Global GIS : Exploring The
Globe with GIS Author:
Joseph J.
Kerski, Ph.D. Geographer US Geological Survey rockyweb.cr.usgs.gov/outreach/ Description In these lessons, students use Geographic Information
Systems (GIS) together with the tools and data from the Global
GIS CDs to investigate the following topics in different
continents at a local, regional, and continental scale: Natural
hazards, including earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis; Population
growth, demographics, land use, and patterns; Water
resources, including river systems, oceans, and seas; Minerals
and Manufacturing. The lessons can be
used with other data in the Global GIS project to investigate these topics in
other continents. Furthermore, the
methods used here can be applied to other map themes contained within the Global
GIS datasets. What is GIS? Maps have always
been powerful ways to represent information.
A GIS combines the power of maps, satellite images, and aerial
photographs with databases that store information behind the maps and images. One way to think about GIS is to break it up
into its three initials. The “G” part
of GIS could be a map, a three-dimensional representation of the Earth’s
surface, or an image. The “I” part of
GIS is the Information, or the database, containing attributes behind each map
feature. This could be the magnitude of
an earthquake, for example, or the population of a country. The “S” part of GIS is invisible to the
user, but this Systems part makes it possible to analyze the maps and
attributes together. Another way to think about GIS is to think of it in
terms of computer hardware, software, methods, and a human explorer. GIS requires computer hardware and software
to use. In the case of this lesson,
ArcReader and ArcView software from ESRI, Inc. will be used. GIS involves specific methods, or procedures. In this lesson, students will have the
opportunity to use many of these procedures, such as querying, sorting,
changing legends, creating buffers, and others. GIS also requires certain kinds of spatial data. These are produced by national governmental
organizations such as the United Nations, the Ordnance Survey, USGS, the US Census Bureau, NASA, and others, as well
as tribal, state, and local government, nonprofit organizations, and private
industry. However, the most important
component of a GIS is the user. It is
the person that must make sense of what the GIS tools and methods are saying,
and it is the person who must decide what action to take. Why Use GIS in Education? As the world becomes ever more monitored, mapped, and
surveyed, students have the opportunity as never before to take advantage of
the same tools that scientists are using.
One tool essential for analyzing the Earth is a Geographic Information
System (GIS). A GIS allows the user not
just to create computerized maps, but also to analyze patterns,
linkages, and trends that exist above, on, or below the Earth’s surface. Oceanographers, geologists, geographers,
seismologists, climatologists, biologists, chemists, zoologists, and other
scientists regularly use GIS to help them make wise decisions about the
planet. Why not tap into this powerful
tool for teaching and learning? A GIS user is not confined to the static content,
locked scale, and symbols of a paper map.
Rather, a GIS allows the user to create his or her own map—one
that is customized to address the issues and problem at hand. Analyzing the Earth with a GIS in the classroom
provides for inquiry-based, problem-solving learning. Students ask a question, acquire the necessary tools and data to
address the question, analyze the data using the GIS and other tools, and
assess the results of their investigation.
This may lead to further investigation and additional questions. In addition, learning with GIS allows for
the integration of field data collection with Global Positioning Systems (GPS)
to obtain the precise coordinates of where the data were collected. It also allows for interdisciplinary
learning that is exciting and relevant to address the major issues of the 21st
Century, such as biodiversity, population growth, climate change, natural
hazards, and energy. In this lesson,
students are given the opportunity to analyze a specific natural
hazard—earthquakes—using GIS software and methods of analysis. Linkages to
Educational Content Standards Geography Standards The World in Spatial Terms Geography studies the relationships between people, places and environments
by mapping information about them into a spatial context. The geographically
informed person knows and understands: 1. How to use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and
technologies to acquire, process, and report information. Students using GIS create their own maps to analyze the Earth.
These maps are dynamic--the student can change the scale, the symbology, the
content, the projection, the classification, and other characteristics of
each. GIS is an analysis tool to ask questions about an investigate the
Earth. In the Global GIS lessons, students create many different kind of
maps at many different scales to investigate hydrology, land use, natural
hazards, population, and other phenomena. Places and Regions 4. The physical and human characteristics of places. Students who use GIS can examine human and physical characteristics of places
and regions within one tool. In fact, GIS was created to do exactly
that--separate the Earth's hydrology, biology, landforms, rivers,
transportation, land cover, climate, vegetation, and other features into layers
so that, when combined, the Earth could be understood holistically.
