Abstract

Putting Digital Earth to work: Earth Observation Sensors and Data
Track: Teaching with GIS in Higher Education
Authors: Jesse Rouse

In an internet-enabled world, it is important to focus not only on students in a formal classroom, but to also foster spatial literacy among general users of geospatial technologies. Using Earth Observation data and tools as an example, it is important for users to know where thematic regions such as forests, agriculture, or urban are located and subsequently the connections of these land cover classes in understanding their overall environmental impact. By utilizing the datasets captured through Earth Observation sensors and the access, analysis, and visualization capabilities of geospatial technologies such as ArcGIS Explorer, any number of Earth systems can be considered from the physical to the cultural. By helping students and lifelong learners gain experience with various Earth Observation sensors and the data that they capture, there is significant potential to engage student interest, both formal and informal, in STEM fields that utilize these data to understand our world.