Web mapping Google applications in environmental education

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Web mapping

Google applications

in environmental education

Summary:

The article describes the possibilities of using the Google Maps web mapping along with the Street View service and the Google Earth Virtual Globe in science and ge-ography education, including education for sustainable development. The resources that can be accessed through Google Earth, published as Global Awareness and Ocean folders, are evaluated.

Key words: webGIS, virtual globe, sustainable development

received: 16.01.2015; accepted: 9.03.2015; published: 27.03.2015

Introduction

In modern societies, information, including spatial information, becomes increasingly important. The re-port by National Research Council advocates the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in education. These systems not only play a significant role in the de-velopment of spatial thinking skills, but can also be suc-cessfully applied in science and geography education, especially the education for sustainable development.

Still, the idea to use computers in geographical edu-cation is not new – it dates back to the 60s of the 20th

century (Macher, 1984). First computer programs de-voted to geography teaching appeared in the 80s and in the 90s, there was a rapid development of the knowl-edge testing applications, e-atlases and didactic games (Pliszka, 1997) as well as geo-portals meant to facilitate science and geography teaching.

At the same time, references to the use of IT, digital maps and map applications, including Geographical In-formation System, rarely appear in Polish curricula and books for teaching geography. However, there are some exceptions. For instance, Ewa Tuz1 _{and Teresa}

Sadoń-Osowiecka2 _{advocate using Google Maps for}

education-al purposes in their programs for geography teaching. Another example is the geography program developed by the Nowa Era publishing house which suggests us-ing GIS tools to obtain, retrieve and present particular information3_.

1 Ewa Maria Tuz, Program nauczania geografii dla gimnazjum (The curriculum for lower secondary school geography). Źródło: www. nowaera.pl/pomoce/...nauczania/...nauczania-geografii.../down-load.html.

2 Teresa Sadoń-Osowiecka, Geografia w gimnazjum – program

na-uczania (Geography in lower secondary school – curriculum).

Źródło: http://www.operon.pl/var/plain_site/storage/original/ application/e55fa403d58772712b3080692b6431c1.pdf

3 Ewa Maria Tuz, Dawid Szczepiński. Program nauczania

geo-grafii w zakresie rozszerzonym dla liceum ogólnokształcącego

WebGIS tools, especially the most popular geo-browser among internet users – Google Maps – and the most popular virtual globe – Google Earth, can play a crucial role in assimilating geographical information and developing spatial thinking skills and habits. Dif-ferent possibilities for using the aforementioned appli-cations in science and geography education are present-ed below.

Geo-browsers

A geo-browser is an IT tool devoted to browsing ge-ospatial data resources. Its other functions, apart from map browsing, very often include such options as the possibility to generate questions, receive directions and create interactive place cards (maps). The interactive mapping technique was discussed in more details on the website of the PITWIN project – Portal for Innova-tive Transfer of Knowledge in Education4 _{(Pokojski and}

Pokojska, 2011). One of the most popular geo-browsers is Google Maps. Given its wide accessibility, the database has a huge educational potential. For any teacher, an important element of the education is to indicate easily accessible tools which can help students understand and assimilate the material discussed in classroom, includ-ing the geo-spatial aspects.

Apart from its primary function, namely the geo-spatial browsing, Google Maps allow one to search for facilities and places by name, address or geographi-cal coordinates, defined as geographigeographi-cal latitude and geographical longitude. In addition to the well-known functions, such as geo-localization, there has recently

i technikum – oblicza geografii (The curriculum of

geograp-hy in the extended scope for upper secondary school and technical college – faces of geography). Źródło: http://www. nowaera.pl/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_ view&gid=103719&Itemid=

4 URL: http://www.pitwin.edu.pl/component/content/article/1413

dr Wojciech PokojskI: assistant professor,

Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies, University of Warsaw

dr Paulina Pokojska: assistant professor,

Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies, University of Warsaw

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appeared an option to get walking directions from one selected place or address to another. This option may come handy when planning the route of a school trip around the neighbourhood, for instance to the nearest park or reserve, while the satellite imagery can be used to present examples of environmental degradation, like in the case of the lignite mine located in the region of Bełchatów (fig. 1).

Street View

Street View is a technology that provides panoramic images, featured in Google Maps since 2007, in Google Earth since 2008, taken every dozen or so meters from positions along the streets. The coverage of these virtual panoramas for particular parts of the world has been provided in details on Wikipedia5_{. Since 2013, virtually}

the whole Polish territory, captured from hard-surface roads, has been covered in Street View.

