GIS Educator Newsletter -- GIS in the School of Geography and Geology at McMaster University

By Deane Maynard, B.A., Project Manager, GIS Laboratory, School of Geography and Geology and Susan Vajoczki, Lecturer, School of Geography and Geology

The mandate of the GIS Laboratory in the School of Geography and Geology, consistent with the mission of McMaster, is to support undergraduate and graduate courses, research, community service, partnerships, and training workshops. Some examples are provided below.

Undergraduate Programs: GIS Content

The School of Geography and Geology offers undergraduate degrees in earth and environmental sciences, geography, and geography and environmental studies. These degrees provide students with a good knowledge base in the student's chosen field of study as well as practical experiences and a broad set of personal transferable skills including inquiry, numeracy, computing, problem solving, critical thinking, and communication. All honors students must complete an introductory course in GIS and digital cartography. Many of our students choose to complete additional GIS and related courses including those required to complete a GIS minor. Our Honors Geography program has been revised as of fall 2001 to include an option to specialize in GIS and spatial analysis. Students in this specialization complete the courses required for a GIS minor (see below) as well as courses in locational analysis, transportation geography, population growth and distribution, and land use geography.

GIS is used by many disciplines at the university. Consequently, undergraduate students from any discipline can enroll in our GIS courses. We have recently designed a minor that can be completed by a student in any undergraduate program at the university. The minor requires that they complete the following set of courses:

At McMaster, we are seeing a rise in student interest in GIS courses as more students recognize that such a skill allows them to compete more effectively in the job market after graduation.

New Programs for September 2002

McMaster University's School of Geography and Geology and the Centre for Spatial Analysis (CSPA) are pleased to announce three new programs in spatial analysis and GIS to start September 2002. Students have the option of taking the following programs over one or two years in the evenings.

The Certificate in GIS is intended for students who have a basic academic or experiential training and who wish to obtain a qualification in the more technical aspects of GIS. It consists of 18 units of credits (six half-year courses). This program captures a niche for expertise and skills in desktop GIS tools and analysis for multidisciplinary applications. It emphasizes the development of a strong working knowledge of current GIS software without the analytical focus of the diploma program. A degree is not necessary for entry.

The Diploma in Spatial Analysis and GIS is intended for students who have a basic academic or experiential training and who wish to obtain a qualification in the theoretical and practical aspects of spatial analysis as well as in the more technical aspects of GIS. It consists of 24 units of credit (eight half-year courses). This program presents students with the unique opportunity to acquire knowledge in the areas of GIS, spatial statistics, and new approaches to modeling and understanding spatial phenomena (i.e., object-oriented analysis and design), all within the framework of current software environments. A degree is not necessary for entry.

APPLICATIONS FOR THE CERTIFICATE IN GIS AND THE DIPLOMA IN SPATIAL ANALYSIS AND GIS ARE BEING ACCEPTED UNTIL FRIDAY, AUGUST 30, 2002.

For more information or to download an application form, please refer to http://www.science.mcmaster.ca/gislab/postgraduate/postgraduate.html.

Graduate Program

The Graduate Diploma in Spatial Analysis and GIS is designed to meet the needs of those with a degree in geography, geology, or a related discipline who wish to complement their background with skills in GIS technology, spatial interaction modeling, locational analysis, and spatial statistics. This program will appeal to suitable graduates with an interest in graduate studies in spatial analysis but not a full-scale master's degree. An undergraduate degree is required.

All of these dynamic programs will draw on the expertise of several faculty members at McMaster University. In addition, special guest lecturers from the private and public sectors have been chosen for their expertise in specific topic areas. All programs will focus on a variety of application areas, thereby addressing the demands of a multidisciplinary marketplace and the diverse interests of enrolled students.

Courses will be held in the GIS facility, a state-of-the-art teaching laboratory in the School of Geography and Geology at McMaster University. The facility is equipped with a number of Windows-based workstations and hosts a variety of commonly used GIS, spatial analysis, remote sensing, and statistical analysis software packages.

