Michael Schmidt
@mschmidty.bsky.social
Wildlife Biologist that’s passionate about #rstats, #gis, the #web, and data driven land management.
This is bad.
The official NOAA stats out this week confirm that winter 2025-26 was the warmest on record across a huge portion of the western and central U.S., which has contributed to extremely low mountain snowpack & worsened the CO River crisis. Meanwhile, record March heat is in forecast.
March 10, 2026 at 8:19 PM
This is bad.
Reposted by Michael Schmidt
heck yes, fully compliant PDF with a ton of math and images and tables, all in just a few minutes of work #QuartoPub
March 9, 2026 at 7:49 PM
heck yes, fully compliant PDF with a ton of math and images and tables, all in just a few minutes of work #QuartoPub
#quarto people. Public announcement: if you have a figure label and a caption but you don’t output anything in the chunk, quarto will fail with no helpful warning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
March 9, 2026 at 10:39 PM
#quarto people. Public announcement: if you have a figure label and a caption but you don’t output anything in the chunk, quarto will fail with no helpful warning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There have been two times at work where I needed a tool for getting and I went home and vibe coded them. Both were #neovim tools. One was for working with targets pipelines in #rstats. And the other was for building .bib files in #quarto and other markdown formats.
GitHub - mschmidty/bib-builder.nvim
Contribute to mschmidty/bib-builder.nvim development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com
March 4, 2026 at 4:03 AM
Super cool tool that compares energy usage of different things: driving, heating a home, using an LLM, charging your phone, watching Netflix, etc. made by the brilliant @hannahritchie.bsky.social
hannahritchie.substack.com/p/does-that-...
hannahritchie.substack.com/p/does-that-...
Does that use a lot of energy? [Update]
An interactive tool that lets you compare the energy consumption of various products and activities.
hannahritchie.substack.com
March 3, 2026 at 3:59 PM
Super cool tool that compares energy usage of different things: driving, heating a home, using an LLM, charging your phone, watching Netflix, etc. made by the brilliant @hannahritchie.bsky.social
hannahritchie.substack.com/p/does-that-...
hannahritchie.substack.com/p/does-that-...
Need to see what these folks are doing. Quarto tables are my enemy when output to word. Seems like a workaround is gt() to flextable(). Who knew.
@mattansb.msbstats.info you can play with (but not judge 🤣) our function here github.com/The-Kids-Bio... if you like
thekidsbiostats/R/thekids_table.R at main · The-Kids-Biostats/thekidsbiostats
Package with helper functions and formatting templates used by the Biostatistics team of The Kids Research Institute Australia. - The-Kids-Biostats/thekidsbiostats
github.com
February 18, 2026 at 5:05 AM
Need to see what these folks are doing. Quarto tables are my enemy when output to word. Seems like a workaround is gt() to flextable(). Who knew.
This is a good idea. Great, diverse collection of data vis.
When running #DataViz workshops, one question that often gets asked is "what's your favourite ever chart?" 📊
So I've started compiling some of the awesome visualisations made by other people that I often share!
A very much a work-in-progress, non-exhaustive list: nrennie.rbind.io/fave-data-viz/
So I've started compiling some of the awesome visualisations made by other people that I often share!
A very much a work-in-progress, non-exhaustive list: nrennie.rbind.io/fave-data-viz/
February 16, 2026 at 5:36 PM
This is a good idea. Great, diverse collection of data vis.
Reposted by Michael Schmidt
Statistics in Natural Resources: Applications with R by Matthew Russell
#RStats
https://bigbookofr.com/chapters/life%20sciences.html#statistics-in-natural-resources-applications-with-r
#RStats
https://bigbookofr.com/chapters/life%20sciences.html#statistics-in-natural-resources-applications-with-r
February 15, 2026 at 12:42 PM
Statistics in Natural Resources: Applications with R by Matthew Russell
#RStats
https://bigbookofr.com/chapters/life%20sciences.html#statistics-in-natural-resources-applications-with-r
#RStats
https://bigbookofr.com/chapters/life%20sciences.html#statistics-in-natural-resources-applications-with-r
Any #rstats folks out there that has a good example of how to make maps with a topo base map in quarto. I’ve been using the maptiles package to get ESRI world topo map but the base maps are always very low resolution and poor quality and look terrible in a document.
February 11, 2026 at 3:06 AM
Any #rstats folks out there that has a good example of how to make maps with a topo base map in quarto. I’ve been using the maptiles package to get ESRI world topo map but the base maps are always very low resolution and poor quality and look terrible in a document.
This is so depressing.
This is the most astonishing graph of what the Trump regime has done to US science. They have destroyed the federal science workforce across the board. The negative impacts on Americans will be felt for generations, and the US might never be the same again.
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
January 21, 2026 at 12:17 AM
This is so depressing.
Reposted by Michael Schmidt
The world has lost a true inspiration and legend. 💔
#GISChat
Dr. Gladys West, Mathematician Whose Work Made GPS Possible, Dies at 95 thezebra.org/2026/01/18/d...
#GISChat
Dr. Gladys West, Mathematician Whose Work Made GPS Possible, Dies at 95 thezebra.org/2026/01/18/d...
