ArcSchool Reader

Welcome to ArcSchool Reader, a periodic e-newsletter from the ESRI education team. Each issue provides a quick glimpse of software news; user stories; reminders; and hints about tools, data, and support covering the use of GIS technology in elementary and secondary schools (K-12 education).

In This Issue

• Software News
• Data News
• Support News
• User News

Software News

ArcGIS 9.2 Service Pack 5—Includes Support for Vista
Service packs are collections of tweaks, enhancements, and little fixes that improve stability and performance. ArcGIS 9.2 Service Pack 5 is now available, and like Service Pack 4, it includes support for running ArcGIS 9.2 products on Windows Vista. Users of ArcGIS Desktop (ArcView, ArcEditor, and ArcInfo) should be sure to install the service packs for both the core desktop product and the help file, which includes a number of new videos. Service packs are cumulative, so you only need to install the latest one, not each one consecutively.

ArcPad 7.1
If you're using a Windows CE device as your PDA or cell phone, you should try the latest version of ArcPad. This is software for mobile GIS and field mapping. It integrates with GPS, range finders, and digital cameras in GIS data collection. You can download the full installer and test it for 20-minute intervals. There is also a free ArcPad 7 workshop available through the ESRI Virtual Campus on the ESRI Training and Education Web site.

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Data News

ArcGIS Online
ArcGIS Online is a data resource for users of ArcGIS Desktop tools: ArcMap, ArcGlobe, ArcReader, and ArcGIS Explorer. It provides a series of 2D map and 3D globe services that you can use to support your GIS work. This includes seamless high-resolution imagery at approximately 1-meter resolution for the conterminous United States and 500- and 15-meter resolution for the world. These ready-to-use services can also be accessed by Web mapping applications created with ArcGIS Server.

Natural Resources Conservation Service
The United States has several federal agencies that make interesting GIS data available. Within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). On the Technical Resources page of the NRCS Web site, you can find links to some excellent data including digital raster graphics (DRG); digital elevation models (DEM); imagery from multiple years; and data pertaining to land use, climate, and watersheds (including 12-digit for some locales). Eventually, you'll get to the USDA NRCS Geospatial Data Gateway, where you can troll an interactive menu process and request some powerful datasets. Data is extracted, packaged, zipped, and posted for electronic retrieval.

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Support News

GIS Education Community Blog
Are you reading the ESRI GIS Education Community Blog? Several times a week, members of the education team post software tips and tricks, important announcements about upcoming events, or observations on the state of GIS in education. You can find numerous tips about ArcView, ArcGIS Explorer, and ArcExplorer - Java Edition for Education. You can subscribe to the blog to get the latest posts delivered to your RSS reader.

Our World GIS Education Book Series
Our World GIS Education, the new book series by ESRI Press, helps educators introduce and extend GIS education into primary, secondary, and postsecondary curricula with flexibility and ease while providing students with the tools to build spatial thinking, analysis, and decision-making skills. Each book includes ESRI software, GIS data, exercises, and lessons. The books are arranged by levels (1-4) for instruction progressing from basic to advanced. Learn more about the instructional goals of each book and see which book will fit best with your curriculum.

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User News

ESRI Community Atlas
ESRI's U.S. Community Atlas is a project in which students and youth groups define the nature of their community and post descriptions and maps of it. These small presentations (each consisting of 10-20 original maps and text of 1,000-2,500 original words) are posted on the Web and can be explored for their similarities and differences. The Web site contains full guidelines and templates, pointers to free data and mapping options, and model projects from each year. In addition to getting their community's description publicly posted, K-12 schools and youth groups contributing projects that meet the guidelines earn software or other educational resources. The deadline for submissions is coming up fast - May 23, 2008. Read more at www.esri.com/communityatlas.

ESRI Education User Conference
Make your plans now to attend the ESRI Education User Conference (EdUC) in San Diego, August 2-5. The keynote speaker this year will be Anne Knowles, editor of the popular volume Past Time, Past Place and coeditor of the new book Placing History. EdUC overlaps the ESRI International User Conference, August 4-8, so there will be plenty of competition for hotel rooms. Make your plans early!

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