Geographic Information Systems Education Research Articles

GIS and Types of GIS Education Programs

Recent developments in mapping technologies that forms data for planning and decision mechanism, makes it necessary to use these technologies by forming “clever maps” through geographical information systems (GIS). Up to now, the concept of GIS couldn’t be understood both in educational institutions and at private sector. The importance of geographical information systems and its fields of use should be emphasized. GIS education in secondary education and universities must be a government policy. Different certificate programs for staff training both in private sector and governmental organizations should be encouraged to increase productivity and quick decision making. Universities in North Cyprus has realized the importance of GIS and started GIS education in different departments recently.

Paper-Based GIS: A Practical Answer to the Implementation of GIS Education into Resource-Poor Schools in South Africa

Geographical information systems (GIS) were phased into the geography curriculum of South African schools from 2006–2008 as part of the National Curriculum Statement (NCS) for grades 10–12. Since its introduction, GIS education in schools across the country has been met with a number of challenges including the cost of purchasing the hardware and software required to elucidate the basic concepts of GIS to learners. This article examines the introduction of GIS education in schools in South Africa. The development and distribution of a paper-based GIS educational package for resource-poor schools in the country is also highlighted. Preliminary educator and learner evaluations of the paper-based GIS package are discussed and the broader learning opportunities and benefits associated with flexible teaching mechanisms are examined.

Spatial thinking in geographic information science: a review of past studies and prospects for the future

In recent years, the relationship between geographic information science (GIScience) and spatial thinking has attracted much attention in English-speaking countries. Nevertheless, vagueness remains concerning the concept of spatial thinking and its components. The aim of this paper is to review previous studies on the relationship between GIScience and spatial thinking, and to clarify the elements of spatial thinking and related terms. After discussing the basic elements of spatial thinking, it explores the relationship between GIScience and spatial thinking by dividing it into two aspects: the role of geographic information systems (GIS) in education on spatial thinking, and the role of spatial thinking in GIScience. Concerning the former, potential roles of GIS in spatial thinking education, particularly in geography and STEM disciplines, are suggested. Concerning the latter, the relationships between the body of knowledge on GIS education and the elements of spatial thinking are examined. Finally, the present situation and future prospects for studies on spatial thinking and GIScience in Japan are briefly discussed.

Exploring a Web-Based Pedagogical Model to Enhance GIS Education

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are defined as: “An integrated collection of computer software and data used to view and manage information about geographic places, analyze spatial relationships, and model spatial processes.” (Wade & Sommer, 2006) Originally, GIS users were comprised primarily of scientists and engineers. In time, hardware and software advancements provided the catalyst for expanded use by the global community. In addition, the continued integration and access to information systems via the Internet and mobile devices has contributed to the success of GIS in society. Aside from commercial training, institutions of higher learning have played a major role in the technical training of GIS professionals. As with other technically orientated topics of study, pedagogical considerations exist that include: problem solving skills, information retention, and approaches towards learning. A pedagogical approach utilizing student generated and existing Internet GIS resources may provide an effective method of addressing GIS education.

GIS Education at Geographical Departments in Japanese Universities in Relation to the Japan Standard GIS Core Curriculum

Geographic information system (GIS) education in Japan lags far behind that in Western developed countries. As such the development of systematic GIS education in Japanese universities, including the preparation of a GIS standard curriculum, becomes an urgent issue. This article examines the present situation and recent trends of GIS education in geographical departments of Japanese universities. Information about 202 courses offered in 39 universities was collected and analysed. The results indicate that there are mismatches between the current draft of the Japan Standard GIS Core Curriculum and the actual situation of GIS education in terms of the length of courses, the number of classes and course style. The results of this study provide useful information to facilitate the effective implementation of the core curriculum for GIS.

Glacial geomorphology and geographic information systems

Recent developments in the field of glacial geomorphology have dramatically increased the need to acquire, maintain, manipulate, and analyze large amounts of landform, landscape and sediment data. The use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has provided new platforms and tools for analysis and visualization of geomorphic data. Glacial geomorphologists have used GIS to integrate multi-source data, manage multi-scale studies, identify previously unrecognized spatial and temporal relationships and patterns in geomorphic data, and to link landform data with numerical models as part of model calibration and verification. GIS-based analyses associated with numerical modeling are improving our understanding of glacial landscape evolution and are allowing new quantitative and systematic examinations of spatial and temporal patterns of glacial landforms and processes. This has allowed for the development of insights and concepts that would be unlikely to arise using traditional methods alone. Key recommendations for future research and applications in glacial geomorphology include enhanced GIS education and dissemination, the development of standards and conventions for glacial geomorphic data, community projects to collect data into readily accessible databases, and enhanced use of linked GIS — model frameworks to address major issues in glacial geomorphology.

