Mapping Local History With GIS in Saratoga County, NY
Imagine what we could individually learn about local cities by using maps to understand their histories. Connecting history and place through GIS technology has the possibility to activate awareness and independent research initiatives in local communities. On Thursday, February 21st, a Historians Meeting took place in Skidmore’s new GIS Center, featuring Ron Feulner, the town...
Getting Started With Digital Map Storytelling
So, today I was sitting with a student working on a sustainability project. Her goal is to connect local farms in upstate NY with institutional distributors in upstate NY. One key for this project was having an online interface that could be adopted statewide.We had met a couple times and had begun to do some...
Use Iphone or Android GPS For Classroom Field Data Collection: Fulcrum App Review
Student projects at Skidmore are extensive. However, the use of field mapping tools to enhance these endeavors is limited. In this review, we investigate whether the “cloud-based mobile data collection tool” Fulcrum can pave the way for field based projects here at Skidmore. Instead of arbitrarily prodding through the app’s features, we’ll put Fulcrum to...
How Can GIS Support Sustainability on Campus? [UPDATED]
At Skidmore College, sustainability is a clear theme that seems to be impacting every aspect of the residential academic experience. Here at the GIS Center for Interdisciplinary Research we are also seeing more and more GIS requests relating to sustainability and resilience, with a clear focus on energy, foods, and generally, living with a focus...
Field Mapping on an iPad 2 (Part 2)
Imagine you’ve just tracked an awesome trail on your GPS and are dying to share it with your friends. You want them to not only visualize the trail, but to also have the track ready to go in case they want to experience it themselves. In part 2 of our 2 part blog post, we’ll...
Field Mapping on an iPad 2 (Part 1)
Apple iPads are growing in popularity not only for recreational purposes, but also as a tool for students to enhance their learning experiences. iPads are particularly useful for students interested in projects that require visual analysis and immediate access to information. Here, I am conducting a GIS/GPS related field project using the iPad not only...
7 things you should know about… GigaPan
(note: the ‘7 Things’ format was inspired by a similarly-styled format used by educause.edu to evaluate technology tools) Scenario: Professor Steinohls teaches geoscience and thinks that hands-on field work and exploration is an essential element in the learning process for her students. However, because of either time, weather or financial reasons, field trips are excessively...
Student Google Earth Projects – Art 357, Digital Sketchbook
My students in Art 357: Digital Sketchbook just finished their Google Earth/Creative Cartography projects. The idea is to make an “Alternative Map” of campus, using Google Earth, photos, audio and video as well as 3D models and custom icons. This is an ongoing project for this class. Download the Google Earth KMZs here. above –...
