Toward Widespread Geographic Information Literacy: An Undergraduate Computer Laboratory for Geographic InformationScience

该项目的主要目标是加强地理课程，使本科生有更多机会接触和学习使用当前技术-在统计、地理信息系统、制图、遥感和研究方法课程中应用计算机。这将通过将现有的混合模式讲座/实验室教室转换为最先进的教学实验室来实现。 该实验室将包括18台配有高分辨率显示器的奔腾II计算机，一台大幅面数字化平板电脑，两台激光打印机，一台彩色扫描仪和一台XGA级投影仪和屏幕。一些外围设备已经到位，（平板电脑，扫描仪和一台激光打印机），并将从所有计算机访问。实验室将使每个学生都有机会访问一个工作站。 它有一个投影系统，为学生提供易于遵循的教学演示，它是完全联网的，使学生可以访问中央服务器上的数据以及完全访问互联网。 该实验室采用适当的软件来教授本科生地理信息科学的原理，包括传统和空间统计，制图，地理信息系统和遥感。学生将在技术课程中学习这些工具，然后能够将其应用于其他更系统的课程，包括地理研究方法，天气气候，城市规划和地理形态学。 该实验室将大大增加学生的数量谁将接受一些基于计算机的概念和技术的指导，从每年约40到200多。 此外，教学质量有望提高，因为我们的学生不再需要在课堂教学时间共享工作站。 此外，我们的学生现在将能够做更多的各种应用程序比可能与计算机在目前的实验室。

The primary objective of this project is to enhance the geography curriculum by providing undergraduate students greater access to and instruction in the use of current technology -- computer applications in courses in Statistics, Geographic information Systems (GIS), Cartography, Remote Sensing, and Research Methods. This would be achieved by converting an existing mixed-mode lecture/lab classroom into a state-of-the-art instructional lab. The lab will consist of eighteen Pentium II computers with high-resolution monitors, one large-format digitizing tablet, two laser printers, a color scanner, and an XGA-class projector and screen. Some of the peripheral devices are already in place, (he tablet, scanner, and one laser printer), and would be accessible from all computers. The lab will enable each student to have access to a workstation. It has a projection system to provide students with easily-followed instructional demonstrations, and it is fully networked so that students have access to data on a central server as well as full access to the internet. The lab employs appropriate software for teaching undergraduates the principles of geographic information science, including traditional and spatial statistics, cartography, geographic information systems, and remote sensing. Students will learn these tools in the techniques courses, and then be able to apply them in other more systematic courses, including Geographic Research Methods, Weather & Climate, Urban Planning, and Geo-morphology. The lab will dramatically increase the number of students who would receive some instruction in computer-based concepts and techniques, from approximately 40 per year to over 200. Also, the quality of instruction is expected to improve as the our students no longer need to share workstations during class instruction time. Furthermore, our students will now be able to do a much greater variety of applications than possible with the computers in the current lab.