images from Toby Smith.

I hope the event returns next year. If so, make sure you are there...

Want to present at the next GA Conference? Submit your session ideas now.

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Parkinson) — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 08:25:39 +0000

If you have some head space over the summer, now is the time to submit your proposal to speak at the GA Conference 2027.

This will take place in Sheffield at the same venue as this year, which worked very well.

Here’s the details - if you haven’t spoken before, I can confirm that it adds an extra level to your conference experience - plus you don’t pay for the day that you speak…. I first spoke in 2005 at the conference in Derby on Gifted and Talented - just a 10 minute contribution to a session ahead of Fred Martin. I was nervous, but so pleased that I did it.

Here’s a video from Fiona Sheriff on LinkedIn.

The theme is Passionate about Geography.

UK Flooding risk increasing

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Parkinson) — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 19:27:39 +0000

This story came into my feed earlier.

Up to 13 million people in the UK face the long-term risk of coastal flooding due to the climate crisis, scientists have warned, with a “reasonable worst-case scenario” suggesting the need for the large-scale movement of populations away from a dramatically reshaped coast.

The story is illustrated by a picture of what I know as the former Golden Sands Holiday Park. This has been explored by Anthony Bennett over on his Internet Geography site.

The story references a flood risk model called Fathom.

The original Open Access research report is here (PDF download).

This map in the story is very useful. The Fens and the area around the Wash are particularly at risk.

Digital Natives....

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Parkinson) — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:58:47 +0000

This Financial Times opinion piece by Stephen Bush reminds us that there really are no such things as digital natives when it comes to educational use of technology - something I've included in my presentations for teachers and ECTs for some years now.

Can they use a phone? Yes...

But can they print a document, save it to One Drive or ensure autosave is switched on?
Can they appropriately reference images, or the source of information they have used in a piece of work?
Do they send you work with appropriate file names and dates so that they can be searched and referenced in their folders as the academic year progresses?
Do they have accounts with Canva or Adobe and use them to produce multimedia presentations or other resources?
Do they know how to spell and grammar check their work?
Do they use AI without considering the full implicatons of what they are doing?

Technology moves quickly, and the students we teach are often not interested in pursuing a wider view of its use to help with their learning, but are more interested in identifying or more likely going along with what their peers are doing.

Feeling hot...

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Parkinson) — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:55:50 +0000

The heat over the last month has once again been record-breaking. I collected quite a few stories for potential use in something in the future - although they will all be repeated in every summer to come from now on...

The BBC News featured another story showing the disproportionate effect of the heat of some. In this case it is amputees... something that perhaps a lot of people (including me) had not considered.

A reminder that we aren't all feeling the heat in the same way, and that there is heat inequality as much as there are other kinds of inequality.

Source: BBC News

World Cup Woes #7 - Congratulations to Spain! Game over...

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Parkinson) — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:24:00 +0000

The final in a series of posts on the World Cup as we come to the Final itself - ending in the Argentinian team failing to

The heat was building in some parts of the country, and that is where some of the matches are taking place. As yet, there haven't been major issues for games with heat issues. Many of the stadia have roofs and air conditioning (how sustainable?)

Canada and Mexico are now out of the tournament so only the USA remain from the co-hosts.

The England result over the previous weekend led to a lot of excitement and news coverage of schools adapting to the late kick-off. And then we had the Norway game.

One major story following the Mexico game was the decision by FIFA to overturn a red card in the tournament given to an American player following some apparent intervention from Trump (they'd already allowed Ronaldo to play when he should have been suspended). This didn't end up going well for the USA against Belgium - and Ronaldo was ineffective against Spain. The same opportunity wasn't available for players from other teams.

There have also been allegations of favouritism for Argentina in their comeback against Egypt.

Some cities have not experienced the boom in business they were expecting, such as Seattle.

There was some controversy over a ball potentially hitting a cable which was used to support an overhead camera and more VAR controversies of course.

The Argentina game led to a lot of controversy over the tactics of the manager, but also the unveiling of a banner referring to the owenership of the Falkland Islands, which didn't seem to be condemned in the way that it should have been.

Wikipedia even has a special page.

There was also an extra final touch of commercialism announced (as if the whole competition hadn't been a chance to rake in the cash) with the news that winners will get a spcial tacky FIFA bling ring (with replicas for sale of course...). This is taken once again from American sport leagues and competitions (as is the extended half time show which is against the rules of football...)

Some have been quick to point out that it's in Argentinian colours...

Apparently...

Each of the 30 rings for the winners will then be customised before being officially presented at a later date, ensuring the perfect lifelong fit for an achievement that will echo through eternity.

And apparently, the rings could cost over £100 000 each.... looking for confirmation of this.

There have been suggestions that the FA should withdraw from FIFA.

Joey D'Urso shared his own thoughts on his Substack about the way that the game has been a hostage to the tournament.

There has been much said about the aftermath of the final... I liked how Spain photoshopped Trump out of their photos...

Update - 29th July 2026

Today's newspapers are full of interesting stories regarding Infantino and the World Cup - and connections with Trump.

North Norfolk

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Parkinson) — Sat, 18 Jul 2026 15:30:28 +0000

I spent Wednesday night out on the North Norfolk Coast.

I stayed in a room overlooking the salt marsh, looking out towards Scolt Head Island.

These were coastlines which were visited and described by J A Steers - a former GA President - in his classic books on the coastline of England and Wales.

Scolt Head Island is an interesting barrier island which has allowed the salt marsh with its creeks to develop. There was quite a high 8.7m tide, which was enough to flood the marsh, and the beach road further down the coast at Brancaster.

We had a lovely chat with a local about how the coast has changed...

Image: Alan Parkinson

Saving the postcard

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Parkinson) — Sat, 18 Jul 2026 15:25:49 +0000

An interesting piece on the disappearance of the traditional seaside postcard and a campaign to save it.

This has been set up by English Heritage.

I think the price of stamps is the real issue here perhaps... postcards are cheap enough...

A whisky with a story...

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Parkinson) — Sat, 18 Jul 2026 15:19:37 +0000

I was interested in the story of this whisky from the Nc'Nean distillery.

They make organic single malt whisky.

This would make a good sustainability story for a qualification but probably not for school age because of the connection with alcohol.... OK for undergraduate age courses perhaps.

The company has B Corp and Sustainability qualifiications.

The Coastal Exploration Company recently transported 200 limited edition bottles of Nc’Nean from their west coast distillery in Scotland to Norfolk, under sail and electric vehicle, exploring a lower-impact way to travel.

The whisky made its way aboard Victorious, a traditional sailing smack, following the coastline to reach us in Norfolk. A slower, lower-impact journey, but one that reflects so much of what matters - doing things thoughtfully and sustainably.

The voyage is captured on the bottle through artwork by Norfolk artist Sally Temple, inspired by Victorious returning to harbour after the journey.

The whisky tastes nice too...

Same old...

noreply@blogger.com (Alan Parkinson) — Sat, 18 Jul 2026 12:10:49 +0000

This will not reducde bills or make any significant impact on UK energy... it will however contribute towards the climate breakdown which has already caused thousand of excess deaths this summer...

Let's see what actually happens...