Seven possible states of geospatial data with respect to map projection and definition: a novel pedagogical device for GIS education

Conceptually,the theory and implementation of“map projection”in geographic information system(GIS)technology is difficult to comprehend for most introductory students and novice users.Compounding this difficulty is the concept of a“map projection file”that defines map projection parameters of geo-spatial data.The problem of the“missing projection file”appears ubiquitous for all users,especially in practice where data is widely shared.Another common problem is inadvertent misapplication of the“Define Projection”tool that can result in a GIS dataset with an incorrectly defined map projection file.GIS education should provide more guidance in differentiating the concepts of map projection versus projection files by increasing understanding and minimizing common errors.A novel pedagogical device is introduced in this paper:the seven possible states of GIS data with respect to map projection and definition.The seven possible states are:(1)a projected coordinate system(PCS)that is correctly defined,(2)a PCS that is incorrectly defined,(3)a PCS that is undefined,(4)a geographic coordinate system(GCS)that is correctly defined,(5)a GCS that is incorrectly defined,(6)a GCS that is undefined,and(7)a non-GCS.Recently created automated troubleshooting tools to determine a missing map projection file are discussed.

The role of GIS in Digital Earth education

A growing number of educators worldwide have become convinced that geotechnologies
including geographic information systems(GIS),global positioning systems(GPS),and remote sensing
are key technologies to prepare students to be tomorrow’s decision makers.Grappling with local,regional,and global issues of the 21st century requires people who think spatially and who can use geotechnologies.Some educators teach geotechnologies as a discipline,emphasising skills.Other educators use geotechnologies as a tool to teach content,such as geography,history,environmental studies,Earth Science,biology,mathematics,economics and other disciplines.Issues such as traffic,population growth,urban sprawl,energy,water,crime,human health,biodiversity and sustainable agriculture are growing in complexity,exist at every scale and increasingly affect people’s everyday lives.Each of these issues has a spatial component.Drivers for geotechnology education include educational content standards,constructivism,the school-to-career movement,active learning,citizenship education,authentic practice and assessment,interdisciplinary education,community connections and a sustained,increasing demand for GIS professionals.Digital Earth is an ideal framework for contextualising domains of inquiry.The Digital Earth community can have a significant impact on the growth of geotechnologies in education,and conversely,the growth of geotechnologies in education and society can foster the forward movement of Earth systems concepts.

Perspectives on geospatial information science education:an example of urban planners in Southern Africa

Since the introduction of geographic information systems(GIS)in the 1960s,it has evolved tremendously to an extent that it permeates our daily lives.Initially,GIS usage started in the developed countries and now increasingly filtered to developing countries.The town planning profession was one of the early adopters of GIS.Geospatial information is a useful source of data that is needed in urban planning.In these days of the New Urban Agenda 2030,smart cities are even more required from planners in using geospatial information to face urban challenges such as sustainable urban development and climate change.Although GIS has promised a lot for urban planning,it has not reached its full potential.Moreover,many studies have focused on developed countries with limited studies on geospatial information application in municipalities and GIS education from a perspective of developing countries.In this study,a survey on the usage of geospatial information science(GSIS)in two cities,namely Bulawayo in Zimbabwe and Ekurhuleni in South Africa,was conducted,and an overview of the state of GIS curricula in planning schools is discussed.The results indicate that considerable progress has been made in the application of geospatial information in municipal planning;however,there are impediments limiting the full utilization of geospatial information in local municipalities.These impediments include:inadequate GIS curricula in planning schools,lack of resources,and lack of political will.These challenges manifest differently in well-resourced municipalities and those with limited resources.The study proposes planning-relevant GIS curricula to improve the level of GIS use in planning practice.