GIS Sources for Educators
 

Getting, Learning, and Using GIS in the Classroom http://c-hawks.org/gis/class.html

ESRI-the world leader in GIS software and Technology

  1. Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) http://www.esri.com
  2. ESRI K-12 Portal http://www.esri.com/k-12 GIS for K-12 education
  3. Community Atlas http://www.esri.com/communityatlas A project in which teachers and students define the nature of "their community" and post descriptions and maps about it. These presentations are combined on the web server and can be searched by characteristic and explored for similarities and differences. Read about the Grant Program. Sample Model Community Atlas Projects:
    1999-2000 - Barrington, RI
    2000-2001 - Stillwater, MN
    2001-2002 - Lewiston, ID
    2002-2003 - Lewistown, IL
     
    2003-2004 - Springfield, IL
    2004-2005- Bangor, ME
    2005-2006- Orrville, OH
  4. ArcLessons is a resource for you to share Lesson Packs for using GIS in the classroom. You can browse a list of lessons by category or use the search tools to find lessons in your area of interest. http://gis.esri.com/industries/education/arclessons/arclessons.cfm
  5. ESRI Schools and Libraries Site- links to helpful information for schools at http://www.esri.com/k-12
  6. More Links to GIS Lessons http://www.esri.com/industries/k-12/education/lessons.html
  7. GIS Support Information http://www.esri.com/industries/k-12/education/literature.html
  8. ESRI Canada http://www.esricanada.com
  9. ESRI Canada Schools and Libraries K-12 http://k12.esricanada.com/

Free GIS and GPS Software Downloads

  1. ArcExplorer This freely available software offers an easy way to perform a variety of basic GIS functions, including display, query, and data retrieval applications. Choose from a number of versions.
    http://www.esri.com/software/arcexplorer/about/overview.html
    NOTE- for lessons to support this software, go to ArcLessons and "Search by Software"(ArcExplorer or ArcGIS).
  2. To upload waypoints and tracks from a Garmin GPS unit to GIS software- use the DNR Garmin Extension- http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/mis/gis/tools/arcview/extensions/DNRGarmin/DNRGarmin.htmlSteps
  3. Steps to download data from GPS using DNRGarmin

Links to Useful Resources

  1. Getting, Learning, and Using GIS in the Classroom
  2. GIS in Education http://www.ncsu.edu/gisined/what.html Resource for educators using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in their classrooms.
  3. GIS Support http://rockyweb.cr.usgs.gov/outreach/giseduc.html Instructs educators in the use of teaching with and about GIS and other geographic technologies (remote sensing, GPS) through online guidelines, lessons, data, and courses.
  4. GIS 2 GPS Portal http://www.gis2gps.com Developed for teachers and students to make teachers and students aware of GIS and GPS technologies and to provide educator links, lesson plans and classroom resources/ideas for projects.
  5. Getting, Learning, and Using GIS in the Classroom- http://c-hawks.org/gis/class.html

Training Opportunities and Online Lessons

  1. Missouri Botanical Garden Introductory workshops, "mapping" institutes, and the GIS Leadership Institute provide a coordinated professional development program for teachers offered in the St. Louis area by Dr. Bob Coulter. Summer 2005 programs of interest include Mapping Environmental Issues and Mapping Seasonal Change.
  2. STAR-Online STAR-Online's Virtual Teaching and Learning Community (VTLC) offers Staff Development Modules focusing on the integration of technology in the classroom. Use the Geographic Information Systems- ArcVoyager module. Find out more about the STAR-Online License and Subscriptions.
  3. GIS Tutorials- links to six sites with tutorials on GIS from Cal Poly State University. http://www.lib.calpoly.edu/research/all_databases/gis/gis3.html
  4. Kathryn Keranen - ESRI certified GIS trainer for educators
  5. GIS2GPS GIS and GPS classes in the Chicago area and throughout Illinois.

