Directions on Education

Summer GIS/GPS Camp for Middle Schoolers and other Education GIS News

Wed, 30 May 2012 08:31:40 -0500

This summer, K-State (Kansas) Research and Extension Cowley County, in conjunction with 4-H, is coordinating technology opportunities for youth. The Gear-TECH 21 camp features robotics, GPS (Global Positioning Systems) and GIS (Geographic Information Systems). The program is designed for youth entering sixth and seventh grades. Camps will be held in Winfield (June 11-15)...

Land Info Scholarship Opportunity and other Education GIS News

Wed, 30 May 2012 06:00:54 -0500

The Wisconsin Land Information Association (WLIA) Foundation, Inc. recently announced they are now accepting applications for their 2012 Damon Anderson Memorial Scholarship Awards. They will be awarding several $1,000 scholarships for the 2012-2013 academic school year, along with a one year student membership in WLIA. Recipients will also receive recognition and free...

Kuwait University Selected SuperGIS for Community Services and Continuing Education

Wed, 30 May 2012 04:01:33 -0500

The latest SuperGIS Desktop 3.1, developed by SuperGeo, is adopted by the Centre for Community Services and Continuing Education, Kuwait University to integrate, edit, display, and analyze all types of spatial data and enhance the usability of spatial data and sources. SuperGeo local partner, IIES, has constantly offered training course to the...

Visiting All the U.S. Counties for Fun

Wed, 30 May 2012 03:04:53 -0500

Reid Williamson, 64, has been to every county in the United States, 3,143 of them. While we and our peers are mapping these units, he’s been methodically visiting them starting at age 14, when he received an atlas as a gift.

Quote of the Week - 5/29/12

{blog_authors backspace="2"}Quote of the Week - 5/29/12, {/blog_authors} — Tue, 29 May 2012 06:00:47 -0500

"We have a GIS system, we have a waste water system, our water system, we have it also for solid waste. So it's just various things that just happens within public works on a day-to-day basis." - Lewiston, Idaho Public Works Director Chris Davies explaining how the city runs for elementary school children, quoted on KLW Tv.

Find out who were the most voted in each category of MundoGEO#Connect 2012 Awards

Mon, 28 May 2012 12:13:22 -0500

The Ceremony will take place on May 29th, starting at 6pm. The admission is free MundoGEO#Connect LatinAmerica 2012, the largest and most important gathering of the geospatial industry in Latin America, held May 29 thru 31 at the Frei Caneca Convention Center in Sao Paulo (SP), Brazil, will recognize top professionals, institutions, companies...

Obama asks a question at 2012 National Geographic Bee

Thu, 24 May 2012 18:28:24 -0500

The president praised the value of geography and then asked a question during the finals of the 2012 National Geographic Bee, Courtesy of National Geographic Channel.

Students Prep for Dam Failure and other Education GIS Tidbits

Thu, 24 May 2012 06:55:04 -0500

Students from Indian Hills Community College [Iowa] Geo-spatial Technology class worked with the Army Corps of Engineers at Red Rock. The group made six maps utilizing data from the Corps of Engineers, Mahaska County GIS Coordinator Brian Knudtson, along with data from the Iowa Geological Survey of the Iowa Dept of Natural Resources. The purpose of the maps was to...

Presentations Can Make Great Sessions, But so Can Good Questions! #LI12

Tue, 22 May 2012 13:42:37 -0500

I've been moderating sessions today at the Location Intelligence Conference. I'm very pleased all my speakers have stayed within their time; it makes my life so much easier. It also means we have time for a good number of questions. The session on Embedded Geospatial Capabilities in Enterprise Computing and BI Solutions included presentations on how the FCC implemented its...

Podcast: Kickstarter and Geography

Tue, 22 May 2012 03:25:53 -0500

Two weeks ago the world learned about Zombie-based Learning, a geography teaching tool envisioned by a middle school teacher from Seattle. He used the crowdfunding site, Kickstarter, to ask the world to support his project. He had $5000 pledged in just four days. What other geography-related projects, educational and otherwise, are appearing on Kickstarter? What is...

