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Work/Site
Alliance - Community Based GIS Education is
a project funded by the National Science Foundation.
Case studies were developed
using real-world data.
The case studies developed by the W/SA
represent universal concerns faced in most urban communities across the United States and
in other countries. Educators and students can use these case studies as a learning tool
that explores the use of GIS technology in solving real-world problems, and also as a
model for developing their own studies using data from their own communities.
Developing meaningful case
studies.
Real-world data is just one component of a
meaningful case study. Each of the case studies developed by the W/SA has been designed
with the ideal case study in mind. The ideal case study includes:
-
A real client and problem.
A GIS-based solution that takes
advantage of spatial analysis
Appropriate data for addressing the
problem.
- Curriculum connections in relevant disciplines.
- Faculty experience managing student work on the
project
Structure is important
Each of the case studies has been organized to capture all
aspects of a project in a progressive sequence which enables self-teaching for teachers
and students. The standard organization is as follows :
- Overview of this Case Study
- Analyzing Requirements, Scope of Study, and data Needed
- Planning the Project
- Conducting the Analysis
- Presenting, Refining and Extending the Study
The Case Study overview outlines the problem to be solved,
learning objectives,prerequisties,learning resources, and also provides educator
tips(e.g.how to organize students into teams).
The Analyzing Requirements section addresses understanding
client needs, determining the scope of the study, and identifying both type of information
needed and sources of data available within the community.
The Planning Project section provides
information on how to identify tasks, establish milestones, and use the W/SA Project
Management Resource Guide.
The Conducting the Analysis section
includes step-by-step exercise procedures using ArcView and prepared data sets.
The Presenting Results section explains how
to prepare layouts, plan presentations, critique the product, revise the analysis, and
prepare final products.
So far, nine case studies have been developed and are
available for use. A summary of each of the available case studies has been provided on
the following pages of this report.
Obtaining Training Materials
A CD-ROM has been included on the
inside back cover of this document that contains the Training Manual, case studies, and
associated data sets developed.
All of the educational
products the W/SA has developed are also available for download
off the IGRE website: http://igre.emich.edu
To access the case studies and associated
data sets, click on "GIS Case Studies".
The text of each of the
case studies is in Acrobat Reader format (*.pdf), and sample data
needed to complete the exercises is compressed in WinZip format
(*.zip). A section entitled "Frequently
Asked Questions" has also been provided to assist users.
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