As the unfolding nuclear disaster in Japan has shown, a power plant meltdown poses life threatening hazards to the surrounding population.
So to help people determine whether they live in a potential nuclear "hotspot," Nature News and Columbia University have collaborated to create a Google Map that reveals the location of nuclear power plants worldwide along with the population density surrounding it. The map was generated using facilities data from the Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) Power Reactor Information System (PRIS) database and population data from Columbia University’s NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center.
All that information was translated visually into easy-to-comprehend symbols that dot various spots on a three dimensional globe. Here's a brief rundown of what each of the symbols mean.
What isn't taken into account in the assessment are the facilities' safety features, it's vulnerability to natural disasters and numerous other factors that can give readers a more comprehensive understanding of the risks that come with living near any one of these power plants. In an accompanying article, the authors acknowledged as much and reminded readers that the map was designed to give people a sense of just how disastrous the aftermath would be if a nuclear accident were to happen at a certain location.
To explore the interactive map visit the Nature News web site.
Image: Screenshot of map
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