(photo CC Jen Hudon) Several groups in the NYC area are using PLOTS tools including balloon mapping to document at-risk ecological sites. ##Gowanus Canal Mapping## New York City is home to the "Gowanus division" of Grassroots Mapping, which is conducting a monitoring project of the Gowanus Canal cleanup. first stitch gowanus_CanoeRun by Carlos Yusitis The Gowametta We are working on a stereo camera rig for collecting infrared imagery which can reveal patterns/concentrations of vegetation or possible contaminants. Another regional project is Grassroots Newark, focused on both sides of the Passaic River: http://grassrootsnewark.wordpress.com/ See pictures from a recent workshop held at Union Square with Parsons and Lang at The New School: http://grassrootsmapping.org/search/parsons