Assignment 1: Monitoring Our Home Planet The Internet is a powerful tool that provides the ability to monitor natural phenomena and disasters that happen all over planet Earth. In this assignment, you will research resources available on the Internet for monitoring natural phenomena including earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, global climate, and weather. Based on your research, do the following: Identify a minimum of three different natural phenomena that are typically responsible for natural disasters. Analyze the potential impact of these disasters. Analyze how these phenomenon are monitored, or not, via the Internet. Critique available Web sites, which publicly display up-to-date monitored information related to each of the natural phenomena you have identified. Focus on the following aspects: Geography What parts of the world are potentially affected by these phenomena? Specifically identify the countries. Resources What kinds of resources are allocated toward monitoring these phenomena and why? What types of Web resources monitor the phenomena and provide up-to-date information about them? What kinds of technology are involved in monitoring the phenomena? Politics What political ramifications would this disaster-preparedness technology cause between more-developed countries and less-developed countries? What kinds of issues could this technology cause between less-developed countries? Economics How would this technology directly impact the economies of those countries that have the technology versus those countries that do not? Do you predict any indirect impacts? What current evidence supports your position? Disaster Preparedness What types of systems are in place in terms of disaster preparedness related to these monitored phenomena? Summarize your findings. Evaluate how this technology will impact the future of humanity, both positively and negatively. Be sure to consider the political and economic issues discussed in your future predictions. Support your statements with examples. Use a minimum of six reliable references, two of which should be peer-reviewed articles. Write a 7–8-page paper in Word format. Apply APA standards to citation of sources. Use the following file naming convention: LastnameFirstInitial_M5_A1.doc. By Wednesday, August 14, 2013 , deliver your assignment to the M5: Assignment 1 Dropbox . Grading Criteria and Rubric Assignment 1 Grading Criteria Maximum Points Identify a minimum of three different naturally occurring phenomena that are typically responsible for natural disasters and analyze the potential impact of the disaster. 104 Analyze ways different Web sites monitor phenomena by critiquing available Web resources. Analysis should include topics such as geography, resources, political/economic issues, and disaster preparedness. 104 Summarize and discuss future projections on humanity regarding the use of technology. Include research on political and economic issues. 28 Writing Components: Organization (1.

1. Assignment 1: Monitoring Our Home Planet
The Internet is a powerful tool that provides the ability to
monitor natural phenomena and disasters that happen all over
planet Earth.
In this assignment, you will research resources available on the
Internet for monitoring natural phenomena including
earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, global climate, and weather.
Based on your research, do the following:
Identify a minimum of three different natural phenomena that
are typically responsible for natural disasters. Analyze the
potential impact of these disasters.
Analyze how these phenomenon are monitored, or not, via the
Internet. Critique available Web sites, which publicly display
up-to-date monitored information related to each of the natural
phenomena you have identified. Focus on the following aspects:
Geography
What parts of the world are potentially affected by these
phenomena? Specifically identify the countries.
Resources
What kinds of resources are allocated toward monitoring these
phenomena and why?
What types of Web resources monitor the phenomena and
provide up-to-date information about them?
What kinds of technology are involved in monitoring the
phenomena?
Politics
What political ramifications would this disaster-preparedness
technology cause between more-developed countries and less-
developed countries?
What kinds of issues could this technology cause between less-
developed countries?
Economics
How would this technology directly impact the economies of
those countries that have the technology versus those countries
that do not?

2. Do you predict any indirect impacts? What current evidence
supports your position?
Disaster Preparedness
What types of systems are in place in terms of disaster
preparedness related to these monitored phenomena?
Summarize your findings. Evaluate how this technology will
impact the future of humanity, both positively and negatively.
Be sure to consider the political and economic issues discussed
in your future predictions.
Support your statements with examples. Use a minimum of six
reliable references, two of which should be peer-reviewed
articles.
Write a 7–8-page paper in Word format. Apply APA standards
to citation of sources. Use the following file naming
convention: LastnameFirstInitial_M5_A1.doc.
By
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
, deliver your assignment to the
M5: Assignment 1 Dropbox
.
Grading Criteria and Rubric
Assignment 1 Grading Criteria
Maximum Points
Identify a minimum of three different naturally occurring
phenomena that are typically responsible for natural disasters
and analyze the potential impact of the disaster.
104
Analyze ways different Web sites monitor phenomena by
critiquing available Web resources. Analysis should include
topics such as geography, resources, political/economic issues,
and disaster preparedness.
104
Summarize and discuss future projections on humanity
regarding the use of technology. Include research on political
and economic issues.
28

3. Writing Components:
Organization (16)
Usage and Mechanics (16)
APA Elements (24)
Style (8)
64
Total:
300