This website represents a proposed pedagogical resource for geospatial literacy, data and technology. This page discusses the need for such a resource, and outlines the various proposed modules and their objectives. The subsequent pages on this site present a demonstration of the sub-modules from Module 2: Spatial Literacy. The material in this site is best viewed using Google Chrome. You will be required to log in to arcgis.com for you to view the majority of the content. You will be prompted to provide your username and password only once.
The geospatial learning portal
The current generation of post-secondary students is entering universities and colleges during a time when concept of location has never before been so important to society. We are witnessing a period in history when the majority of people around the world are having access to technologies that can describe where they are located. This simple concept has transformed how we communicate with each other, respond to crises and natural disasters, solve critical problems facing the environment, and how we go about our daily lives. Geospatial literacy, data and technology centered on location have become ubiquitous in society and are one of the most important forces currently shaping our world.
An increasing number of post-secondary programs around the world are seizing the opportunity to harness the power of location by offering new courses on geospatial literacy, data and technology. These courses are unique because they focus on a technology and a type of data that has only just emerged. There are multiple ways in which geospatial data and technologies are changing how we behave and think, and as such the development of a new curriculum is surfacing. However, this curriculum is currently being developed in the absence of an effective and relevant pedagogical resource.
The current availability of textbooks for courses on geospatial literacy, data and technology are centered on the discipline of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Such resources are typically written for the computer literate, and most assume that each person who opens the book is pursuing a career in developing or using GIS. A limited number of textbooks have recently emerged that go beyond the techniques of GIS, but little to no attention is paid to how spatial literacy is now formed in the daily lives of students by the use of mobile, location-enabled technologies that can access vast amounts of free geospatial data over the web. No textbook to date provides students with the opportunity to directly engage with geospatial data and technology as a means to become geospatial thinkers and professionals.
We propose a revolutionary new resource for university and college courses in Geospatial Literacy, Data and Technology. We envision developing a living, interactive, and evolving portal that places students at the center of the material. A living portal is one that is web-enabled, drawing upon current online resources for providing a rich diversity of pedagogical opportunities. An interactive portal allows students to learn by doing. Access to web-based mapping platforms and geospatial applications immerses students directly into the curriculum, and stimulates learning opportunities outside the classroom. Finally, an evolving platform is never static. Our vision is of a resource that grows in tandem with new technologies, new forms of data, and new types of users. An evolving resource facilitates opportunities for instructor and student input, and provides forums for users of the text to interact and learn from each other. A living, interactive, and evolving geospatial portal will be at the core of a new and thriving geospatial community of students, instructors, and professionals. The topics in the portal span the importance of place, components of spatial literacy (e.g. location, scale, patterns), nuanced forms of geospatial data (e.g. twitter, RSS feeds), evolving geospatial technologies (e.g. ArcGIS Online, Google Earth, mashups), mapping on the Web, analyzing spatial data, the geospatial workforce, the future of geospatial data and technologies, and the types of disciplines that are helping the geospatial community grow.
PREFACE
This is a living geospatial portal on the importance of where. Everything that has ever happened in the history of time on earth has happened in some place. Everyone reading these words right now shares one thing: you are all located somewhere. Places, spaces, and location are terms that we use to describe where we are, who we are, and what we are doing. However, the way we think about these concepts has drastically changed over time, especially in the last decade with the explosion of new technologies and the availability of vast amounts of data over the web that focuses on geographic data and the spaces that surround us. Geospatial data and technologies are now ubiquitous in our daily lives, influencing how we think about the world and engage with our friends, family, colleagues, and strangers. This living portal invites you to engage in the power of place by using the very geospatial technologies and data that are shaping our lives and the world around us.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
MODULE 1: PLACE
The objective of this chapter is to introduce students to how new forms of geospatial data and technologies have put the concept of location at the forefront of how we live our lives and shape our world. Students will gain an understanding of how mobile devices, the Web, GPS, satellite imagery, social media, and geospatial data collectively form what we know as the Digital Earth. Topics in this chapter include:
1.1 The Importance of Place
1.2 Geospatial Data
1.3 Geospatial-enabled Technologies
1.4 The Digital Earth
MODULE 2: SPATIAL LITERACY
The objective of this chapter is to allow students to formulate literacy in spatial thinking. The importance of everyday concepts such as the topics listed below will be made explicit through interactive web-based mapping exercises in which students utilize a variety of available data to understand and discuss space. Topics in this chapter include:
2.1 Spatial Literacy
2.2 Location is Everywhere
2.3 Concepts of Direction and Distance
2.4 Geographic Scale
2.5 Spatial Patterns
MODULE 3: GEOSPATIAL DATA
The objective of this chapter is to help students understand why data is so important in today’s world, and to learn where various types of geospatial data originate and what they can be use for. The chapter discusses GPS, satellite imagery, digitizing, census data, and the concept of big data as it applies to Web-based data availability. Specific topics in this chapter include:
