Enhancing Geographic Education with Data Visualization and GIS Technology

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The objective of the project is to enhance understanding of geographic phenomena through scientific visualization and geographic information systems (GIS) technology. These tools enable students to effectively see the spatial and temporal characteristics of geographic data. Exercises can be conducted within four areas of emphasis: computer cartography and GIS, urban and regional planning, statistical analysis, and earth science. Lab exercises emphasize scientific computing, reasoning, and critical thinking. Fifteen undergraduate courses enrolling approximately 2,045 students are affected by the project each academic year. Participants consist of geography majors and nonmajors, including elementary and secondary education majors. In the summer, the facility is being used for short courses designed for K-12 teachers in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Previously, the department has had a facility for upper-level (junior and senior) courses that has been equipped with 10 personal computers (PC's) and a SPARC20 workstation/fileserver. The laboratory enhancement includes 5 PCs and hardware upgrades to the workstation to accommodate the needs of the upper-level classes, 10 PCs for the lower-level (freshman and sophomore) introductory laboratory science courses, and SPYGLASS data visualization software for analyzing the three-dimensional and temporal characteristics of geographic data. Site licenses have been acquired for ARC/INFO, ER-MAPPER, and ATLAS*GIS, all of which contribute software support to the project. Vehicles for project dissemination include providing access to exercises and supporting data over the Internet.