The Street View images can be used to convey scien-tific and geographical information to students, for in-stance regarding the typical natural landscapes as well as the features of natural topography and vegetation, characteristic of a specific region or country. Thanks to Street View, it is possible to view virtual panoramas captured along the hard-surface roads that run past the areas designated for nature conservation. One of the first places covered by Street View in Poland was the Niebieskie Źródła nature reserve (Blue Springs na-ture reserve)6_{. Other interesting examples used to}

dis-cuss the Polish natural landscapes can be the panora-mas captured along the Droga Stu Zakrętów (Hundred Curves Road) in the Stołowe Mountains National Park or along the Wielka Pętla Bieszczadzka (Big Loop of the

5 URL: http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Street_View 6 URL:

https://www.nasztomaszow.pl/turystyka-i-rekreacja/nie-bieskie-zrodla-w-google-street-View/

Fig. 1. Satellite image of the lignite mine located in the region of Bełchatów Source: Google Maps.

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Bieszczady). Figure 2 presents places covered by Street View near the Kampinos National Park, figure 3 in the Białowieża National Park where panoramic images were taken and archived by Google.

Numerous interesting examples of virtual lessons using Google Maps can be found on the internet, such as a very interesting virtual lesson about the Amazon basin7_{. The potential for using Street View in}

educa-tion was more widely discussed in a Polish magazine entitled “Geografia w szkole” – Geography at school (Pokojska, Pokojski, 2012). Google Maps along with the

7 URL: http://educationaltechnologyguy.blogspot.com/2012/03/ visit-amazon-with-google-maps-street.html (visit the Amazon with Google Maps Street View – great resource).

Street View technology and the virtual globe, discussed below, may be particularly useful in teaching science to 5-grade students, while discussing such topics as scale, hypsometry, the location and role of Poland in Europe or during lessons devoted to specific European coun-tries. During science classes for 4-grade students, the Street View technology and the get directions tool can be used to plan a school trip, either virtual or real one.

Google Earth virtual globe

The most popular virtual globe is the one created by Keyhole Inc., acquired by Google in 2004 and made available to internet users as a Google Earth application.

The application needs to be installed and the installa-tion file can be downloaded for free from https://www. google.com/earth/. The page features numerous tuto-rials on the use of Google Earth. The Explore section contains presentations, virtual tours and movies that use Google Earth as their data resource. The Gallery sec-tion includes the most interesting maps created thanks to Google Earth. Finally, under the Society section, one may find links to forums and discussion groups (fig. 4).

The primary function of the Google Earth applica-tion is the visualizaapplica-tion of images obtained from sat-ellite imagery on a 3D Earth model. Although Google Earth uses the same satellite imagery as Google Maps, the application is additionally equipped with numerous drawing tools and enriched with a range of information layers (fig. 5). The virtual globe functionality was more widely discussed in a Polish magazine, “Geografia w sz-kole” (Pokojska, Pokojski, 2008).

For each place on Earth that we view, geographical coordinates, elevation and eye altitude will appear on the information bar at the bottom part of the screen. What is more, by selecting the Grid option from the View menu, one can display a grid of latitude and lon-gitude lines over the virtual globe which can help stu-dents remember the location of the Equator, tropics as well as arctic circles and thus be used while discussing climate zones in classroom.

Fig. 3. Places covered by Street View in the Bialowieża National Park Source: Google Maps.

Fig. 4. The web page of Google Earth

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The second basic function of Google Earth is the possibility to search for places (Search) and get direc-tions (Get Direcdirec-tions). Similarly to the Google Maps application, Google Earth enables us to view selected places using the Street View data.

What distinguishes the Google Earth virtual globe from Google Maps is, apart from 3D visualization, the possibility to visualize numerous layers of information (Layers), complied on the basis of the data from vari-ous companies and organizations (fig. 6). An overview of the content of selected layers is presented below along with proposals on how to use them in science and geog-raphy education.

