Role of small-scale visuals in analysing climate change impact
By Peter Makwanya
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Visual interpretation at a small-scale, assist us in coming up with necessary and appropriate response mechanisms to damage assessment and disaster management practices. Small-scale visual interpretation is critical although it is sometimes overtaken by the emergence of large scale data as well as other factors like empathy and compassion. These include, the number of deaths or injuries that would have occurred as well as severe losses of livelihoods.
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The images that would have been taken by satellite provide guides to fair and balanced representations of what would have occurred but they are sometimes a background to some important aspects. These images are useful in coming up with value-added frameworks that would assist analysts in analysing and interpreting post-climatic experiences at large scales. Although this is important, it is also significant to interrogate the use of small and local scales as they help in the building of a larger case as well. Photographing of scenes help to build local cases, events and experiences. These are small, authentic and spot on details which are sometimes largely ignored or overtaken by grand visuals.
Small-scale imagery helps in feeding into the local scale hierarchies, normally building accurate climate cases. These help to communicate spatial climate data, and also it is the communicative side of the visuals which appear to have been overtaken by complex, technical and scientific models. This is not to say that the models are not important, but they leave out some small climate elements and also the concerns of the common people.
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