Students investigate such places as Alaska, California, Portugal, Turkey, Costa
Rica, and Chile in the Global GIS lessons. Physical Systems 7. The physical processes that shape the patterns of Earth's surface. Through the Global GIS lessons, students investigate such physical processes
as earthquakes, volcanoes, and plate boundaries, examining the patterns across
the Earth's surface and linkages between them. Human Systems 9. The characteristics, distribution and migration of human populations. Through the Global GIS lessons, students investigate such processes as
population distribution, concentration, and relationship to rivers, climate,
vegetation, and natural hazards. Environment and Society The physical environment is modified by human activities largely as a
consequence of the ways in which human societies value and use Earth's natural
resources and human activities are also influenced by Earth's physical features
and processes. The geographically informed person knows and understands: 14. How human actions modify the physical environment. Students who use the Global GIS lessons analyze the relationships between
people and the physical environment, such as earthquakes and volcanoes versus
the distribution and size of cities and population clusters, between rivers and
cities, and between climate and cities, to name a few. The Uses of Geography 17. How to apply geography to interpret the past. Through GIS-based inquiry, students are using a real-world geographic set of
tools and real-world geographic data to analyze patterns, linkages, and trends. Teaching Standards These
lessons support national teaching science
standards because the lessons were developed as an inquiry-based approach to
teaching. Specifically, they support
Teaching Standard A because they are interdisciplinary and nurture a community of
science learners. Teaching Standard B
focuses on modeling the skills of scientific inquiry, which students do while
analyzing earthquakes and other phenomena within a GIS environment. Teaching Standard C is supported because the questions use multiple
methods of assessment, and many sections of the lesson do not have one “right
answer;” rather, the questions encourage students to reflect upon their
learning. They support Teaching Standard
D because through the Global GIS project, they make the available science tools,
materials, media, and technological resources accessible to students. Teaching Standard E is supported because
students are encouraged to collaborate with each other, and because the lessons
model and emphasize the skills, attitudes, and values of scientific inquiry. In short, with GIS, constructivist teaching
is supported because students are not memorizing facts, and the teachers’ role
changes to one of guiding the students in their inquiry. Professional Development Standards Teaching with GIS support the vision of professional
development standards for the teaching of science. Specifically, in the learning of science content through inquiry
standard, GIS was created as an inquiry-based, problem-solving tool. It was not something “made up” for the
classroom. Rather, teachers using GIS
are themselves learning science content in the same way as a scientist in
government, business, or a nonprofit organization does everyday on the job. Furthermore, the development of the
understanding and ability for lifelong learning is supported because GIS is not
a “plug and play” CD. It is a system,
and indeed, geographic information science is a science in its own
right. Therefore, teaching with GIS
cannot be dismissed as easy. It is hard
work, but in so doing, teachers learn continual reflection, new strategies,
best practice, and learning alongside the students. Despite the work involved, most teachers using GIS in the classroom
indicate that it is a worthwhile endeavor. Science Content Standards Investigating the Earth with a GIS supports science
content standards. For example, the
“unifying concepts and processes” standard is integrated into the lesson in
that students are provided with a system, a way of organizing their data within
a GIS. They are also provided evidence
for earthquake and volcano hazards as real scientific data. Students examine
evidence and explain the distribution of phenomena across Earth's
surface. They measure phenomena and they analyze changes over
time and space. Investigating Earth with a GIS also addresses the
science as inquiry standard, because students learn scientific concepts (plate
tectonics) by developing the skills scientists use on the job. GIS is a
real-world tool used by thousands of scientists daily. The process of
inquiry within a GIS is more important than the "final answer" that
the students provide. GIS-driven inquiry gives students an appreciation
of scientific investigation, because it is the same tool that scientists use.
Using GIS, students ask questions, acquire or generate necessary data, analyze
the data, draw conclusions, and ask new questions. They conduct their own
investigations in a hands-on way.
In so doing, they are developing skills necessary to become independent
inquirers about the natural world. Students using GIS through this lesson begin to see that
their analysis hinges largely on the quality of the data provided. They learn to be critical of the data.