Europe and the United States: the implementation of geographic information systems in secondary education in two contexts

Since its inception in the early 1990s, geographic information science and its related technology, geographic information systems (GIS), have diffused slowly into select groups of K‐12 classrooms worldwide. The technology has not been adopted at a rate commensurate with expectations. The purpose of this article is to explore GIS implementation by comparing the variable status of GIS education in pre‐collegiate education in the United States and Europe and factors that appear to play a role in diffusion. The authors use a model of internal and external factors that influence adoption of education innovation as a heuristic to compare and draw conclusions.

Beyond the Bench: Mapping the Air in Public Schools

In the home, parents are the primary guardians of a child’s environmental health. However, once the child’s environment moves out of the home, identifying sources of protection can become difficult. The Community Outreach and Education Program (COEP) of Duke University’s NIEHS Environmental Health Sciences Research Center in Durham, North Carolina, has pledged to give children’s environmental health the attention it deserves and is proactively implementing projects to create preventive environmental interventions that protect children before they become sick. One of the main questions the Duke COEP seeks to answer in its outreach activities is whether children are being exposed to environmental factors in school that contribute to asthma incidence. The Duke COEP staff have used geographic information system (GIS) technology in a number of applications to address this question, including a May 2004 assessment of the indoor air environment at nearby New Hope Elementary School. For years, students and staff in the Orange County school system (of which New Hope Elementary is a part) had complained of respiratory problems as well as general discomfort with fluctuating indoor temperatures and a sense that the air in the school buildings was unhealthy. COEP staff were asked to evaluate one sample school in the system and offer recommendations. They selected New Hope Elementary for study, then went into the school and conducted an evaluation of every classroom. The problems they observed included a high relative indoor humidity of around 75–78% (the ideal humidity is 35–40% when the outdoor temperature is 20°F or higher) and imbalances in the heating and cooling system (they observed temperature differences of as much as 5–10°F in separate classrooms in some instances). They also noticed problems exacerbated by failing insulation, such as mold spore development and air flow variations—some rooms would have a distinct breeze, while others had still, damp air. Once they had gathered their data, the COEP staff created a GIS compilation to display the data and analyze the results. The advantage of using GIS technology to interpret information is that it visually integrates previously unlinked sets of information, facilitating the detection of relationships among them. In the case of New Hope Elementary, the GIS map let concerned parents, teachers, school administrators, and education policy makers see a visual representation of the spatial distribution of airflow irregularities and mold spores throughout the school. Based on information gathered from the GIS map, the school administrators replaced carpeting throughout the school with tile floors and thoroughly cleaned the entire duct system, which significantly improved ventilation in the classrooms. “What’s exciting is that we were able to provide information, education, and outreach directly to the faculty and school governance council,” says Marie Lynn Miranda, director of the Duke COEP. Another benefit of the study is the unique learning opportunity it will afford the New Hope Elementary students. All the data from the project will be turned over to the school’s fifth-grade science teachers for development into classroom lesson projects. COEP workers also plan to use the New Hope Elementary study as a model for future initiatives in childhood asthma prevention.

Oracle 9iAS Portal As A Platform ForGeographic Information Science DistanceAnd Flexible Learning At TheUniversity Of The South Pacific

Providing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) courses over the Distance and Flexible Learning (DFL) in the University of the South Pacific has been until now an area where little concentration has focussed. The USP is an international University serving 12 countries where the majority of students are studying through the DFL mode. Many large universities and educational centres are already effectively using different DFL eLearning solutions as a type of eBusiness. The GIS Unit and the Computing Science Department at the USP have developed a prototype for GIS education for the DFL mode, based on GeoMedia Web Map Server and Oracle 9iAS Portal, which provides a comprehensive way to store and deliver structured and unstructured information from a single point of access on the web. The purpose of this article is to analyse the specifics of the n-tier architecture of spatial data management within the Web-Portals as an interface for the GIS eLearning. This paper outlines features of development and the content of a GIS Web Portal for distance education in a constrained net environment, and accompanying issues for integration of GIS tools within geodatabase clientserver architectures of corporative Web solutions.

