GIS Cache #2 - Elevation at Fort George Traditional Cache
BermudaEnvironment: This geocache is no longer being maintained and will be removed.
GIS Cache #2 - Elevation at Fort George
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Size: 
(small)
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Getting to Fort George itself is the first challenge of this adventure! It's a very tight turn to drive onto Fort George Hill. It's narrow so be careful. Ok, so the cache isn't exactly at Fort George but it's nearby! Take a stroll into the golf course to find this small camouflaged Tupperware container. It's "up" a tree but you've got to get low first.
Welcome to the GIS Cache at Fort George! Help yourself to a GIS Day bracelet
As you admire the view of St. George's Harbour take a moment to appreciate the location of Fort George. Built in 1612 this location gave an ideal vantage point for protecting the Town of St. George from Britain's enemies. Fort George sits on one of the highest peak in St. George's parish, with an elevation of about 50 metres.
Today the fort serves a different purpose, housing the headquarters for the Bermuda Maritime Operations Centre, operated by the Department of Marine and Ports. Maintaining a 24 hour distress watch on international distress frequencies, the Maritime Operations Centre provides essential support to the local and international maritime community.
What's GIS got to do with it? In its most basic sense, geographic information was a key factor in the location of this fort. They probably looked up at the hill and said "Up there would be good!". These days we use complicated calculations to accurately measure elevation.
Knowing the elevation is important for a wide variety of projects, from new developments to disaster management to scientific studies. Elevation modeling and analysis involves using remote sensing (aerial photos, satellite images, radar) to measure the height of a surface or object above a specified reference point. That reference point is often a geoid , a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level.
With the increasing threat of sea level rise due to climate change, elevation is an important factor to consider. Particularly on a very small island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, like Bermuda!
Elevation doesn't stop at the shoreline. The elevation or bathymetry of the ocean floor is also measured using remote sensing and is a crucial factor is predicting the impact of storm surge or tsunamis.
So take a moment to consider the topography of the land around you as you carry on to your next adventure.
Find out more about GIS at www.gis.com
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