A group of young British explorers are to use a satellite
mapping system on their month-long trip to the Himalayas.
The 38 students, aged 16-20, are on a trip with the
British Schools Exploring Society
(BSES) to the remote region of
Ladakh.
Using
geographic information systems (GIS), they will map new
trekking and mountaineering routes for use by future travellers as
they attempt to summit unclimbed peaks.
The expedition is supported by
ESRI (UK), a supplier of
geographic information systems. Laptops donated by ESRI will be
running ESRI's ArcGIS software, which will be used to log and
analyse the data. Mapping of the Ladakh region is very scarce.
Throughout the expedition, the young explorers will research the
environment and analyse their findings by creating "layers of
analysis" on digital maps in the GIS.
The effects of altitude on human physiology, plant distribution
and climatic change will all be studied.
The findings will be passed on to numerous organisations,
including the World
Wildlife Fund and individual academics, for use in larger
research studies.
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