Jolly Geo rambles of 2023

By The Jolly Geo | All posts | 0 comment | 6 December, 2023 | 6

What does The Jolly Geo actually do? The Jolly Geo world is still firmly grounded in geospatial, finding new things to map and new ways to map them!

2023 began in snowy Cambridge with time split across two Jolly Geo projects. My work mapping mangroves for Blue Ventures continues and is into its 12th year now! Every Geographer likes to get out and about so I supplemented this with field work for the University of Nottingham supporting their research on ‘Batesian mimicry’ – the neat idea that species mimic the appearance of more dangerous species to evade predators. Trips to the mangroves are few and far between (no mangroves in Europe) but the mimicry project got me wandering ancient woodlands at Madingley Woods come snow or shine, learning lots about the wonderfully peculiar behaviour of our country’s wildlife.

January also took me to the Peak District for a wintry MapAction training weekend, where we heard from partners such as the World Food Programme and practised our situational mapping during rapid-onset disasters (3W mapping – Who, What, Where – something that could be equally useful in conservation). Camping in -5॰C was actually ok with the right kit!

February took this pair of mad Geos interrailing to the continent to chase some winter sun with work in tow (plus a luxury item each – mine my skateboard!). It also allowed me to pursue some exciting business leads across Europe… check out the full route in the Jolly Geo dashboard. Working on trains and in co-working spaces across the Iberian Peninsula our mangrove loss hotspot analysis took shape and I supported UNICEF in tracking a Cholera outbreak in Malawi. I took some of April off to explore Italy with Jayne, treating ourselves to visits to Venice, Como, Cinque Terre and Florence. Jayne and I parted at Rome Termini and I travelled north to the Italian Alps, onto Austria, Poland, Germany and finally the Netherlands. The digitial nomad life is immensely rewarding if planned and executed well but after two months and having gone solo I found homesickness creeping in. For me 4-6 weeks at a time would be the sweetspot.

The annual MapAction simulation exercise in Great Cumbrae, Scotland put us through our paces in May (the SIMEX made The Scottish Herald!), and I met author Tim Marshall at the Cambridge Union at his talk on his new release The Future of Geography, a space sequel to Prisoners of Geography and The Power of Geography – all must reads.

June saw technicians and experts from Blue Ventures’ sites worldwide meet in Madagascar for the first-ever blue carbon ecosystems learning exchange, in which I presented our GEM mapping tool. The exchange was a great success (the BV blog explains all) and soon after we kicked off an exciting new mangrove mapping project in Casamance, Senegal – field visit to hopefully come in 2024-25!

I reunited with long-time friend and colleague Zo as we headed to the mangroves

**Our GEM mangrove mapping tool was showcased at Google’s Geo For Good Summit in California**

In August Jayne and I passed through the Lake District on our way to the Scottish Borders where I organised this year’s MapAction bike ride, taking in Berwick to Kelso to Melrose and back. A region of the UK I really haven’t explored before, it’s a great cycle-touring destination.

September brought an earthquake in Morocco and destructive floods in Libya, both of which I supported with MapAction colleagues to ensure UN first response teams were as prepared as possible. Read more about how we support UNDAC in the MapAction mission blog. It was sombering to hear the reports from the impacted area, and it really brought home how vulnerable communities around the world are to the effects of climate change. This says it all:

An event like the extreme rain that led to deadly flooding in Libya “has become up to 50 times more likely and up to 50% more intense compared to a 1.2°C cooler climate,” or the preindustrial world.
Dr Friederike Otto, World Weather Attribution (WWA), 19 Sep 2023

In October The Jolly Geo made the big move to Bath after 8 memorable years in Cambridge to move in with Jayne. I’m enjoying exploring my new city and the new routine includes visits to Jayne’s place of work The Wave (outdoor surf lake – check it out) – the sound of the lake’s crashing waves helps keep productivity levels high! If you’re looking for an exciting place to work for the day, I couldn’t recommend this place more, especially in the summer.

November was spent prepping Xmas cards and working with the BV team on an exciting app version of our mangrove mapping tool. Separately, excitement continues to build on how Geographers can better map environments using novel technologies, so The Jolly Geo now has a DJI Mini 4 drone to develop its mapping capability – stay tuned for maps and footage of the Cotswolds and beyond!

In other news Jayne and I are ticking off park runs across the SW and Wales, starting with Severn Bridge + Newport. If you’re a park runner, let me know and we’ll come and visit your local! The avocado stone I planted in 2017 is now 7 feet tall (still no avocados) and new Jolly Geo quizzes are in work, including “How well do you know the UK?” – out soon! Oh and I had a bit of fun putting together a graphical CV of sorts – check it out on my About Me page. Great for presentations!