Abstract
GIS in Inner-City Emergency Preparedness, Service Learning and Community Outreach
Track: Community Projects and Partnerships
Author
Students enrolled in two service learning classes at Tennessee State University (TSU) mentored high school students to produce maps of the locations of the Nashville Red Cross' emergency shelters. During the fall 2008 semester, the high school students were exposed to emergency preparedness issues pertinent to inner-city communities by TSU Weather & Climate (GEOG 3500) students. They were also trained in global positioning systems (GPS) and geographic information systems (GIS) mapping techniques. During the spring 2009 semester, TSU students in Urban Geography (GEOG 4850) led the students in mapping the Red Cross emergency shelters. Each student received a Red Cross volunteer certificate. The project is funded by a State Farm Good Neighbor Service Learning Grant. The project continues with the installation of a WeatherBug weather station at the school and ArcGIS 9.3.1 software. The project was awarded a 2009 Community Atlas Program Grant from Environmental Systems Research Institute (Esri).
DAVID PADGETT
Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Box 9538
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
United States
Phone: 615-963-5508
E-mail: dpadgett@tnstate.edu