Geography Lessons Archives

Mapping Industrial Hazards

May 26, 2026 by Zeke Lunder

In this livestream, we use the Garden Grove HazMat disaster, in Orange County, California, to explore publicly-available data which shows the locations of major industrial users/producers of chemicals. We explain the use of geography tools for mapping and understanding pollution, highlighting the importance of zoning, stormwater management, and environmental justice. We use data from the … Read more

Geopolitics of the Middle East

April 1, 2026 by Zeke Lunder

The latest installment in our Middle East series zooms out from individual countries to explore the broader geopolitics of the region, with a particular focus on how geography shapes power. Starting from early 20th-century maps, the video shows how the Middle East transitioned from empires and loosely defined regions like Mesopotamia and Persia into the … Read more

If you'd like to be a sustaining supporter of The Lookout, please consider a monthly PayPal donation.

Monthly contributions pay our internet, software, copyediting, guest author, mapmaking, fuel, and video production bills, and allow us to purchase footage from independent photojournalists!

Make a One-Time PayPal Donation

Donate using a Credit Card

You can also Venmo @Lookout_Media.

(c) 2026 - No reprints of this information on commercial sites without permission. If you are working on a fire and see us posting information that is inaccurate, please shoot us an email if you can. We really want to get the story right.

DISCLAIMER: The Lookout website is not an Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization. Contributions are not tax deductible.

Trying to get ahold of Zeke? Email us!
Advertising Inquiries: Click here!

ANOTHER DISCLAIMER:
While the company I founded provides contract mapping services to Incident Management Teams working on many of the fires I cover, I am no longer involved in the day-to-day incident mapping operations of Deer Creek Resources, nor do I receive any privileged information from them. All of the data and intel I post here comes from public sources.

Opinions are mine and do not reflect the views of my sponsors or any government agency. Any projections of potential wildfire spread is presented for educational/speculative purposes only.

I am not affiliated with the command structure of any incident I discuss here. My analysis is not intended to inform anyone on whether or not they should evacuate or stay in a wildfire area. Please follow any evacuation advice from local authorities.