Collier 4-H launches GIS program
You’ve probably seen those nifty navigation systems available in newer cars to help drivers find their way around unfamiliar cities.
They use data provided by global positioning systems to provide maps, broadcast to a small screen in the dashboard, to show the car’s exact location and where it needs to go next.
Those handy devices are an application of geographic information systems, or GIS, one of the fastest growing aspects of global positioning system technology.
By gathering data on the locations of target items—anything from water fountains to Civil War battle sites—and running it through computer software, users can produce maps displaying the data.
Anni Galdames, Collier County’s 4-H youth development extension agent, has launched a program to help local schoolchildren and their teachers learn about this exciting technology, and perhaps set a few youth on the path toward a career in GIS.
Funded by a grant from the Environmental Systems Research Institute, a leading GIS software company, the program involves 10 Collier County teachers who have been trained to use basic GIS software and will train their students in it, beginning in January.
Working in groups, the students will develop project ideas and then gather information to produce maps, Galdames said. The work will also help students improve their computer skills and better understand local and international geography. Students not already involved in 4-H will join the organization when they enroll.
The program, formally known as the Collier County 4-H GIS Community Development Project, is a collaboration between Collier County 4-H, the Collier County School Board, and GIS Corps, an international organization that helps local governments solve problems by using GIS technology. Galdames is coordinating the program along with Darryl Clare, a GIS Corps volunteer.
In January, two 4-H’ers and two 4-H leaders will attend a weekend GIS training session in Georgia, Galdames said. When they return, they’ll help put together maps of Collier County hurricane shelters, which will be used by local agencies.
In October, Galdames is invited to give a presentation on the program at the annual conference of the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association, a nonprofit professional and educational group.
Learn more about GIS programs for U.S. 4-H clubs here
Learn more about Collier County 4-H here
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