Dr. Gladys West, Mathematician Whose Work Made GPS Possible, Dies at 95
ALEXANDRIA, VA — Dr. Gladys West, the pioneering mathematician whose work laid the foundation for modern GPS technology, has died. She passed away
thezebra.org
January 20, 2026 at 4:08 AM
The world has lost a true inspiration and legend. 💔
#GISChat
Dr. Gladys West, Mathematician Whose Work Made GPS Possible, Dies at 95 thezebra.org/2026/01/18/d...
#GISChat
Dr. Gladys West, Mathematician Whose Work Made GPS Possible, Dies at 95 thezebra.org/2026/01/18/d...
The #ForestService and the #BureauOfLandManagment should do a better job predicting vegetation at regular time intervals. FIA and AIM plots should make this possible. Landfire and products like TreeMap or BigMap are good but you would think they could do better if it was prioritized more. #ecology
January 14, 2026 at 9:13 PM
The #ForestService and the #BureauOfLandManagment should do a better job predicting vegetation at regular time intervals. FIA and AIM plots should make this possible. Landfire and products like TreeMap or BigMap are good but you would think they could do better if it was prioritized more. #ecology
Good.
AmeriCorps programs that DOGE had tagged for elimination must be reinstated, along with the volunteers they support, in 24 states that sued to save them
Judge Orders Reinstatement of AmeriCorps Programs in 24 States
www.nytimes.com
June 6, 2025 at 3:07 AM
Good.
Reposted by Michael Schmidt
Let's dive into this a bit. A short and very incomplete thread on US Forest Service research. 1/
It’s finally in writing. The detailed President’s budget clearly wants to completely eliminate USFS Research
May 31, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Let's dive into this a bit. A short and very incomplete thread on US Forest Service research. 1/
I think this a lot right now: maybe “x” is a good idea, but there is no way in hell that I’m trusting the current morons in charge with implementing it. Ex: unified fire, gov wide API, etc.
It’s been disappointing to see people I respect (mostly on LinkedIn) cheering on this effort.
Do I think a “unified” wildland fire service is possible down the road? Sure. But—
1. We’re already pretty fucking unified.
2. There’s no way in hell *this* administration is up to the challenge.
Do I think a “unified” wildland fire service is possible down the road? Sure. But—
1. We’re already pretty fucking unified.
2. There’s no way in hell *this* administration is up to the challenge.
And, from the Department of Interior budget, supposedly enough funding for "the establishment of a new centralized U.S. Wildland Fire Service." that combines BIA, BLM, NPS, FWS and FS wildfire programs.
June 4, 2025 at 3:33 AM
I think this a lot right now: maybe “x” is a good idea, but there is no way in hell that I’m trusting the current morons in charge with implementing it. Ex: unified fire, gov wide API, etc.
Reposted by Michael Schmidt
Want to turn raw wind data into a mesmerizing, animated map?
With R, it’s easier than you think.
My new tutorial shows you how, step by step.
Let’s catch the breeze. ⤵️
youtu.be/EmVbVTqwoMU
#GIS #DataViz #gganimate #metR #WindMap #ClimateData #SpatialAnalysis #MilosMakesMaps
With R, it’s easier than you think.
My new tutorial shows you how, step by step.
Let’s catch the breeze. ⤵️
youtu.be/EmVbVTqwoMU
#GIS #DataViz #gganimate #metR #WindMap #ClimateData #SpatialAnalysis #MilosMakesMaps
May 25, 2025 at 12:38 PM
Want to turn raw wind data into a mesmerizing, animated map?
With R, it’s easier than you think.
My new tutorial shows you how, step by step.
Let’s catch the breeze. ⤵️
youtu.be/EmVbVTqwoMU
#GIS #DataViz #gganimate #metR #WindMap #ClimateData #SpatialAnalysis #MilosMakesMaps
With R, it’s easier than you think.
My new tutorial shows you how, step by step.
Let’s catch the breeze. ⤵️
youtu.be/EmVbVTqwoMU
#GIS #DataViz #gganimate #metR #WindMap #ClimateData #SpatialAnalysis #MilosMakesMaps
This should surprise absolutely no one.
I wrote about the myth of the "AI-native" startup and new data finding buyers' remorse from CEOs who have attempted to spread it throughout their organizations www.platformer.news/ai-native-st...
May 13, 2025 at 1:06 AM
This should surprise absolutely no one.
Reposted by Michael Schmidt
New study finds where birds are declining most. High trend resolution data reveals complexity of bird population changes. “This is the first time we’ve had fine-scale information on population changes across such broad spatial extents and across entire ranges of species,” said Dr. Amanda Rodewald.
Birds of the World - New study finds where birds are declining most; some locales with positive trends
“This is the first time we’ve had fine-scale information on population changes across such broad spatial extents and across entire ranges of species. And that provides us a better lens to understand t...
birdsoftheworld.org
May 1, 2025 at 9:14 PM
New study finds where birds are declining most. High trend resolution data reveals complexity of bird population changes. “This is the first time we’ve had fine-scale information on population changes across such broad spatial extents and across entire ranges of species,” said Dr. Amanda Rodewald.
