Using Balloon Kits to Capture Imagery and other Education GIS News

 Harrisburg University student Steve Cline is using a balloon to capture imagery of a local island. The big issue in using these kits: helium shortage. Maybe it's time for kites!

- Penn Live

A new Kindle book (the authors refer to it as a manual) titled Gaining Competency With GIS: How-to Manual for ArcGIS Desktop Version 10 [Kindle Edition] offers help in gaining competency with ArcGIS. It references the ArcGIS 10 docs and I gather provides step by step instructions for tools and extensions. It claims to be based on the Geospatial Technology Competency Model (GTCM) but refers to the that document as "Geotechnical Competency Model" throughout. I wonder if that editing error is in part related to an English class cited in the acknowledgements.

via URISA Digest

Students with the Paragould High School EAST Lab Program [AR] are using their computer knowledge to help Paragould Police monitor sex offenders living in the city limits.

"They are updating our sex offender zoning map," said Captain Greg Trout with PPD.

- KAIT

The University of Redlands has received a $75,000 grant from the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to develop a Spatial Decision Support (SDS) system that calculates and maps the potential impacts of energy projects on wildlife.

- press release

GIS Visits Saudi University and other Education GIS News

Valdosta State (GA) Department of Physics, Astronomy, and Geosciences Professor Jia Lu was selected to give a guest lecture at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia on Jan. 29. The university does not teach GIS.

Dr. Lu delivered an all-day lecture titled “How GIS Technology Can Help Protect Saudi’s Environment”, during which she discussed how the Saudi government can use geographic information systems (GIS) to help bridge traditional environmental science methods with cutting edge mapping analyses. The lecture was delivered to graduate students studying math, computer science, engineering and environmental science. 

- press release

The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana will be using Esri technology to teach GIS. Some departments already use GIS, but the hope is to have it used across all departments.

- KNUST News

Esri announced a new package of lab activities that use its products, but which could probably be used with other packages. 

- press release

- deeper look and analysis at Ignite Education Blog

FM Global has two paid, 3-6 month GIS internship opportunities positions to offer to students that are motivated to apply their classroom experience, professional attitude, and personal ambition.  GIS Specialist Interns will support FM Global’s GIS initiatives, including ad-hoc mapping requests, map data development/maintenance, and GIS environment support/enhancements.

These are in Johston, RI. I have a vested interest in this company; it was one of my clients back in the day and had a very sharp GIS team.

- details

AP Human Geography Test Takers Up and other Education GIS News

AP Human Geography test takers had the highest jump from 2010 to 2011 in the subjects listed in the blog post:

• "Human Geography" was up 30.3 percent, to 45,229

For context:

Of the 37 subjects tested, participation rates climbed in all but six for the class of 2011, compared with 2010 graduates.

- Ed Week Blog via @NCGE1915

Esri formally announced enhancements to its education site license:

Already added to the site license program this year are the mapping and charting solutions that improve cartographic production including Esri Nautical Solution, Esri Aeronautical Solution, Esri Defense Solution, and Esri Production Mapping. Also added are the ArcGIS Data Interoperability extension, which facilitates data sharing, and Esri Community Analyst, a web-based solution for domestic planning and policy analysis.

Future additions will include subscriptions to ArcGIS Online, a cloud-based system for creating and sharing geospatial content; new workflow-oriented Virtual Campus courses; Esri CityEngine, used for advanced 3D modeling and urban planning; and Esri demographic and Tapestry data for the United States.

- press release

- details and analysis on Ignite Education Blog

A new teaching resource (maps, cards, blocks, role play cards, etc.) for New Zealand high school students that looks at managing growth in the western Bay of Plenty.

'Managing Growth - SmartGrowth' has been jointly developed by the western Bay of Plenty's growth planning organisation SmartGrowth, Tauranga City Council and Bay of Plenty Regional Council with educational curriculum development company Indigo Pacific.

The free resource uses SmartGrowth and the western Bay of Plenty sub-region as a case study for managing growth, exploring global growth-related concepts and national growth-related trends.

Among the topics addressed: mapping and spatial analysis

- Voxy.co.nz

Finland May Consolidate 336 Cities to About 70 and other International GIS News

Finland

The publication late last week by the news magazine Suomen Kuvalehti of a map proposing that the number of municipalities in Finland should be reduced from 336 to about 70 has led to a flurry of explanations, e-mails, and stonewalling.
      The map is based on a plan being drawn up by a group of civil servants set up by Minister for Public Administration and Local Government Henna Virkkunen (Nat. Coalition Party). The plan was originally to have been made public in February.

Got to ask my exactly two Finnish friends about that!

- Helsingin Sonamat

Oman

The Ministry of Education (MoE) [Oman] will launch a school web mapping project under the auspices of H E Dr Madeeha bint Ahmed bin Nassir al Shibaniyah, Minister of Education on Wednesday.

During the inauguration ceremony, a film about the project and an exhibition explaining its application will be showcased. The project is one of the important programmes to be implemented by the ministry. It aims at building a digital geographic database of all educational institutions and linking it to the ministry's web portal.

I suspect many would be jealous of how much PR is being done before the project begins.

- Zawya

Belize

TBSL, Esri's distrbutor and Esri itself hosted the second Belize GIS Conference in January.

- 7 News Belize

What Colleges are Using and other Education GIS News

Among the geo tools you can learn about (for use in reserach/classes in any discipline) at Duke:

GeoCommons

Google Earth Pro

ArcGIS

and Tableau Public but that's not noted as a GIS tool.

- Duke GIS and Data Blog

Dr. Seidu Mohammed, Director General, National Space Research and Development Agency [Nigeria] said deployment of satellite technology remained Nigeria's antidote to tackle the various environmental challenges facing the country.

Nigerian scientists are working with the University of Missouri to use imagery to do  environmental assessment of oil spill damages in the Niger Delta as well as an assessment of the Lake Chad.

- All Africa

A review of educational standards in the UK have led to the recommnedation, among others,. that geography be studied between ages 14-16.

It recommended that all pupils in England should study geography, history and a foreign language between the ages of 14 and 16, in some form, even if their courses did not lead to full GCSEs.

New standards are expected in 2014.

- Telegraph

The Casper Mountain Science School, Wyoming (CMSS) teaches K-12 students at Eadsville, a mining camp on Casper Moutain. The log schoolhouse and the town around the camp shut down a century ago and current students explore the history and geography of the area. And, local college students help enhance the K-12 program.

A group from Casper College’s advanced GIS (geographic information system) class created a layer of digital, interactive maps complete with pictures and historical information about Eadsville for those students.

- Casper Journal