GIS
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[edit] What is GIS
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is used by corporations and governments to layout, view, and analyze information as it relates to the world around us. GIS users combine geography, large amounts of information, computers, data and a human operator to pose questions and seek answers to solve real world problems. Learn more at the Wikipedia article on GIS.
[edit] Components of a GIS
Hardware
Computer hardware that can handle the processes involved with displaying graphical data is important to GIS users. Consult the software package (see below) that you are using for more information about the minimum requirements for your computer hardware.
Software
There are a variety of GIS software solutions. A choice of software depends upon what your objectives are, ease of use and availability on computers. Free solutions include Google Earth and ArcExplorer.
Geographic Data
The powerhouse of GIS is the data that you use to solve problems. Most GIS solutions come with a large catalog of data for users. However, you may also obtain data from local, regional and state organizations and governments. Many will donate data and maps to schools to use for learning.
Intelligent User
As with any technology tool, the user is critical. Simply opening up the software and throwing a couple of maps together will not get the job done. Users must ask questions, analyze and make hypothesis about what is happening with the data. They must also make decisions about what data to use or not use. GIS users must also understand spatial patterns and relationships to solve problems.
[edit] GIS in Education
GIS in K-12 schools is beginning to emerge as a way to connect students with authentic learning experiences. While there are unlimited ways to use GIS it's best to start by viewing maps. Here are a few ideas to consider when getting started:
- Mapping your community
- Tracking wildlife to examine behavior patterns or the effect of urbanization
- Examine pollution in a particular stream, pond, lake or land area
- Uncovering history to connect to the past (Sample Project)
- Looking at social and economic trends over time.
- Mapping the Avian Flu
[edit] GIS Information & Data Resources
[edit] Education Resources
- Learn How to use GIS
- K-12 Teaching with GIS
- Best Practices
- K-12 GIS Lessons
- K-12 Project Ideas
- GIS Literature
- Google Earth Lessons
- Alibrandi, Marsha (2001).Mapping Life and Society. Curriculum technology quarterly. 11.
[edit] Data Resources
- New York State GIS Clearing House
- Find Data
- GISuser.com
- NYS Interactive Mapping Gateway
- Monroe County
[edit] GIS Bookmarks
Geographic Information Technology links
[edit] ArcExplorer
The Map View
The map view is where the data you have collected is displayed. Each time you add and select a theme (see below), the information will be displayed within the map view.
Themes
A theme is representative of the geographic data you wish to use to meet your goals. Themes are available in a variety of formats, shapefiles, image data, or data layers. The interactivity of themes gives GIS the flexibility to view information in a variety of ways, a key to problem solving. Themes can be layered to create overlay maps (see Legend below). The properties of a theme can also be edited to further customize the map view.
Identify
Because the data being used is in a database, there is a way to access specific data about a feature. Using the Identify 
tool will bring up a table containing all the information about that feature. For instance, if you are view an urban area and would like to access more about that area, clicking on the feature might bring information regarding population, zip codes, area codes, etc.
Legend
The legend in ArcExplorer shows the themes that have been added to a project. A project may contain many themes that can be turned on or off as the user needs. The map view will display themes in layers according to the way they are sorted in the legend. This means that the top most theme in the legend will also be the top most layer in the map view.
Save & Print Maps
After creating maps you can save or print them. Saving maps in ArcExplorer can only be done in two file formats (.BMP or .EMF). You can use these saved maps to use in other programs, post on a web site or to share via e-mail.
[edit] Google Earth
Google Earth is a free download from Google that allows you to look at data through what is known as a KML file. These files can be found in a lot of different places and look at a lot of different things. One great place to start is the Google Earth Community site. This site lists different topics and is searchable. So if you are looking for crime rates and economic information to compare you might want to start here.
[edit] About Google Earth
Google Earth is an application that is run locally on your computer but uses the web to obtain some of the information that it needs. Once you start Google Earth you will see that the program brings up a the globe in the center of the screen. To the right of you screen you will see your control panels that allow you to manipulate what you are seeing.
In the top of the panel you will see three tabs. These tabs relate to addresses and specific locations. For example if you put in 100 Park Ave, 14607 it will take you to 100 Park ave in Rochester New York. The tab called Local Search will use Google's search engine and mark places that relate to your search in the area. For example looking for pizza in the Park ave area of Rochester using this you can see that there are ten pizza shops in about a one mile radius. The last tab is for creating directions to a location. If you wanted to have students have a conceptual understanding of distance you might have them map a route from New York City to Los Angeles using Google Earth and then have them map a shorter trip. This would give them the idea of how many trips from home to the local ice cream store it would take to go across the country.
The next panel called Places relates to the KML files that are loaded automatically and the KML files that you download. By default Google Earth connects to a variety of places that allow data to be pulled into the program. To start with you might want to look at something simple like Google's Sightseeing Tour. By checking the Sightseeing tour you will have the ability to have Google Earth take you automatically to a few choice locations. For example double clicking on the Grand Canyon View will take you over the canyon as if you were in a plane. This is a nice way to explore Google Earth. The other area of the Places panel is called Temporary Places, this is where KML files that you take from the web are initially located. When you find a KML file on the web it will automatically open with Google Earth. When it does you will notice that the file is located in the Temporary Places area of the panel. If you want to keep this for later use you will want to click and drag it into the area called My Places. Now the next time you open Google Earth the file will be there. If you don't move it to My Places the next time you open Google Earth that map will be gone.
The last panel on the left hand side is called Layers. This panel pulls data down from the web and draws the information in Google Earth. For example by clicking on the terrain button you can see different terrain features in a given area. You can also look at other things such city and local boundaries, crime statistics, and census data. The data that you want to view is totally dependent on what you are trying to have your students analyze.
The last area that is important in Google Earth is the bottom navigation tool. This gives you the ability to move around the world on your own. The 6 check boxes on the left hand side of the tool bar are related to common locations you might see on a travel map. The plus and minus sign to the right of these boxes is related to the elevation that you are viewing from. By pressing the plus sign you will zoom in on you location. The minus sign will zoom out, allowing you to see more physical space. The next two buttons deal with the orientation of the map you can use the two buttons to rotate the map left or right. If you need to set the map back to true North you can click on the Reset North button. You can use the four way arrow to navigate around the world moving North, East, South, or West. One very interesting feature within Google Earth is that you can tilt the view of the map. By clicking the tilt up or tilt down button you can create a view as if you were flying through the world. This is especially interesting where there are 3-D renderings of buildings, such as in New York City.
