What other GIS resources are available to me as an educator?
by Shannon H. White, Ph.D.
Courses and other training
- Colleges, universities and community colleges
- Many educational institutions offer courses in GIS. There are few courses designed for educators and integration of GIS in the K-16 setting. Check with your local college, university and community colleges for GIS related courses.
- ESRI Virtual Campus
ESRI has a Virtual Campus (www.campus.esri.com) with discounted online courses for educators. These courses are based upon a variety of ESRI products. They have been developed so that those enrolled can work at their own pace. These are a good place to start for novices and as a review for the more advanced users. - Other Training
There are numerous training opportunities offered by organizations and agencies. The KanGIS website is one location to locate GIS training, workshops, institutes that are upcoming across the nation and world. (http://kangis.org/learning/calendar/) There are also companies such as GISEtc (http://www.GISetc.org) that offer GIS training for schools and communities. ESRI also has a "Friends of GIS Education" list of companies and agencies (http://www.esri.com/industries/k-12/resources/foge.html ). They support GIS education with products, training, and resources.
Books
This is not a complete list but a few of our favorites focused on GIS in Education!
GIS Books For and About Educators- GIS in the Classroom: Using Geographic Information Systems in Social Studies and Environmental Science by Dr. Marsha Alibrandi (2003) Heinemann Press
- GIS in Schools by Richard Audet and Gail Ludwig (2000) ESRI Press
- Mapping Our World: GIS Lessons for Educators by Lyn Malone, Anita Palmer, Christine Voigt (2002) ESRI Press
- Community Geography: GIS in Action by Kim English and Laura Feaster (2003) ESRI Press
- Community Geography: Teachers Guide by Lyn Malone, Anita Palmer, Christine Voigt (2003) ESRI Press
- The Essentials of the Environment by Joseph Kerski and Simon Ross (2005) Hodder Arnold
- A to Z GIS: An Illustrated Dictionary of Geographic Information Systems by Shelly Sommer and Tasha Wade, Editors (2006) ESRI Press
GIS Software Reference books
- Getting to Know ArcView GIS (1997) ESRI Press
- Getting to Know ArcGIS Desktop (2001) ESRI Press
- GIS for Everyone 3rd Edition (2003) ESRI Press
- GPS Reference books
- Fun with GPS by Donald Cooke (2005) ESRI Press
- GPS for Dummies by Joel McNamara (2004) For Dummies Press
- How to Do Everything with your GPS by Rick Broida (2003)
- GPS Mapping by Rich Owings (2005)
Agencies and Organizations
There are numerous local, state, regional, and national agencies and organizations that are helpful to educators. They may come to your school to give a presentation; to help you find data; to donate hardware such as a used plotter, to help answer your GIS questions. GIS partners in your community can help your bring GIS to your students. They bring real life problems, experiences and GIS work to your classroom.Suggestions of GIS partners may include:
In your city, town or county:
- local GIS office
- local police, fire and rescue services
- local utility companies and departments (electric, natural gas, water, sewer, etc)
- tax assessors office or deed office
- city planner
- historic commission
- voter registration
- community colleges, colleges, universities (look for Geography departments or search GIS on their website)
In your State:
- Highway Department or Transit Authorities
- Department of Natural and Environmental Resources
- Regional Planning Commissions
- Historic Commission or Registry
- Spatial Data Clearinghouses
- Geographic Alliances (http://www.ngsednet.org/community/about.cfm?community_id=94 )
National Agencies and Organizations
- US Geologic Survey - http://www.usgs.gov
- Site specifically for educators: http://rockyweb.cr.usgs.gov/outreach/giseduc.html
- US Census Bureau - http://www.census.gov/
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - http://www.epa.gov/
- Federal Emergency and Management Agency (FEMA) - http://www.fema.gov/
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) - http://education.nasa.gov/edoffices/centeroffices/index.html )
- National States Geographic Information Centers (http://www.nsgic.org/states/index.cfm )
- Geospatial Information and Technology Associations (GITA) Regional Chapters: http://www.gita.org/chapters/chapters2.html
- Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) Chapters: http://urisa.org/chapters/chapters.htm
- National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis (http://www.ncgia.ucsb.edu/ )
International Resources
- Geospatial Information and Technology Associations (GITA) Global Affiliates: http://www.gita.org/global_affiliates/global2.html
- Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) International Chapters: http://urisa.org/chapters/chapters.htm
- GISIG-Geographical Information Systems International Group: http://www.gisig.it/
- UNIGIS (International Universities and Colleges offering courses in GIS) - http://www.unigis.net/
- International Map Trade Association - http://www.maptrade.org/
- In addition, there are libraries that are repositories of GIS data. The NC State University is one such library (http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/gis/).
