The role of Geoinformatic Geoinformatic Literacy in Literacy in - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Sofia, 4. 4. 2004

The role of The role of Geoinformatic Geoinformatic Literacy in Literacy in P Promoting romoting Geographers’ employability Geographers’ employability

Vít Voženílek

Palacky University in Olomouc

digital elevation models simulation models

Awareness of GIS

Global market with GIS software

200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

• mil. USD

Geoinformatics Geoinformatics (geomatics, GIscience)

= scientific discipline studying information about spatial

• bjects, phenomena and relationships among them

= geosciences within digital environment

computers, networks, internet, databases, programming, satellites, digitising, simulation and modelling, data ... Geography and also geology ecology botany zoology cartography surveying ...

Geographical Information Geographical Information Systems Systems Remote Remote Sensing Sensing Global Global Navigation Navigation Satellite Satellite Systems Systems Computer Computer cartography cartography Geostatistics Geostatistics Photogrammetry Photogrammetry ...

GIT GIT

...

Geoinformatic Geoinformatic literacy literacy

Who should be literate? … how educated? … at what level of literacy? … who will teach? … what tools (HW, SW) will be used for

practical exercises?

Geographical Geographical Cartographical Informatic

Geoinformatic Geoinformatic literacy literacy

Geographical

• Is not encyclopaedical knowledge of geographical objects

and their spatial localisation

• is geographical thinking – ability to sort, analyse and apply

geographical theories systematically, to implement synthesis, models and to formulate varied spatial attributes

• f geographical phenomena

climatology hydrology geomorphology pedogeography biogeography demography tourism regional planning geography of transport geography of services

Cartographical

1. ability to read a map (map-use):

• map perception
• map legend using
• undestanding of map content

2. ability to complete a map (map-making)

• to set up map project
• to submitt a map design
• to apply map language

There are two kinds of cartograhoical literacy:

• native
• additionally obtained by learning

Geoinformatic literacy

Cartography

Geoinformatic literacy

Informatic

• frequently it is understood as operating

computer only

• now its understanding is wider:
• it covers activities from file management,

through letter writting, table processing, graph designing, e-mail using, web searching till programming

Two Two levels levels of

• f geoinformatic literacy

understanding

• to be able arguing
• to be able discussing
• to express demands
• suitable for non

non-

• GIS

GIS experts experts

using

• practical skill
• operating GIT
• fundamental attitudes
• suitable for GI

GI-

• experts

experts

Education in geoinformatics

has to be:

academic (didactic) independent transdisciplinar

Academic education of geoinformatics

the Czech view

• geoinformatic courses (with ‘geoinformatics’ in title)
• courses with non-geoinformatic tile but offering

geoinformatics as one of specialisation

• courses that include geoinformatics as one of

additional module

knowledge – skill – habits - attitudes

knowledge – understanding of digital data and digital environment, information about kinds of real world representation, attribute data types, data models and structures, graphical and database formats, principles of positioning systems, principles of remote sensing etc. skill – ability to work with sophisticated software products of GIS for geographical work, computer cartography, remote sensing or geostatistics, ability to apply methods and techniques (analysis, synthesis, modelling, simulation) within digital environment using gained knowledge in geography etc. habits – problem solutions using GIT and creating digital

• utputs, digital presenting etc.

attitudes – critical assessment of GIT methods abilities in comparison to other scientific and technological approaches of various activities leading to progress of all branches that use geographical information etc.

Independence in education

trends: computer cost decreasing and its performance increasing

• it changes from manual to digital spatial information handling

hardware independence of GI applications

• GI applications are performed at different hardware platforms, at equipment of

various generations, configurations and software versions. = also due to from business reasons

software incompatibility

• it is often impossible to use additional software components of different

software families, sometimes even of the same product

• nly an effort on maximal data compatibility eliminates software dependence of

advanced applications

choosing of software platform is one of the key decision when GI application designing and also when completing courses on geoinformatics maximal independence – all hardware, software, data (data formats) – is simultaneously user’s wish and seller’s fear

• however research topics have spatial nature and do not require specific

software environment

aggregated experience from GIS projects

↓ ↓

generalisation and extrapolation of knowledge, specific approaches

↓ ↓

later some of them have been successfully applied in fields which they did not inteted for

↓ ↓

GI-experts started to modify general geoinformatic tool using specific needs (medical, archaeological, geographical,

geological, ecological, cartographical, geodetic, demographic, millitary ...)

In past In past the the success success of

• f GIS

GIS was was in in operating

• perating one
• ne GIS software

GIS software – – it it is is not not enough enough now now

= TRANSDISCIPLINARITY = = TRANSDISCIPLINARITY =

= geographical (spatial) information and approaches go through several disciplines (sciences)

Digital data Digital data sources sources

• electronic atlases
• CD-ROM products
• databases
• internet newsa and journals
• e-mail communication
• web-GIS
• programming

Analogue Analogue data data sources sources

• school atlas
• yearbooks
• wall maps
• newspapers and journals
• TV and radio

versus versus ANALOGUE TEACHER DIGITAL STUDENT

Geoinformatic literacy brings wider capabilities into geography due to:

easier accessibility of geographical information via Internet, Intranet and wireless telecommunication networks, more accurate and effective decision (incl. economic and political) because most of them has geographical nature, higher simplicity of computer using and activities within digital environment development of better technologies for visualisation, management and spatial analysis of geographical data and their linking with another (non-geographical) systems, digital geographical data extending and sharing, i.e. RS data and GPS data, concentration of new knowledge and experience from geographical applications and then implementation of geographical approaches into many related fields

„ „Training Training“ nebo „ “ nebo „Education Education“ ?????? “ ??????

Never button button pushing pushing ! ! !

! ! !

Danger in future

progress in GIT will go on and all geosciences have to accept it however if geographer will not carry about geoinformatics more intensively, development of geoinformatics will be shifted out of geography

this should divert many applicants (and also students) from

geography and geography should stay out of the progress, which is more and more crucial for development of the whole society

geoinformatic literacy seems to be a strong argument (even a powerful weapon) in long-term struggle called “housebreaking of geography”

in past geographers lost several topics ecology, urban planning, cartography, geology and some other

disciplines operate (even occupy) themes that should be under care by geography

there is real danger that geoinformatics (that is definitely

geographical discipline) will be acquired by computer scientists or experts for databases and programming

We We are on are on the the junction junction … …

geographers equipped by geoinformatic literacy are in demand for many jobs

• they can work in traditional geographical way but also with applying many

digital approaches

• research teams, governmental offices and commercial companies requires

people with high skill of digital data handling – spatial databases, digital maps, simulation packages etc.

• geographers have more job opportunities in both traditional and still non-

geographical branches now

school geography (and especially geography teachers) has to guarantee that young generation will see geography as a field supervising geoinformatics

• it is not complicated because teaching and learning with geoinformation

technologies is easier than without ones

many GI-experts are poor in geography or in cartography because any missing component of geoinformatic literacy makes incorrect understanding and applying geographical rules and methods in GIT activities

• geoinformatics and its education has to be closely linked to geography

geoinformatic literacy gives geographers opportunity to play important role in occupations, which belongs to another fields such as ecology, biology, geology, history, demography, political science etc.

Thank you for your attention.

Vít Voženílek

vitek@risc.upol.cz

Palacky University in Olomouc Czech Republic