GITA Cancels Oil and Gas Conference; Board Examining Future of Organization

Fri, 18 May 2012 15:30:35 -0500

The GITA website explains that its Oil and Gas Pipeline Conference, set for Oct 22-24 in Houston, has been cancelled. This would have been the 21st iteration of the event. The website text goes on to note the status of the organization is unclear: The GITA Board of Directors is meeting in the near future to discuss what the future holds for the association. More...

GIS award honors career of Huxhold

{blog_authors backspace="2"}GIS award honors career of Huxhold, {/blog_authors} — Thu, 17 May 2012 20:28:30 -0500

MILWAUKEE – William E. Huxhold, professor of urban planning at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), has won the 2012 Education Award from the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS). The award recognizes Huxhold’s professional contributions of both national and international significance to GIS education. A...

Three Geographers Recognized as Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science

Thu, 17 May 2012 11:04:02 -0500

Peter Rogerson (State University of New York at Buffalo), John Kelmelis (Penn State University) and Daniel A. Griffith (University of Texas at Dallas) were recognized as 2011 Fellows by their peers for their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. Special shoutout to John, one of my grad school officemates back in the...

PolyZoom: See Details of Map Along with Context

Thu, 17 May 2012 03:29:44 -0500

Users of maps and other visualizations of data want it all. They want both detail and context as they explore small scale (large area) graphics. Technologies to address this challenge have come and gone. The latest one is from researchers at Purdue. Their tool, dubbed PolyZoom, organizes simultaneous, magnified views from a single document, while maintaining their relationship to the...

Matchmaking for Higher Ed GIS Students and other Education GIS News

Wed, 16 May 2012 06:00:04 -0500

EduContribution is a non-profit hoping to link up students with knowhow and non-profits with GIS needs (Directions Magazine coverage). The organization is looking for graduate students for a pilot project that will match them with a non-profit. The student will perform the work as part of a thesis requirement for a degree program. - press release The Floating Sensor...

Two Geographers Among National Geographics’ 15 Emerging Explorers

Tue, 15 May 2012 15:12:46 -0500

There are many innovative and interesting people in the list of 15 people in the 2012 class of Emerging Explorers (11 men, 4 women for those counting). Each receives a $10,000 grant from National Geographic. I was happy to recognize two names with which I've become very familiar. Patrick Meier (Ph.D.) pioneers the lifesaving new field of crisis mapping and makes it...

Summer Ushahidi Course and other Education GIS News

Tue, 15 May 2012 07:39:59 -0500

Ushahidi: Frameworks for Effective Platform Management is a four-week, online course from TechChange, running this summer from June 4th – 29th. What has us most excited about this course is our approach toward one the highest-profile and most utilized programs in the current generation of ICT4D tools. Working closely with Patrick Meier, Ushahidi’s Director of Crisis...

Tell a MrSid Story for its 20th Anniversary and other GIS Competitions

Tue, 15 May 2012 06:00:43 -0500

LizardTech is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the MrSID imagery format: We'll be hosting events throughout the year to celebrate MrSID's 20th anniversary. In the meantime, we’re holding a contest, inviting people like you – in fact, you – to say a word or two about how MrSID has come to their rescue. Send us your recollection or tribute at celebrate@lizardtech.com by...

USC and Directions Magazine Host GeoSpatial Webinar This Thursday on How to Create Enduring Spatial Skills That Lead to Job Opportunities

Tue, 15 May 2012 05:00:40 -0500

Directions Magazinewill present a webinar presentation entitled, “Create Enduring Spatial Skills That Lead to Job Opportunities.” This complimentary webinar will be offered on May 17th at 2 p.m. EDT and is ideal for anyone interested in assessing how their skill set stacks up against current and future industry needs, and/or anyone interested in...

