Location
Natural Resources Room 108
Event Website
http://uenr.warnercnr.colostate.edu
Start Date
3-24-2012 12:30 PM
End Date
3-24-2012 1:00 PM
Description
Over the past three decades, GIS education in natural resources has evolved from a focus on automated cartography, to spatial database management, to geo-web applications. Within these contexts, curricula have emphasized the mechanics of descriptive mapping (“Where is What”) involving acquisition, storage, retrieval, query and display of spatial objects. However, the future of GIS education is moving from a “down the hall and to the right” specialist’s role for providing mapped data, to a broader and more active role of providing spatial information for natural resource research, policy, planning and management. The instructional emphasis is shifting from data–centric tools to application-specific constructs of prescriptive mapping (Why, So What and What If) that infuses consideration of geographic patterns and relationships within problem-solving contexts. The paradigm shift replaces spatially-aggregated tools and models that assume uniform or random distribution in geographic space with spatial reasoning and analytical procedures that capitalize on the variation within and among map variables. The result is a “map-ematical” structure that enables natural resource professionals to better understand and communicate complex spatial interplay of edaphic, topographic, biological, ecological, environmental, economic and social considerations. It provides a common foothold for integrating dialog among the seemingly disparate disciplines within natural resources, as well as across campus. This paper describes an comprehensive instructional approach, framework and classroom materials for teaching grid-based map analysis and modeling concepts and procedures as direct spatial extensions of traditional mathematics and statistics to students with minimal or no GIS background.
GIS in Natural Resource Education: Where are we Headed?
Natural Resources Room 108
Over the past three decades, GIS education in natural resources has evolved from a focus on automated cartography, to spatial database management, to geo-web applications. Within these contexts, curricula have emphasized the mechanics of descriptive mapping (“Where is What”) involving acquisition, storage, retrieval, query and display of spatial objects. However, the future of GIS education is moving from a “down the hall and to the right” specialist’s role for providing mapped data, to a broader and more active role of providing spatial information for natural resource research, policy, planning and management. The instructional emphasis is shifting from data–centric tools to application-specific constructs of prescriptive mapping (Why, So What and What If) that infuses consideration of geographic patterns and relationships within problem-solving contexts. The paradigm shift replaces spatially-aggregated tools and models that assume uniform or random distribution in geographic space with spatial reasoning and analytical procedures that capitalize on the variation within and among map variables. The result is a “map-ematical” structure that enables natural resource professionals to better understand and communicate complex spatial interplay of edaphic, topographic, biological, ecological, environmental, economic and social considerations. It provides a common foothold for integrating dialog among the seemingly disparate disciplines within natural resources, as well as across campus. This paper describes an comprehensive instructional approach, framework and classroom materials for teaching grid-based map analysis and modeling concepts and procedures as direct spatial extensions of traditional mathematics and statistics to students with minimal or no GIS background.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cuenr/9thBiennial/Sessions/46
Comments
Citation: Berry, Joseph K. 2012. GIS in Natural Resource Education: Where are we Headed? UENR 9th Biennial Conference. http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cuenr/9thBiennial/Sessions/46/