Water
Quality and Watersheds: A GIS Investigation
Tania
Siemens
2003- 2004 Fellow
Using
these curriculum materials, students learn to use a Geographic
Information System (GIS) to investigate relationships between
landscape characteristics and water quality in New York
State. These materials were significantly improved following
piloting with Earth Science classes at East High School
in Rochester, NY.
There are many benefits to introducing your students to
the concept of using maps and GIS to conduct investigations.
Not only is GIS an exciting and effective learning tool,
it also is increasingly being used in a multitude of industries.
Students will develop career skills that they can apply
in many contexts, using geographic data to address issues
related to social sciences, natural resource management,
atmospheric sciences, city planning, and other fields.
No prior GIS
experience is required for this series of activities. All
of the necessary software and data are available for download
(see below). The only limitation at this point is that you
must use a PC running Windows 98, 2000, NT, or XP. The Arc
Explorer software provided with this project will not run
on Macintosh computers.
Downloadable
WORD files:
For
Teachers:
For
Students:
Introduction
to Watersheds and Water Quality:
Activity
1:
Activity
2:
Activity
3:
In order
to run the activities described above, you will need GIS
software and watershed data files installed on each computer.
GIS Software:
GIS Data
for NYS Watersheds:
Links
to other websites with background information about GIS
and watersheds
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