GPS, GIS and Community Mapping

What does GPS stand for?

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GPS stands for Global Positioning System.  GPS refers to a group of US Department of Defense satellites constantly circling the earth.  These satellites transmit very low power radio signals and anyone with a GPS receiver can access these satellites and locate their own position on the earth.

How does GPS work?

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GPS receivers pick up information from government satellites in space to determine exact distance and location of each satellite from earth to pinpoint the exact location of the person with the GPS receiver.  The receiver calculates a position and then allows itself to be used as a navigation device.

Who Uses GPS?

Anyone can use GPS.  It has practical application for hunters, campers, teachers, scientists, or anyone who wants to know their immediate location on the earth, or the location of something else.  GPS can be used everywhere, except inside buildings where the satellite signals are hard to pick up.

Why use GPS in the classroom?

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GPS technology is very useful in the classroom.  Students can use GPS receivers for mapping activities, academic scavenger hunts, problem solving, cooperative learning activities and the list could go on and on.  GPS technology is a great way to supplement any learning environment.

What is Geocaching?

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Geocaching is an adventure game for GPS users.  Participating in a cache hunt is a good way to take advantage of the amazing features of a GPS receiver.  Organizations and individuals set-up caches all over the world, post the locations on the internet and geocachers locate coordinates and hunt down caches.  Once found, a cache can provide the visitor with a variety of rewards.  All the visitor is asked to do is if they take something away from the cache, they leave something in return.

Links:

Geocaching: www.geocaching.com
Geocaching for kids: http://www.eduscapes.com/geocaching/kids.htm
​GPS Lesson Plans:
http://sciencespot.net/Pages/classgpslsn.html​
Garmin Website – Purchase a GPS receiver online: www.garmin.com
UEN’s GIS/GPS Academy: http://www.uen.org/cmap/
GPS for Students: http://www.gps.gov/students/
​Understanding your GPS:
http://www.juicygeography.co.uk/gpsschool.htm
GIS/GPS, Maps and Mapping, Remote Sensing:
http://www.thesnugg.com/geography-resources-for-mapping.aspx

What is GIS?

"A geographic information system (GIS) integrates hardware, software, and data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information.
GIS allows us to view, understand, question, interpret, and visualize data in many ways that reveal relationships, patterns, and trends in the form of maps, globes, reports, and charts.
A GIS helps you answer questions and solve problems by looking at your data in a way that is quickly understood and easily shared.
GIS technology can be integrated into any enterprise information system framework." www.esri.com
To learn more about GIS, attend the CSD Ed Tech Endorsement Class or the Community Mapping Class sponsored by UGA/UEN

Links:

ESRI:
http://www.esri.com
ESRI Education Community http://edcommunity.esri.com/
Utah Geographic Alliance (UGA) http://www.utahgeo.org

What is Community Mapping

Canyons School District offers a Technology Endorsement that includes a class on using GPS, GIS and Community Mapping in the classroom. This summer, the class will take place June 12-16, 2017. Using Community Mapping to Engage Students in Exploring Real-World Issues and Solving Authentic Problems is a five-day workshop where educators learn how to design community-based mapping projects (CMaP) to engage students. The course will help teacher use mapping to align with core standards and work within existing curricula. Participants learn the fundamentals of project-based learning within the CMaP framework and how to enhance projects with educational technology while experiencing firsthand how effective project-based learning can be incorporated in their classrooms.
Course Objectives:
  • Gain a general understanding of the components in a CMaP project. Participants will plan a feasible CMaP project for implementation at their local school or organization.
  • Implement a CMaP project into their content area and learn basic spatial and GIS skills.
  • Incorporate the use of GPS units and other mapping tools to gather data and implement other fieldwork techniques into their projects.
  • Collect field data and analyze the results in a GIS program.
  • Find and utilize online mapping resources for their content area.
  • Create and present a final project incorporating knowledge they have gained throughout the week.
Below are descriptions and samples of the projects participants complete throughout the workshop. 
  • The Earth Cache gives teachers the ability to take their students on a walking field trip to learn about a specific content using GPS units to find coordinates. ​ An example is given on the right.
  • The Data Collection Activity shows how they can combine photos, GPS coordinates, and data about a specific topic to create projects on ArcGIS. 
  • The Watershed Field Trip gives participants the opportunity to get out of the classroom for the day and collect data about the Watershed. After the field trip, they will take the data they collected, add pictures, and put it onto the ArcGIS website.  
  • For the Final CMaP Project, Teachers will create a lesson plan of how they will implement Community Mapping into their classrooms. Click Here to see examples of Final Projects.

Earth Cache

Data Collection Activity

Watershed Field Trip
Links: 
Esri Story Maps:
http://storymaps.esri.com/ 
ArcGIS Resources
http://resources.arcgis.com/
Maps for Education:
http://education.maps.arcgis.com/ 
​Mapping:
http://www.arcgis.com/home/