Feature

Recent oil spill events in the Gulf of Mexico should cause others to awaken to the possibility that their coasts could be threatened by similar circumstances. Asian countries are now in a position to learn many lessons and to begin preparations and strategies for dealing with such events. The development of spatial data infrastructures support such efforts and are one part of meeting this response.

As countries have exhausted their terrestrial natural resource reserves, they are turning to sea-bed resources. Perhaps nowhere else in the world is this practice as politically charged as the East China Sea. Particularly contentious are surveying and mapping activities by Japan to explore natural gas resources in the region. China is actively drilling for natural gas in the area, and the Chinese Navy has shadowed Japanese mapping ships in the East China Sea. While Japan claims and "exclusive economic zone," this is disputed by China.

The Pacific Ocean plays a dominate role to the many countries and people of Asia. This contribution can be measured in many ways, from food to resources, transport and weather moderation. But how much do we really know about the Pacific Ocean? In 1589 Abraham Ortelius produced the first map showing the extents of what was then known as the Pacific Ocean. That map has since found a home in the National Library of New Zealand.