The Borders and Labels layer displays administra-tive boundaries and helps improve one’s sense of di-rection on a map. The Photos layer allows you to view millions of photos from all around the world, which are integrated with the Panoramio website, www.panora-mio.com, and the Cities360 database containing vir-tual panoramas. With the 3D Buildings layer anyone can view 3D models of buildings and thus see the ur-ban topography. The Gallery layer consists of several different layers (sub-layers) which contain data from, for instance, NASA, European Space Agency, National Geographic Society and other similar organizations. The Wikipedia layer links particular places on Google

Earth to adequate Wikipedia entries. The information accessed through the above-mentioned layers may be successfully used in teaching science to 6-grade stu-dents, when discussing Earth landscapes, or in teaching geography to middle schools students, when discussing geographical environment of particular regions.

The Roads layer contains information regarding various roads. It helps improve one’s sense of direction and may be used to discuss the relationship between the density of infrastructure, economic development and naturalistic conditions of particular parts of the world. A lesson on meteorological phenomena can be enriched Fig. 5. Google Earth Panel with explanations

Source: Google Earth.

Fig. 6. Folders Ocean in Google Earth virtual globe Source: Google Earth.

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with the visualization of actual atmospheric conditions thanks to the Weather layer which allows us to see cur-rent cloud patterns, radar maps with areas of curcur-rent precipitation and the results for local measurements of selected meteorological parameters (the data is provid-ed by The Weather Channel – www.weather.com).

One of the options available through Google Earth is the possibility to record a virtual trip along with a commentary and thus present, in a form of a movie, such aspects as: selected landscapes, either in Poland or around the world, bodies of water that are drying up, open-pit mines, different types of coasts, lakes, volca-nos, seas, oceans, continents and many more.

Apart from the possibility to become an armchair traveler, the Google Earth application offers a didactic support for teachers when it comes to environmental education. The examples of pro-eco activities and en-dangered places listed in the Global Awareness and

Ocean layers can be used to discuss issues related with

environmental protection and environmental threats, present a method of international cooperation in terms of environmental protection (6-grade students) and prepare a lesson on discovering the mysterious world of animals. Selected sub-folders that could be especially helpful in making students understand the range and character of environmental threats as well as environ-mental protection are presented below.

Global Awareness

In the Global Awareness folder, after turning on a proper layer and double-clicking on special icons, a window with information regarding a selected place will appear (fig. 7).

The Appalachian Mountaintop Removal layer shows places where controversial mining activities, resulting in huge changes in the landscape, take place. In the

Appalachian Mountains, in order to obtain coal the method of mountaintop removal by blowing them up using explosives is applied. After clicking the appropri-ate icon, we can see a photograph of a degraded site and its description.

Another layer contains information regarding the location of endangered animal species, obtained from the ARKive initiative. A touch of Polish is added through the presentation of the Apollo butterfly, which can be found in the Pieniny National Park. The Green-peace layer displays places where the environmental or-ganization is active, for example, a place on the east of Germany, near the Polish border, where a protest against the construction of a new lignite power plant took place. Another layer, the UNDP (United Nations Development Program) layer, includes interesting data about the UN project entitled Millennium Development Goals Monitor which focuses on decreasing global poverty, promoting sexual equality and supporting social advancement of women. The UNEP: Atlas of Our Changing Environment layer, created by the United Nations Environment Pro-gram, presents a range of different places where natural

environment underwent the biggest changes. The WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) Conservation Projects layer shows places where projects aimed at preventing the degradation of the natural environment have been launched.

Ocean database

When it comes to environmental education con-cerning the marine habitat, teachers may use the data provided by the Ocean layer (fig. 8). It contains informa-tion from various sources regarding the protecinforma-tion of seas and oceans.

The ARKive’s marine layer displays the location of endangered marine species. Interesting data concerning the TOPP research project – Tagging of Pelagic

Preda-tors8 _{– can be found in the Animal Tracking layer. The}

aim of the project is to track predators inhabiting the Pacific Ocean and their migration in pursuit of food. One may find there data regarding, for instance, the

dis-8 Pelagial – of or belonging to the open sea, ocean or great lake, near the surface of the water, at some distance from the land.

Fig. 7. Contents of Global Awareness folder in Google Earth Source: Google Earth. Fig. 8. Contents of Ocean folder in Google Earth Source: Google Earth.

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tances covered by the animals (monitored by means of GPS tags) or obtain basic information on a given speci-men – its size, weight, sex and route of migration.

The National Geographic layer contains data from Ocean. An Illustrated Atlas, a book published in 2001 by the National Geographic Society. It enables us to make visualizations of the data captured by MODIS satellite imagery on Aqua, NASA’s Earth Observing System sat-ellite, regarding the concentration of chlorophyll in seas and oceans.

