Mastering Geocoding in Middle School and other Education GIS News

As their computers warm up and students log in, April Salas assures them, “We’re going to learn two new things today. What took me six months to learn in college, you’re going to learn in three days.”

Her geographic information systems classroom was about to embark on mastering the art of geocoding, and “joining” data using a leading GIS software program, ArcMap 10.

I'm not sure if the first paragraph or the second make me more uncomfortable. It really too her six months to learn geocoding? Why? And, will the students master the process of geocoding - aka pushing buttons - or will the understand the goal and the challenges along the way. I'm also disappointed this article makes no mention of Geography Awareness Week or GIS Day.

- Record Gazette

Duke unveiled a new online map Friday that includes 3-D models of 325 buildings across the campuses. The map also includes satellite views and traditional two-dimensional street maps and offers overlays that display details such as dining locations and parking permit requirements, photos related to the buildings and videos linked to specific campus locations. The map is fully functional on mobile devices.

- Duke Today

Tulsa Community College is hosting a treasure hunt for GIS Day sponsored by ERGIS and GISCI. I figured it was a geocaching-like hunt. It's not.

GIS Day is a free event that invites the community and students to learn about TCC’s GIS Certificate program, to network within the geospatial community and to discover GIS career options. The day includes a scavenger hunt in which participants will use GIS technology to find items, and there is a cash prize. For complete rules, click HERE.

That page describes three different hunts: beginner (find things), intermediate (find things and note lat/lon) and advanced (find things, take picture, make a map). There are cash prizes, too. I'm curious to see how that plays out in downtown Tulsa.

- press release

Podcast: What We’d Tell the World on GIS Day

GIS Day provides a chance for geospatial practitioners to tell the world about what they and why it matters. Our editors share the key themes they’d want to get across to the public on this special day.

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Vermonter to Put Small Towns on Google Earth via Volunteers

Frequent Directions Magazine contributor Gary Smith (”How Big is an Acre”) is featured in his local paper, The Burlington Free Press, as he implements Google Earth in Shelburne and Essex, Vermont. Smith is leading the charge to get the small towns’ public buildings (no private houses, due to privacy issues) into 3D in Google Earth. How?

To implement the program, the towns were asked to provide 10 to 12 computer-literate community members who would attend a day-long training to learn to “draw” the buildings in a virtual landscape. Each volunteer is asked to create at least 10 buildings, which will be housed in Google’s “digital warehouse” and be made available to the public.

The program, which Smith created, is being funded by Google, and is provided free to the communities. In exchange for their time, volunteers will receive licenses for Google Earth Pro, a $400 program.

Town employees will be trained too. The towns see value in the 3D data both for planning and for expose to the rest of the world. Any small/medium-sized town in the U.S. is elegable to participate in Smith’s program, which will continue to be offered free of charge.