Not the Game of Life, But a Map of Life

Tue, 15 May 2012 03:00:33 -0500

Unlike the board game, the Map of Life lives online and as its name suggests, maps out life on earth. To be more specific, it provides location information for a selection of living things on earth.

GIS Tools Offer Critical Defense and Intelligence Capabilities to U.S. Military for National Security

Mon, 14 May 2012 07:25:52 -0500

– GIS Jobs are Widely Available in All Industries, but the U.S. Military Relies on Geospatial Information and Professionals with GIS Degrees – AURORA, Colo. – May 14, 2012 – More than ever before, the U.S. military depends on geographic information systems (GIS) technology for our nation’s defense and our armed forced are always looking for...

Kickstarter: Zombie Based Geography Education

Sat, 12 May 2012 05:48:58 -0500

Update: fully funded as of 5/11/12. Next goal is being considered. --- original post 5/10/12 --- Aimed at 5-8th graders, David Hunter of Seattle's project involves a curriculum based on a Zombie Apocalypse. He's NOT a geographer but seems to have done his homework. He's looking for $5000 by June 1 with about $2000 funded by 72 backers as I post this. The intro video...

Why is Geo-literacy Important? - National Geographic

Fri, 11 May 2012 18:57:40 -0500

National Geographic Education staff ask why geo-literacy is important.

What is Geo-literacy?� - National Geographic

Fri, 11 May 2012 18:45:11 -0500

National Geographic Education staffers discuss the meaning of the term.

Do Children in the Backseat of Cars Have Less Complete Mental Maps of their Neighborhoods?

Thu, 10 May 2012 06:44:10 -0500

In a well-shared article from May 7, the Atlantic Cities explores the work of Bruce Appleyard, who studied children’s mental maps (cognitive mapping a la Kevin Lynch) of their neighborhoods. The unfortunate headline is “Kids Who Get Driven Everywhere Don't Know Where They're Going.” Sadly, that's not what the uncited research, from 2005, concludes....

EduContribution Launches “Donate Your Thesis” Pilot

Thu, 10 May 2012 06:00:40 -0500

GIS Students Will be Paired with Nonprofits in Need to Complete Projects, Coursework May 10, 2012 - EduContribution.org, a service-learning nonprofit facilitating GIS projects between education and nonprofits, is looking for students to participate in the first phase of its "Donate Your Thesis" program. Graduate students who participate in the...

Would a Game Get You Involved in Planning Your City?

Wed, 09 May 2012 03:06:35 -0500

On Monday of this week, Detroit Works, the agency planning the future of that city, rolled out both a game and a social network to get its citizens involved in the planning process.

Wednesday is National Bike to School Day

Tue, 08 May 2012 06:51:32 -0500

The National Center for Safe Routes to School and the League of American Bicyclists are behind the first-ever National Bike to School Day on May 9, 2012. There have been local and regional efforts in the past to celebrate a day of young people pedaling to school, but this is the first nationwide event. It's a spin off of Walk to School Day (that was every day of my K-12...

Esri Supports SeaSketch, the Next Generation of UCSB’s MarineMap Program, to Aid Marine Spatial Planning Around the World

Tue, 08 May 2012 06:40:13 -0500

May 7, 2012 (Santa Barbara, Calif.) –– Since 2009, a free Web-based marine mapping and spatial planning program created by UC Santa Barbara scientists has proved to be an essential tool for fishermen and other stakeholders along the California coastline. Now, the next-generation tool is going global. Thanks to a $500,000 gift by Jack...

Best of the Road and other GIS Competitions

Tue, 08 May 2012 06:00:33 -0500

Rand McNally and USA Today are taking votes in the Best of the Road Contest. Rand McNally and USA TODAY's second annual search for the Best Small Towns in America has begun! Voting ends May 15 so learn more to get started. You can also submit a video to be part of a team in the 2012 Road Rally (RM only sponsors that). I found the website kind of confusing with so...