By Eliot Jones, Senior Manager, Trimble Strategy and Partner Development
At the Trimble Dimensions user conference in November, explorer, scientist and journalist Klaus Thymann of the nonprofit organization Project Pressure, took attendees on an expedition far from Las Vegas. Thymann’s session offered a stunning look at how his team uses technology to gather critical, high-precision data in some of the world's most remote and hostile environments to help frontline communities adapt to a changing climate.
Exploration with a purpose: the tropical glacier crisis
Thymann emphasized that his work is not merely adventure; it is exploration with a purpose. The mission is to fill in the “white spots on the maps,” places where long-term, reliable data is scarce or nonexistent.
This is most urgent in remote locations, and tropical glaciers—found in places like the Rwenzori Mountains (on the border of Uganda and Congo), Bolivia and even Indonesia—represent a vital and irreplaceable water source for one-sixth of the world’s population.
As the planet warms, the ice retreats, threatening the stability of water supplies for agriculture and households downstream. However, due to nearly continuous cloud cover, satellite images are often useless, forcing the team to capture crucial, high-precision data on the ground.
