I am always looking for an opportunity to promote the contributions of women in Geography.  Here is a great article on Zonia Baber and her early work in Geography and Geography education. 

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science/woman-who-transformed-how-we-teach-geography-180967859/

Here is an blog post, written by Joseph Kerski at ESRI, that attempts to get a handle on the size of the geospatial industry.  He addresses the question as it is asked in reference to a paper someone is researching, or because someone wants to obtain a sense of the “stability” of the industry when deciding whether to pursue GIS for their career, and for some other reasons.  Here is the article:

The size of the Geospatial Industry
http://blogs.esri.com/esri/gisedcom/2014/03/13/the-size-of-the-geospatial-industry/

New Release - U.S. Census Bureau International Population Data and Maps

The Census Bureau has added to and updated the online collection of subnational population data linked to maps (shapefiles) that are available at the Spatial Data Repository.  The Repository contains a variety of data and maps primarily for countries that receive assistance via the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
http://spatialdata.measuredhs.com/

To access the maps, start at the web page above and:
1. Click on Data in the ribbon below the title
2. Under the Select Countries tab at the left, click on Single Country
3. Choose a country in the dropdown menu immediately below the Single Country tab to see available data sets.  Census Bureau population data and maps are available for the countries listed below.
   - Africa: Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe
   - Americas: Dominican Republic, Guyana, Haiti
   - Asia/Europe: Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Russia, Thailand

In the near future, the Census Bureau will release a seamless global map containing population estimates for tens of thousands of subnational administrative areas globally.  

The website below contains links to other Census Bureau international data and map products, including gridded data sets containing population estimates for 100-meter cells for several countries.  These are ideal for obtaining neighborhood-level population estimates.

http://www.census.gov/population/international/data/mapping/

the latest issue of Esri News for Students and Recent Graduates is now available online:
http://www.esri.com/careers/students/career-newsletter

Included in this issue is information on summer programs (deadlines approaching!), careers for soon-to-be grads, GeoDev Meetups, and more.

Check out this great blog post in American Scientific that discusses data integrity, datums, projections, data relevancy (as its related to time).  

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/critical-opalescence/2013/11/11/what-happens-to-google-maps-when-tectonic-plates-move/?WT.mc_id=SA_emailfriend

the fall issue of Esri News for Students and Recent Graduates is now available online:

http://www.esri.com/careers/students/career-newsletter
 
Included in this issue:

• Career opportunities for new grads
• Updated event schedule
• Stories from summer interns and Esri UC student assistants
• A virtual tour of the Esri campus

"The U.S. Geological (USGS) and other scientific institutions are using social media and crowdsourcing to learn more about earthquakes, according to a new report.  These techniques provide inexpensive and rapid data to augment and extend the capabilities provided by traditional monitoring techniques"

To continue reading: http://wilsoncommonslab.org/2013/07/10/report-looks-at-successful-government-crowdsourcing-efforts-for-earthquake-monitoring/_

Here is an interesting post written by Joseph Kerski on spatial data after the ESRI User Conference this past July.  

http://spatialreserves.wordpress.com/2013/07/22/reflections-on-spatial-data-from-the-2013-esri-international-user-conference/

A new book of 75 personal maps of Manhattan is just the latest in a new wave of cartographic creations by artists – both famous and amateur – seeking to put the romance back into this centuries-old art form.  

Check them out!  http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2013/may/15/hand-drawn-map-cartography-new-york

A detailed WRI map set of world water stress and risks has just been released:
http://aqueduct.wri.org/atlas   with the global datasets available for download.

Article describing the map and the reasons behind creating it.
http://www.fastcoexist.com/1681298/an-incredibly-detailed-map-shows-the-potential-of-global-water-risks