![]() ![]() ![]() It seems to me that a coal-fired power plant is a pretty good analogy for a geographic information system. And cleaner methods cost more than most of us are willing or able to pay. Cleaner means of generating electricity exist, of course, but they, too, involve transforming energy from one form to another. Unfortunately, the solution itself causes another problem, namely emissions of carbon dioxide and other more noxious substances into the atmosphere. Combustion transforms the potential energy stored in the gas into electricity, which solves the problem of an office that would otherwise be too cold or too warm. The energy used to heat and cool my office is still produced there by burning natural gas extracted from wells in nearby counties. When I started writing this text in 1997, my office was across the street (and, fortunately, upwind) from Penn State's power plant.
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