Research in GIS

As of January 2002, the GIS Laboratory will be part of the CSPA, under the direction of Professor Pavlos Kanaroglou, Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Spatial Analysis. Currently the GIS Laboratory supports multidisciplinary applied research. Past and present project descriptions can be found atn www.science.mcmaster.ca/gislab/research.htm. In addition, CSPA will support basic research in spatial analysis.

GIS High School Outreach Program

Ontario high schools introduced GIS into their geography curriculum in September 1999. The integration of the hands-on portion of GIS education is still a new area to many teachers and their students. The McMaster GIS High School Outreach Program was created in December 1999 by the GIS Lab in the School of Geography and Geology to assist high school teachers and students with this educational challenge and to teach, improve, strengthen, and promote GIS in high schools. Highlights include hands-on ArcView workshops, GIS Day, Let's Talk Science, design of a Hamilton and region atlas, and High School Cooperative Education Program. To date, the GIS High School Outreach Program has educated more than 1,750 high school students and teachers.

Partners in the GIS High School Outreach Program include GIS Laboratory, School of Geography and Geology, Lloyd Reeds Map Collection, Let's Talk Science at McMaster University, Faculty of Science, Royal Botanical Gardens, and the New City of Hamilton (Geomatics division). The McMaster University GIS Laboratory is also an active partner in the ESRI K-12 Education Program.

To promote GIS, geomatics, and science to high schools and support teachers and high school students in fulfilling curriculum requirements in geography, GIS, and geomatics

To facilitate the development of exciting GIS applications within high schools

To participate in the enhancement of our children's education

To give McMaster undergraduates in GIS an opportunity to "teach" in their area of expertise

To promote interaction and a partnership between McMaster University and high schools

Distinctive Features

The GIS High School Outreach Program features

One-day or half-day workshops for teachers and students--These workshops provide hands-on GIS introduction using ArcView, ESRI Canada's K-12 lesson packs, map skills workshops, and a presentation on careers in geography and GIS. Workshops may be customized to a school's particular curriculum objective.

Annual GIS Day at McMaster University

As part of Geography Awareness Week in November, each year, the GIS Lab in the School of Geography and Geology hosts a GIS Day event. The goal of GIS Day at McMaster is to educate high school students and teachers in the applications of GIS. High school students and teachers participate in hands-on GIS workshops, seminars, poster making, and research paper competitions. The day enables students and teachers to interact with other high schools and to learn more about how GIS is being implemented in the classroom.

On November 14, 2001, more than 300 high school students and teachers attended this successful event.

High School Cooperative Education

In February 2002, the McMaster University GIS Lab participated in the High School Cooperative Education Program. Cooperative education builds stronger linkages between schools and the workplace through work experience and career education and planning, provides a knowledge base of skills for further education/employment, and assists students in making "informed" career decisions.

Ongoing Special Community Projects

Hamilton and Region Atlas Project

This nonprofit venture is currently in the planning stages. The purpose is to develop a Hamilton and region atlas with accompanying modules to be used as an educational tool in grades 7-12 and as a resource for 1st year university courses in the School of Geography and Geology, McMaster University. Partners in this project include School of Geography and Geology, GIS Laboratory, Lloyd Reeds Map Collection, the New City of Hamilton, Hamilton-Wentworth Board of Education, and the Roman Catholic Board of Education. It is hoped that the deliverables will be distributed (free of charge) by June 2003 to elementary and high school libraries in the New City of Hamilton.

Teacher Workshops and Courses

There has been considerable interest in having the McMaster GIS Laboratory offer short workshops in teaching GIS and geomatics in the classroom. A committee has been set up to evaluate this need and to establish a course. Sessions would be held in the evenings, weekends, or summer months.

For information about GIS in the School of Geography and Geology at McMaster University, please contact

Deane Maynard
School of Geography and Geology
GIS Laboratory, BSB-331
McMaster University
1280 Main St. West
Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1
Canada
905-525-9140, ext. 22542
maynard@mcmaster.ca
www.science.mcmaster.ca/gislab/outreach/outreach.html