research issue
Geographic Information Systems for Students Today by Dr. Linda Loubert:
What is GIS
The Need for GIS
Teaching GIS to Students
A geographic information system (GIS) is a system used to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, and display all types of spatially referenced geographic information about what is where on the earth’s surface and how they relate to each other. In many ways it can be described as linking databases to maps, creating visual representations of statistical data, and analyzing how location influences features and events on the earth’s plane. GIS can also be described as a system of computer software, hardware and data, and personnel to do the manipulation, analysis, and display of geo-referenced data. The combination of software and hardware give it the capabilities for manipulating, analyzing and displaying spatially-referenced information--that is, information which is referenced by its location on the earth's surface. By linking data to maps, a GIS can reveal relationships not apparent with traditional item-referenced information systems and data base management products, and by displaying information in a graphic form can communicate complex spatial patterns succinctly.
It should be recognized that GIS is not an end in itself. It is used to create useful information products that help organizations run better. It has saved hundreds of millions of dollars through increased productivity and efficiencies. In addition to that, GIS helps students and teachers engage in studies that require and promote critical thinking, integrated learning, and multiple intelligences at any grade level (Audett, 1996; Goodchild 1997; Lloyd 2001). As a computer software program, it links geographic information (where things are) with descriptive information (what things are). This software allows many layers of different information to be displayed simultaneously. The student can relay an interpretation of these layers based on the questions being asked [top].
Geography as a science and GIS as a technology can be seen as a framework for what
many people are calling "sustainable development." It can be defined as a concept associated with society's ability to set up systems of human activity that can maintain them (Bednarz 1995). These systems include economic systems, but more and more it includes strategies that have minimal impact on the environment and do not deplete the resources that support them. (ESRI 2002) People are becoming more aware around the world that many human activities, such as land use and economic development, consume natural resources, such as energy, water, and soils, and can have long-lasting and irreversible effects on our environment including wildlife habitats and biodiversity. To help the earth continue to provide and regenerate the resources we need for supporting life and encourage development, it is necessary to personalize and localize questions about specific resources and geographies that researchers can be responsible for—our parcel, neighborhood, community, and nation. GIS allows them to measure the assets, understand the patterns of change, better understand the resources that are being used, and identify the impact of human-induced geographic change. GIS is also helping our society better utilize the resources available by leveraging geographic information with analysis tools that support planning as well as operational activities (Abler 1988; Kerski, 2000).
GIS is used in countless disciplines in the workplace. For instance, Marine GIS has been adapted and utilized to assist researchers and organizations in achieving their goals. It has helped to bring understanding of our water systems from oceanography to hydrography, navigation to defense, the coastal shoreline to the bathymetric bottom. GIS technology allows experts to see the large portion of the planet that is underwater. Issues ranging from mapping the seafloor to tracking the journey of whales and tuna to preserve species in threatened areas are all possible with the help of GIS.
GIS has a special role in today's rapidly changing society. Professionals utilizing GIS will build the information systems and infrastructure needed to guide important activities and projects. GIS professionals are already making their own organizations more successful through strategic planning. They are helping to provide better logistics to cut costs. They are finding the right sites for business locations. They are preserving areas that are hot spots from a biodiversity perspective. Geography can be integrated into any job, whether it is a nonprofit organization, a for-profit corporation, or a hobby [top].
It is widely believed that GIS acts as a catalyst for creative thought and problem-solving skills and promotes spatial reasoning that supports higher levels of learning for students (Johnson 2008; White 1993). Teaching students to think spatially or to help them see the many ways they already think spatially is critical when teaching them the tools of GIS. Once students understand how and why spatial analyses contribute to better understanding of our world and how things work together expand their critical thinking processes. These students will then be on the cutting edge for jobs and careers that our country needs [top].