Too often, when data are viewed on the computer, they are considered to be perfect; without error. However, computer-based data are no more
accurate or precise than the paper maps and original sources they were derived
from. This is especially important with
map data because maps are representations of the Earth. They all contain inaccuracies because they
are based on specific map projections, which distort the three-dimensional
earth to depict it on a two-dimensional paper map or computer screen. Being critical of data and recognizing the
limitations of data and analysis are essential science learning skills. Using these data sets and lessons, emphasis is on
investigation and analysis, rather than on demonstration. The GIS skills
the students are learning are in context with the lessons on
seismicity or population, for example, and
they are using multiple skills—process, computer, analysis. Instead of
simply providing answers to questions, students are communicating science
explanations about science content through their maps, tables, and charts
from GIS. Their conclusions must be backed by real-world data.
The lesson supports the physical science standards
because students learn about tectonic forces, motions, and patterns, and the
structure of the earth system. The science and technology standards are
addressed because students learn science through GIS technology.
Natural hazards are a component in the science in personal and social
perspectives standards. With the earthquakes lessons,
for example, students assess risks and
benefits of living with earthquakes, and the relationship of earthquakes to
cities and critical infrastructure such as roads, utility lines, and railroads. GIS
Skills Involved 1) Navigating
through and effectively using a GIS interface and software. 2)
Changing map symbology to create different thematic maps. 3)
Manipulating tabular information, including selecting attributes, querying tables, and sorting tables. 4)
Querying map data, including proximity analysis. 5)
Downloading and formatting data from the Internet for use in GIS. 6)
Changing map projections. 7)
Creating new information from existing data. Options
for Running the Software: 1. After
installing the data and the ArcView Data Publisher,
start the “<Continent> Global GIS” icon from the Windows start bar under the
‘Global GIS’ folder, where <Continent> refers to Europe, North
America, South Pacific, and so on. A
few sections of the lessons (incorporating data from the Internet, for example)
require the use of ArcView GIS, but ArcView Data
Publisher users will be able to complete most of these lessons. 2. Users who own a version ArcView 3.x can open the
ArcView GIS project named “europe_global_gis5_v3.apr” directly off the Global
GIS CD. This will give the user the opportunity to save his/her project. ·
Notes: Before starting,
please see http://www.agiweb.org/pubs/globalgis/
under “support and downloads” for any data updates or project updates. The
ArcView project delivered on this disk is not compatible with ArcView version
3.0 because of the use of the MrSID image format. ArcView version 3.1 and
higher will work. Thus, for Macintosh ArcView version 3.0, users will need to
download a compatible Macintosh project, which removes the MrSID image
references from the AGI site mentioned above. U.S. Department of the Interior
2. How to use mental maps (a person's internalized picture of a part of Earth's
surface) to organize information about people places, and environments.
3. How to analyze the spatial organization of people places, and environments on
Earth's surface.
The identities and lives of individuals and peoples are rooted in particular
places and in those human constructs called regions. The geographically informed
person knows and understands:
5. That people create regions to interpret Earth's complexity.
6. How culture and experience influence people's perceptions of places and
regions.
Physical processes shape Earth's surface and interact with plant and animal life
to create, sustain, and modify the ecosystems. The geographically informed
person knows and understands:
8. The characteristics and distribution of ecosystems on Earth's surface.
People are central to geography in that human activities help shape Earth's
surface, human settlements and structures are part of Earth's surface, and
humans compete for control of Earth's surface. The geographically informed
person knows and understands:
10. The characteristics, distribution and complexity of Earth's cultural
mosaics.
11. The patterns and networks of economic interdependence.
12. The processes, patterns, and functions of human settlement.
13. How the forces of cooperation and conflict among people influence the
division and control of Earth's surface.
15. How physical systems affect human systems.
16. The changes that occur in the meaning, use, distribution, and importance of
resources.
Knowing geography enables people to understand the relationships between people,
places, and environments over time. The geographically informed person knows and
understands:
18. How to apply geography to interpret the present and plan for the future.
U.S. Geological Survey
URL:http://rockyweb.cr.usgs.gov /public/outreach/globalgis/overview.html
Last modified: 19 August 2004