Enhancing GIS Education with Student-Created Labs and a Peer Reference Manual

Typically, students from a wide variety of academic majors and backgrounds enroll in introductory Geographic Information System (GIS) courses. In these classes, students learn the basic analytical skills and geographic science in order to appropriately use a GIS, while also learning the mechanics of a particular GIS program. In order to engage the class more fully in the learning process, we ask each student to select a topic that captures his/her interest (for example their major, hobbies, sports, or other interests) and to create a GIS lab around it. Also, we ask our students to solve some GIS questions using resources other than the instructor(s). As students in the GIS classes realize their work requires a skill not fully covered in their previous course work, they need to learn the steps to accomplish the task(s). After discovering the solution, the students write the procedures, which then become incorporated into a student-generated GIS reference manual. This manual acts as a resource to all students and faculty using GIS. These projects require the students to engage problem-solving and communication skills in addition to their GIS abilities. We have found that in generating and executing these exercises they cover a variety of pedagogical goals.

State-of-the-Art and Future of Geographic Information Systems in Hong Kong

This paper presents an overview and analysis of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in Hong Kong, through last 15 years of development in the territory. GIS in Hong Kong will be summarized in the following aspects: fundamental GIS data for Hong Kong, GIS applications in Hong Kong governmental departments, GIS applications in private sectors, GIS research and education in Hong Kong, Hong Kong GIS Association, issues for the future GIS development in Hong Kong. GIS was first adopted by Hong Kong governmental departments such as, the Lands Department and others. Today, some 15 different local governmental departments have applied GIS to support their daily works. The fundamental GIS data have been captured and managed by Lands Department. In private sectors, GIS was firstly introduced in the area of automated mapping and facility management (AM/FM) by local utility companies, and this has been further extended to telecommunication, real estate, intelligent transport system and others. Since several universities in Hong Kong play the major role for GIS research development and education, this group of people are even very active in the international communities related to GIS. Hong Kong GIS Association plays a key role in promoting GIS in Hong Kong. Although GIS development and applications in Hong Kong are getting mature, there are still a number of issues that affects its further development of GIS, e.g., developing an urban-levelled spatial data infrastructure for Hong Kong, towards a professional GIS institute for GIS industry in Hong Kong, the recognition of GIS profession in the local community and others.

A Self-Learning Multimedia Approach for Enriching GIS Education

Geographic information systems (GIS) are a rapidly evolving technology that has recently been integrated into undergraduate and postgraduate learning. GIS is also a multidisciplinary technology that has important relevance beyond its traditional disciplinary homes. This paper describes an initiative developed by the Department of Geomatics at the University of Melbourne, Australia, to create multimedia-based self-learning modules for teaching GIS to undergraduate and postgraduate students. The modules are designed to complement rather than replace existing approaches to learning such as formal lectures, practical laboratory assignments and major project requirements. The learning modules have been developed using Macromedia Director and are delivered interactively via the Internet. This paper examines the pedagogical issues of learning that accompany technological advancement and practical issues of module development. It discusses results from preliminary student evaluations and examines the broader learning opportunities associated with flexible delivery mechanisms such as the Internet. Further details and access to all modules are available at http:// www.geom.unimelb.edu.au/gisweb/

Professionalism and Manpower Issues in Geographical Information Systems in West Africa

The provision of geographical information systems (GIS), particularly as an integrator of digital cartographic principles, in West Africa is evaluated by examining the professionalism and manpower issues, trends of cartographic and GIS education and training, usage of modern technology and dissemination of spatial information as well as in terms of the level of regional co‐operation. The analysis shows that there is potential for the rapid growth and recognition of the disciplinary and societal relevance of GIS in West Africa. This is indicated by the cartography, remote sensing, and GIS programmes being established in Nigerian and Ghanaian tertiary institutions, as well as the changes from analogue to digital mapping procedures in the public and petroleum oil organisations.

Impacts of Increased Student Career Orientation on American College Geography Programmes

This paper explores the connection between American college students' increased career orientation and the growth of geographic information systems (GIS) and experiential education in the curricula of US geography programmes. In essence, students have been attracted to GIS and experiential education because they believe that those skills and experiences will enhance their marketability. While greater employment opportunities for geography graduates is laudable, the discipline must be careful not to become too narrowly focused on career linkages and neglect the general intellectual development of students.

Integrating GIS Education with Training: A Project-Oriented Approach

As more geography departments add geographic information systems (GIS) to their curricula in response to the growing demand of the marketplace, concern has been mounting over the content and methodology of GIS education. No consensus exists on how to make the connection between GIS education and GIS training at the undergraduate level. This article argues that hands-on, project-oriented teaching can offer an ideal approach to integrating GIS education and training. It presents a project-oriented GIS teaching experience as an instructional paradigm that can be used to ensure the balance between conceptual GIS learning and software-based, hands-on training in undergraduate GIS education.

