Presentation Notes
May 16, 2013
1:15 to 2:00 pm
Room 514
I love maps! And I love teaching teachers about maps and mapping software. So the PCATT IT Summit is a great chance for me to reach Hawaii high school Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers and show them the great online mapping resources available here in Hawaii including data from the State of Hawaii and from our four Hawaii counties - Honolulu, Maui, Hawaii and Kauai.
Instead of handing out a piece of paper, I decided to blog my notes and relevant links so they're easy to find and share. So here we go...
These will only be some brief notes along with links to online resources. If you're interested, my full presentation is posted on slideshare. It's also embedded here:
GIS = ( ( Maps + Data ) * Analysis ) ^ ( Web + Mobile )
This handy formula summarizes the power of GIS, or geographic information systems. We start by looking at maps, but we more than just a map. We see things (features) on the map. And behind every feature on the map there is data describing that feature. On a paper map we can't see all that data, but when we bring that map on to a computer (using GIS), we can start asking questions and seeing patterns. We can start doing analysis. Analysis is the "force multiplier" of GIS. And in the last few years, all that power of GIS has been multiplied exponentially via the web and, even more recently, via mobile devices.
There was an article in the December 2011 issue of Honolulu Business Magazine that describes this in more detail and gives examples of how business and government use GIS. Here's the link:
There are many mapping applications now online, here are links to a few local ones you may find interesting:
Map Services to Web Maps
Behind the scenes, the mapping applications above are all using map services to create the maps and reports you see online. You can use these same map services to create your own online maps called web maps. Here are some links to map services, web maps and web map applications:
Software, Training and more...
Fortunately for Hawaii teachers, the Hawaii Department of Education has a site license for the GIS software used for both desktop (ArcGIS for Desktop) and online (ArcGIS Online) mapping software that teachers can use for free! The licenses are administered for DOE by the MEDB Women in Technology (WIT) Program. Here are some useful links:
Fascinating!
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