Saturday, October 16, 2010

Problem Solving with GIS: Devil's Lake, ND

It's no secret that GIS is an excellent geography problem solving tool.  I recently saw this Accuweather video about Devil's Lake, ND.  I couldn't help but think about how students might use this to predict possible solutions for this small community faced with a big problem, water with no where to go.  The lake has claimed roads and homes at an alarming rate.

http://www.accuweather.com/video/617165007001/devils-lake-land-eating-machine-.asp

First let's take a look at this location on the map. http://bit.ly/9h46P4


View Larger Map

With a traditional aerial photo, we see land, roads and the lake.  But when we switch the map to World Physical.  What do we see? What if we add aquifers and drainage systems?  Is there hope for Devils Lake?

What other areas might begin to develop similar issues?