Recent Trends in Geographic Information Systems Education and Fisheries Research Applications at U.S. Universities

Abstract Geographic information systems (GIS) technology is rapidly becoming a management and research tool for fisheries professionals. We surveyed fisheries programs at 42 U.S. universities about their training in GIS and uses of GIS in fisheries research; twenty-four universities responded. Our survey revealed that fisheries students who use GIS take introductory and advanced GIS courses offered in earth science departments at their universities and/or seminars on applications of GIS in natural resources offered in their departments. A solid core of GIS courses is available at U.S. universities for fisheries students interested in developing this expertise. On average, twenty-one percent to forty percent of fisheries faculty and students indicated they occasionally used GIS in their research. The most common fisheries-related uses of GIS were mapping and modeling fish distributions and aquatic habitats, and evaluating the effects of watershed land use on fish populations, communities, and habitats. In ...

GIS Technology for Civil Engineering Education

Integrating geographic information system (GIS) concepts into civil engineering (CE) education is very important not only to meet the urgent needs of non-GIS professionals in engineering, but also to teach students relevant skills in spatial analysis, reasoning, and data processing. Recent improvements in computer hardware and software also make it possible for GIS technology to move effectively into the education arena. This paper reviews the current status of GIS uses and developments in civil engineering education, then presents guidelines regarding a GIS course setting, education methods, and infrastructure needs. To determine current uses of GIS in education, a survey of Canadian universities was conducted. The results show that 53% of the universities that responded have GIS courses (or CE courses in which GIS concepts are included) and 30% plan to include GIS contents in their future curriculum. GIS course settings at three educational levels are presented. Education methods of teaching GIS in the classroom include demonstration teaching, hands-on interactive learning, and self-paced learning. Internet sources for teaching GIS are also presented. GIS infrastructure needs in CE education include software and hardware, data sources, and laboratory setting. The results of this study should help to promote the use of GIS technology in CE education.

An interactive learning environment in geographical information systems

Geographical Information Systems (GIS) are computer-based tools for the input, management, analysis, modelling and display of geographical data. GIS are applied in a wide range of organizations and disciplines, including central and local government, environmental agencies, transport planning and vehicle navigation, education and research, utilities management, resource management, and the financial and retail sectors. GIS is a field of constantly changing technology, and it has been recognized that GIS education needs to be more than a 'once in a lifetime' event (Muller, 1993). Consequently, GIS teachers have developed computer-based materials for learners at all levels, from school students to postgraduates, and for the independent professional updating their skills and knowledge. To date, these materials have followed a number of approaches. Initially demonstrations of GIS software and its capabilities addressed the need to increase awareness of GIS and its applications (DoE, 1987). Arcdemo (Green, 1987) was an innovative early example, providing a demonstration of the software package Arc/Info online. Training in particular software, and the need for hands-on experience, have been addressed with the production of software-specific educational materials which use primarily traditional text-based instructions for exercises with specially prepared data. Examples include Getting started in GIS (Langford, 1993), the Unitar workbooks for Idrisi (for example McKendry et al, 1992) and Understanding GIS: the Arc/Info Method (ESRI, 1990). These have proved particularly popular, and by directing learners through structured exercises allow new users to become familiar with complex software in a relatively short time. More recently, they have migrated to CD-ROM, with training materials such as Getting to know Arcview (ESRI, 1995) provided in this format, and combining software, data and demonstrations.DOI:10.1080/0968776980060204

Geographic information systems education in the Asia‐pacific region

Geographic information systems education in the Asia‐pacific region

Addressing GIS personnel requirements: A model for education and training

The proliferation of geographic information systems (GIS) in the public and private sectors has been restricted by a shortage of trained personnel, the requirements for which vary from system to system; from application to application. Based on a classification of GIS-related jobs, a need for a variety of curricula has been identified. While GIS courses must be offered broadly to sensitize-related disciplines to the potential of this technology, full and comprehensive programs cannot be offered everywhere and specialty schools, colleges and universities must be available to provide this in-depth exposure. Throughout North America and Europe, a number of centres, institutes and laboratories have been established with this objective in mind. Since 1985, an intensive training program in GIS has been offered at the graduate level by the College of Geographic Sciences in Lawrencetown, Nova Scotia, Canada. Emphasis is placed on practical aspects of GIS which facilitates the transition from classroom to workplace. Supported by state-of-the-art GIS hardware and software, this program is a very effective model for GIS education and training.