Enhancing Geographic Education with Data Visualization and GIS Technology

该项目的目标是通过科学可视化和地理信息系统技术加强对地理现象的了解。这些工具使学生能够有效地看到地理数据的空间和时间特征。练习可在四个重点领域内进行：计算机制图和地理信息系统、城市和区域规划、统计分析和地球科学。实验室练习强调科学计算、推理和批判性思维。每学年招收约2,045名学生的15门本科课程受到该项目的影响。参与者包括地理专业和非专业的学生，包括中小学教育专业的学生。今年夏天，该设施被用于为达拉斯-沃斯堡大都市中心的K-12教师设计的短期课程。以前，该部门有一个高级(初级和高级)课程设施，配备了10台个人计算机(PC)和一台SPARC20工作站/文件服务器。实验室改进包括对工作站进行5台计算机和硬件升级，以满足较高级别班级的需要，为较低级别(一年级和二年级)实验室科学入门课程升级10台计算机，以及用于分析地理数据的三维和时间特征的SpyGlass数据可视化软件。已获得ARC/INFO、ER-MAPPER和ATLAS*GIS的站点许可证，所有这些都为该项目提供了软件支持。项目传播工具包括通过互联网提供获取演习和支持数据的途径。

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.