A new set of teaching materials on incorporating GIS into Environmental Science
I developed a GIS set of teaching materials to support higher education environmental science that instructors might wish to use in their own instruction and that students may wish to use to improve their GIS, spatial thinking, and problem-solving skills. These materials can be used in a two-day workshop, or they could be used as needed throughout the semester in environmental science or GIS courses. Updated: March 2022.
These materials are designed to:
1. Develop knowledge and skills in geotechnologies focusing on environmental applications: GIS, remote sensing, and
GPS/GNSS, technical skills and foundational underpinnings, cloud and SaaS data sources and formats, multimedia, data quality; projections, symbolizing, georeferencing, measurement, classification, databases, and mobile workflows.
2. Develop workforce awareness of pathways in environmental careers that use GIS and how to prepare for them.
3. Develop confidence that you can use these skills and perspectives to move forward with your own career.
My philosophy in developing and teaching this content is as follows:
• This is your workshop/course. Let me know how I and my team can help you today and in the future as you use geotechnologies.
• Using geotechnologies effectively is a journey that will require building a network with your colleagues.
• We will not work with every GIS tool and data set that exists in this workshop or course, but we will build a foundation so that you will be empowered and feel confident that you can be successful in these tools, data, and workflows.
• The activities include core themes and skills that can be used in many aspects of environmental work.
These resources use the following tools: ArcGIS Online, web mapping applications such as Dashboards and Storymaps, and the Survey123 field data collection tool. For more advanced work, there are links to ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Insights.
The resources include the exploration of data from local to global scale, including ecoregions, river systems, population change, historical and current satellite imagery, human health, weather and climate, and natural hazards. The field activity involves gathering tree type, height, species, and condition on whatever campus you happen to be teaching or working in.
Underlying these resources are the following themes:
(1) Geotechnologies are critically important tools in environmental science to build a healthier, more sustainable future.
(2) Geotechnologies are essential tools for your environmental career: They enable you to apply your environmental skills and knowledge and contribute to the work that nonprofits, government agencies, private industry, and academia is using everyday.
(3) Modern cloud-enabled GIS tools and spatial data mean that it is easier than ever to learn how to apply GIS to solve problems.
The attached document contains the workflow and all the links for the workshop to be successful. I hope this resource is useful.
