Education Blog

I have written a fundamentals of mapping and GIS in the Fourth Edition of Key Methods of Geography textbook, published by Sage Publications.  If you are seeking a single chapter about what GIS is and why it matters, this might very well fit that need.  Beyond my chapter, the book contains a great deal of pertinent content about, as the title indicates, key core methods essential for the geographic sciences, including field data collection equipment and methods, statistical analysis, spatial analysis, remote sensing, and much more. 

Esri consistently releases new contents, updates, and resources related to their products, solutions, apps, and applications, as well as best practices, success stories, recorded webinars, and more. Although these resources are posted in various locations, they can be difficult to find.

This blog provides a comprehensive list of all the March 2024 technical highlights and resources from Esri. It is a buffet-style list, so feel free to pick and choose the topics that interest you.

This is the 2nd blog in a 6-part series highlighting the core concepts of a Modern GIS.

Over the past few years, Esri’s Education team have been discussing the technology shift and the need for GIS coursework to move from desktop-centric patterns to those that include the web. Desktop GIS is still an integral part of the story – but it is no longer the focus of the story. Desktop GIS is vital for data management, advanced analysis, and cartographic production – but many of those workflows are now part of a web-based context. Desktop tools can now seamlessly consume web-based services published by authoritative geospatial agencies and individuals across the globe. Desktop GIS can publish map services and layers to the cloud – to be consumed by web-based applications and tools, and desktop GIS can edit and manage web-based data and layers.

Imago Mundi, Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg), CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

How do I change the layer visibilty on this thing?

ArcGIS Online public accounts are great – for teachers.  Most importantly, they can be quickly created and logged into with one of your existing social profiles like Google, Apple, or Facebook.

Esri recently launched Maps.com, a website showcasing the maps that are helping people better understand the World.

Want to have a little fun with earth science? Check out the "special days" using National Geographic MapMaker!

A new course in data, GIS, and society invites you to work with real data to solve problems and foster skills through a set of readings, hands-on activities, discussions, quizzes, and a final project.  This course may be taken by students or other learners as an independent study, or used wholly or in part by instructors for their own courses.

Join this well-loved, free massive open online course (MOOC) opening April 3 to learn the art of cartography and discover how to create beautiful maps using ArcGIS Pro. 

How can Earth changes be effectively, quickly, and engagingly taught?  How can remote sensing principles be taught in an interactive way?  The new Landsat Explorer app can serve as a tool, method, and a data set to do just that, as this essay and lesson explains. 

Powerful tools to help students quantify change and predict the future!