Another interesting visualization that can be ac-cessed through the National Geographic layer is the study concerning the Human Impact on the World Ocean, undertaken at the University of California, which shows the impact of 17 different human activi-ties, including the marine economy (fishing, marine transport, offshore industry), on marine ecosystems us-ing a 6-point scale.

Finally, the layer entitled Dead Zone shows places where various factors have led to such a drop in the oxy-gen level that the life there can no longer be sustained. The formation of such dead zones is related with eutro-phication of waters, caused by increased accumulation of biogens9_{. Such places can be found, for instance, in}

the Danish Straits and the Gdańsk Bay.

Conclusions

Among the suggested exercises for science and geog-raphy teaching listed on portals and didactic magazines for teachers, those that involve using map applications appear more and more often (Cendrowska, 2012). Class-room Resources owned by the members of the Google Earth community can be accessed online through a special platform, Google Earth for Educators at http:// sitescontent.google.com/google-earth-for-educators/

9 URL: http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strefy_martwych_w%C3%B3d

classroom-resources10_{, where teachers may find some}

interactive lesson scenarios11 _{and other examples on}

how to use Google Earth as a didactic tool.

A teacher may use Google Maps applications indi-rectly in classroom or at home, to prepare presentations that will introduce particular topics to students. Some of the topics may include aspects from physical geography, like forms of natural topography (volcanos, waterfalls, estuaries, different types of coasts, summits, mountain passes), and economy (e.g. seaports, air transport, road transport). The resources from Global Awareness and Ocean layers may add diversity to lessons devoted to environmental threats and environmental protection of both the land and the sea.

By using information layers found on Google Earth, biology, science and geography teachers may familiarize students with projects conducted by various organiza-tions for the sake of environmental protection, present places that undergo detrimental environmental changes and raise awareness on threats resulting from the mis-use of natural resources.

References

Cedrowska A (2012). Palcem po mapie a ludzkim okiem po ekranie.

Geografia w szkole, 2.

Macher PM (1984). Komputery w geografii. PWN: Warszawa. Pliszka M (1997). Programy komputerowe użyteczne w nauczaniu i

uczeniu się geografii. Geografia w Szkole, 2.

Pokojska P, Pokojski W (2008). Wirtualny Globus Google Earth. Charakterystyka i możliwości zastosowania w procesie naucza-nia. Geografia w Szkole, 1.

Pokojski W , Pokojska P (2012). Street View w serwisach Google – możliwości wykorzystania w nauczaniu geografii. Geografia w

szkole, 2.

Pokojski W, Pokojska P (2011). Budowa interaktywnej mapy

cyfro-wej za pomocą wybranych aplikacji i serwisów internetowych.

PI-10 URL: http://www.google.com/intl/pl/earth/educators/

11 URL: http://sitescontent.google.com/google-earth-for-educators/ classroom-resources/lesson-plan-library

TWIN. Tom 1., WSH, Kielce.

Sadoń-Osowiecka T. Geografia w gimnazjum, program naucza-

nia. URL: http://www.operon.pl/var/plain_site/storage/original/

application/e55fa403d58772712b3080692b6431c1.pdf

Tuz EM, Program nauczania geografii dla gimnazjum. URL: www. nowaera.pl/pomoce/...nauczania/...nauczania-geografii.../down-load.html

Tuz EM, Szczepiński D. Program nauczania geografii w zakresie

roz-szerzonym dla liceum ogólnokształcącego i technikum – Oblicza geografii. URL: http://www.nowaera.pl/index.php?option=com_

docman&task=cat_view&gid=103719&Itemid=: Websites http://www.nationalacademies.org/nrc/ http://maps.google.com https://earth.google.com/ http://www.google.com/intl/pl/earth/educators/ http://www.panoramio.com

www.weather.com – The Weather Channel http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Street_View http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strefy_martwych_w%C3%B3d http://www.pitwin.edu.pl/component/content/article/1413)

http://educationaltechnologyguy.blogspot.com/2012/03/visit-ama-zon-with-google-maps-street.html – Visit the Amazon with Go-ogle Maps Street View

https://www.nceas.ucsb.edu/globalmarine http://sitescontent.google.com/google-earth-for-educators/classro-om-resources https://www.nasztomaszow.pl/turystyka-i-rekreacja/niebieskie--zrodla-w-google-street-View/ http://sitescontent.google.com/google-earth-for-educators/classro-om-resources/lesson-plan-library