3.1 Data: The New Paradigm of Science
3.2 Where Do Geospatial Data Come From?
3.3 Types of Geospatial Data
3.4 How Geospatial Data Are Used
3.5 Big Data in a Complex World
MODULE 4: GEOSPATIAL TECHNOLOGIES
The objective of this chapter is to present the broad spectrum of geospatial technologies at the forefront of the geospatial industry. Students will learn how mobile mapping applications are developed and used, how satellites, cell tower and WI-FI provide a digital geospatial network, leading web-based mapping applications, and how geospatial technologies impact our privacy. Specific topics in the chapter include:
4.1 Mobile Maps and Apps
4.2 Global Positioning Systems
4.3 Satellites and Sensors
4.4 Web-based Mapping Applications
4.5 Geographic Information Systems
4.6 Privacy and Security with Geospatial Technologies
MODULE 5: MAKING MAPS
The objective of this chapter is to teach students how to make professional maps on the Web that can be shared with the world. Materials are provided that allow students to collect and present data in visually rich mapping applications where they can tell stories of some geographic phenomenon. Specific topics include:
5.1 The Art and Science of Map Making
5.2 Searching the Web for Data to Map
5.3 Thematic Mapping
5.4 Storytelling with Maps
5.5 Sharing Maps with the World
MODULE 6: CITIZEN SCIENCE
The objective of this chapter is to introduce students to the various concepts of citizen science as related to geospatial data and technologies. Students will learn about the variety of applications that enable anyone to collect and synthesize data, how to utilize social media applications such as Twitter and Flickr, and the types of public mapping platforms that have been created for assisting in disaster response. Specific topics in this chapter include:
6.1 Crowdsourcing
6.2 Volunteered Geographic Information
6.3 Social Media
6.4 Mashups
6.5 Contributory Platforms
6.6 Collaborative Platforms
MODULE 7: ANALYZING GEOSPATIAL DATA
The objective of this chapter is to teach students about basic methods of analysis for assisting in spatial decision-making. Students will conduct various forms of analysis using tools available in online mapping platforms. Specific tasks are provided that will teach students how to make intelligent decisions based on the findings from their analyses. The types of analyses to be covered in this chapter include:
7.1 Proximity Analysis
7.2 Suitability Analysis
7.3 Network Analysis
7.4 Visualization
7.5 Making Inferences with Geospatial Data
MODULE 8: GEOSPATIAL AT WORK AND PLAY
The objective of this chapter is to present a range of geospatial professions and leisure opportunities where knowledge and experience with geospatial data and technologies are utilized. Specific examples regarding employment trends and opportunities as well as geospatial social movements will allow students to appreciate how this text will benefit them in their future. The professional areas and leisure-related topics included are:
8.1 Emergency Management
8.2 Sustainability
8.3 Scientific Research
8.4 Local Government
8.5 Defense
8.6 Energy and Utilities
8.7 Business and Marketing
8.8 Geocaching
8.9 #geohipsters
MODULE 9: WHERE TO FROM HERE?
The objective of this final chapter is to provide students with an understanding of possible paths forward in college/university that will allow them to achieve career goals in geospatial data and technology. While GIS and remote sensing curriculum is emphasized, this chapter also highlights alternative disciplines that student should explore for broadening how they think about and utilize geospatial data and technologies. The specific disciplines and sub-disciplines include:
9.1 Geography
9.2 Geographic Information Science
9.3 Computer Science
9.4 The Humanities
9.5 The Future of the Digital Earth