Abstract


Inquiry-based Learning with ArcIMS in the GISAS Project
Track: Educational Research and Teacher Education
Author(s): Tino Johansson

GISAS (Geographical Information Systems Applications for Schools) was a three-year education and research project funded by the European Commission. One of its objectives was to use the collected databases and water quality analyses in an interactive web-based GIS application, namely Esri's ArcIMS, which allowed the teachers and students to make queries, buffer objects and study their local environment in a new way. The databases included various types of data, such as shapefiles, digital photos, raster maps and written documents summarizing the results of the analyses. These local databases were studied and used together with European scale choropleth maps, showing the national differences in water-related issues. This paper will briefly describe the ways how the GISAS project used ArcIMS as a tool for inquiry-based learning. The use of web-based GIS enhanced the adoption of a holistic approach to environmental education and supported visual learning experiences.

Tino Johansson
University of Helsinki
Department of Geography
P.O. Box 64, Gustaf Hällströmin katu 2
Helsinki , Uusimaa 00014
FI
Phone: 358919151045
E-mail: tino.johansson@helsinki.fi