MAGA perception: the gov is now more efficient.
Reality:
Reality:
my supervisor had to rewrite my entire performance evaluation because it contained the word “biodiversity”
This... is not what he has done?
May 1, 2025 at 3:45 PM
MAGA perception: the gov is now more efficient.
Reality:
Reality:
Reposted by Michael Schmidt
my supervisor had to rewrite my entire performance evaluation because it contained the word “biodiversity”
May 1, 2025 at 11:57 AM
my supervisor had to rewrite my entire performance evaluation because it contained the word “biodiversity”
Reposted by Michael Schmidt
NO ONE is well staffed this year — ESPECIALLY the Incident Management Teams, which are largely made up of non-primary fire personnel.
If your rep is saying otherwise, they’re lying to you.
🫠
If your rep is saying otherwise, they’re lying to you.
🫠
April 29, 2025 at 3:35 AM
NO ONE is well staffed this year — ESPECIALLY the Incident Management Teams, which are largely made up of non-primary fire personnel.
If your rep is saying otherwise, they’re lying to you.
🫠
If your rep is saying otherwise, they’re lying to you.
🫠
Reposted by Michael Schmidt
Ha, this is a joke.
My team has seven positions on it; five foresters and two archaeologists.
We were going to be fully staffed this year — then Trump took office. We lost two to the hiring freeze, and our remaining archaeologist took a new job b/c he figured he was going to be RIFed.
My team has seven positions on it; five foresters and two archaeologists.
We were going to be fully staffed this year — then Trump took office. We lost two to the hiring freeze, and our remaining archaeologist took a new job b/c he figured he was going to be RIFed.
My representative is claiming that the USFS has all the staff they need. I’m very curious to know if this is true, because I’ve been hearing the opposite. Is this specific to fire fighters.
April 29, 2025 at 3:33 AM
Ha, this is a joke.
My team has seven positions on it; five foresters and two archaeologists.
We were going to be fully staffed this year — then Trump took office. We lost two to the hiring freeze, and our remaining archaeologist took a new job b/c he figured he was going to be RIFed.
My team has seven positions on it; five foresters and two archaeologists.
We were going to be fully staffed this year — then Trump took office. We lost two to the hiring freeze, and our remaining archaeologist took a new job b/c he figured he was going to be RIFed.
Reposted by Michael Schmidt
Introducing the "tree ring plot": a new way to visualize global surface temperatures. Each ring is a year, and each colored cell represents a day in global average temperatures (compared to a 1850-1900 preindustrial baseline).
April 25, 2025 at 9:33 PM
Introducing the "tree ring plot": a new way to visualize global surface temperatures. Each ring is a year, and each colored cell represents a day in global average temperatures (compared to a 1850-1900 preindustrial baseline).
Reposted by Michael Schmidt
📣 Current and former #USgov data scientists!
Join @ropensci.org + @openscapes.bsky.social on May 6 for a community support and networking event:
ropensci.org/events/datas...
Co-hosted by former feds (NOAA, NASA, DOE, NSF, NIH + Federal Reserve) to discuss their paths to other sectors. #dataBS
Join @ropensci.org + @openscapes.bsky.social on May 6 for a community support and networking event:
ropensci.org/events/datas...
Co-hosted by former feds (NOAA, NASA, DOE, NSF, NIH + Federal Reserve) to discuss their paths to other sectors. #dataBS
Non-Government Career Paths for U.S. Federal Data Scientists
A community support and networking event hosted by rOpenSci and Openscapes
ropensci.org
April 25, 2025 at 3:00 PM
📣 Current and former #USgov data scientists!
Join @ropensci.org + @openscapes.bsky.social on May 6 for a community support and networking event:
ropensci.org/events/datas...
Co-hosted by former feds (NOAA, NASA, DOE, NSF, NIH + Federal Reserve) to discuss their paths to other sectors. #dataBS
Join @ropensci.org + @openscapes.bsky.social on May 6 for a community support and networking event:
ropensci.org/events/datas...
Co-hosted by former feds (NOAA, NASA, DOE, NSF, NIH + Federal Reserve) to discuss their paths to other sectors. #dataBS
Reposted by Michael Schmidt
🚨Report your NSF grant terminations! 🚨
We are starting to collect information on NSF grant terminations to create a shared resource as we have for NIH. The more information we collect, the more we can organize, advocate, and fight back! Please share widely!
airtable.com/appGKlSVeXni...
We are starting to collect information on NSF grant terminations to create a shared resource as we have for NIH. The more information we collect, the more we can organize, advocate, and fight back! Please share widely!
airtable.com/appGKlSVeXni...
April 19, 2025 at 12:11 AM
🚨Report your NSF grant terminations! 🚨
We are starting to collect information on NSF grant terminations to create a shared resource as we have for NIH. The more information we collect, the more we can organize, advocate, and fight back! Please share widely!
airtable.com/appGKlSVeXni...
We are starting to collect information on NSF grant terminations to create a shared resource as we have for NIH. The more information we collect, the more we can organize, advocate, and fight back! Please share widely!
airtable.com/appGKlSVeXni...