GIS Data

  1. Tiger Data 2000- GIS users can download free Census 2000 TIGER/Line Data in shapefile format for an area of interest. Users can choose multiple data layers for a single county or a single data layer for multiple counties and analyze them using GIS software. http://www.esri.com/data/download/census2000_tigerline/index.html
  2. GIS Data Depot - Free GIS Data http://www.gisdatadepot.com/ Free data downloads
  3. Geography Network http://www.geographynetwork.com/
  4. ArcData Online- ArcData Online is ESRI's Internet Mapping and Data Site. The ArcData Online site contains links to live maps and data downloads featuring a wide assortment of geographic information that users can access to create map images and download data. http://www.esri.com/data/online/index.html
  5. USGS data http://mapping.usgs.gov/
  6. National Atlas http://www.nationalatlas.gov/ Find, get, and use geographic information about the United States.
  7. National Geographic Map Machine http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine/ Find any place on Earth, and view it by population, climate, and much more as well as browse antique maps, find country facts, or plan outdoor adventures with trail maps.
  8. Library of Congress Map Collections 1500-1999 http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/gmdhome.html The focus of this resource is Americana and Cartographic Treasures of the Library of Congress images created from maps and atlases.
  9. Illinois Data Resources
    1. Illinois County Boundaries 1790 - Present Click on a year to see the Illinois county map for that year. New counties are listed for each year.
    2. Illinois Natural Resources Geospatial Clearinghouse
    3. Illinois Natural Resources Geospatial Data Clearinghouse Clearinghouse for Illinois GIS data and imagery. Data sets include: geology, water resources, nature preserves, wildlife areas, land use, political boundaries, roads, census information, Public Land Survey, Digital Raster Graphics files, 1998/99 Digital Orthophoto Quarter Quadrangle.
    4. Illinois State Geological Survey - The ISGS provides scientific information to government, business, and the public.

GIS projects, activities and interesting sites.

  1. Google Earth- requires a download.
  2. Microsoft Terra Server - Microsoft's solution for quickie air photo images. Try to find your home or your school! You may search using the map or using an image. http://terraserver.microsoft.com/
  3. Terra Server- a reference tool for satellite imagery. All imagery is available for viewing free - down to 8 meter resolution. One free image download per month. http://www.terraserver.com/
  4. European Map-o-rama http://www.maporama.com/share Access to fully interactive maps of pan-European coverage.
  5. The GLOBE Program http://www.globe.gov
  6. MapBlaster http://www.mapblast.com/myblast/index.mb Provides directions and gives lat/long for street addresses as well as interactive maps, driving directions, and more.
  7. Topozone http://www.topozone.com Free interactive USGS topo maps of the US.

Important Points to Remember-

Once you load ArcView onto your computer, do not move any of the files. Additionally, once you create and save a project in a specific folder, do not move the project or the data used in the project! If you move any files, you risk loosing your project.

To help keep track of files downloaded and projects created, begin by creating a folder on your hard drive. We suggest naming it something like "1gis." In that project folder, create a set of folders in which to store all of your information. Begin with by creating and naming the following folders:

  1. "project" - The project folder will hold all ArcView projects that you create. Within this folder, create a new folder to hold each project that you create. For instance, you might have a "hub" folder, a "school" folder, or a "home" folder as well as a folder for each student group.
  2. "data" - Each time you download data to your hard drive, store those files in a separate folder! You might have a "tigerdata" folder, a "USGS" folder, and a folder for data downloaded at a training session. This will make it easier for you to locate your information when you create maps. Be sure to include the "metadata" files in the folder so that you may read background information on the maps. Keep these files with the data that you download.
  3. "waypoints" - Every time you upload data from your Garmin to your computer, save it to this file IN A FOLDER THAT DESCRIBES THE WAYPOINT DATA. For instance, in the Waypoints folder, you might create a "hub" folder, a "school" folder, a "second hour" folder, and so on to describe what waypoint data is within that folder.
  4. "other" - You might want to create this file to store text documents or spreadsheets created by you or attached in e-mails. If you keep everything together, it will be easier to find it later on.

Modified: 14 November 2006
Contact: jxjt@greene.k12.il.us