The fourth entry for the Geographic Travels Geo-Literacy Outreach Awards
has been officially submitted. Susan Ann Bickford of the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve and the University of New England has proposed her plan to use drone helicopters and ArcGIS Online as tools to teach geography.
Feel free to comment on the proposal and let the board know what you think!
And remember, you still have until 1 October 2012 to apply for the $500 in awards for promoting Geo-Literacy!
Feel free to comment on the proposal and let the board know what you think!
And remember, you still have until 1 October 2012 to apply for the $500 in awards for promoting Geo-Literacy!
Product Title
Sky Eyes: Teaching Geospatial Mapping and Remote Sensing Technology using Arcgis.com and Parrot AR:Drone Remote Controlled Quadracopters
Explain what your project is and how it would be accomplished.
Originality: I plan to teach the basic concepts of mapping and remote sensing using a combination of ArcGIS.com online map viewer and AR Drone 2.0 Quadracopters (remote
controlled aerial drones with onboard cameras). My first clients will
be six area home school students that were participants in the
University of Nebraska’s Lego Mindstorm mapping and robotics program
this past spring I plan to expand the program to add Teacher
Professional Development (PD) programs. We will use the online mapping
software to teach how to digitize trails for a community service
project, then use the drones to video what the trails look like from
above. The drones have both a front facing camera and a downward facing
camera. The video or photographs are recorded to an attached thumb
drive. The online map can link to the videos or photos along with
hosting a wide variety of attribute information about the trail site.
Feasibility of Implementation:
Both the online mapping site and the software to run the drones are
free and usable on any smartphone or tablet device. The AR:Drone
Quadracopters cost $300 each and is an entry level student oriented
machine., complete with an auto-landing and emergency landing feature.
The drone sends out a wireless signal that the smartphone or tablet use
to communicate with it. The tablet does not need 3G/4G capabilities.
These basic tablets cost around $200, so each student set up would cost
about $500. Because I already have one student set up I would be
providing a 50/50 match. If I was awarded the grant, I could rotate
several students through the online mapping tutorial and the drone
tutorial simultaneously.
Geographic-centricity: Using
these two pieces of technology, the student will be able to tell a
compelling geospatial story by creating a shareable (also web
embeddable) map with hyperlinks to actual current aerial video and
photographic recordings. Any of these projects could easily include a
time component (e.g. before and after shots of a project) making them
not only 3D but also 4D.
Generalizability: The
Sky Eyes Project is easily adaptable to any area of the world that has
Internet connections. It will open the door to developing skills in more
applications of remote sensed data and mobile applications of
geospatial technology.
People-centricity: Sky
Eyes can be adapted to any age/demographic group whether in a rural or
urban setting. The geospatial stories are all there to tell. This
project brings the power of PLAY into the realm of eduction that will
appeal to a wide range of K-12, Higher Education and Life Long Learning
venues. The basics of map creation and drone piloting can be learned in
less than 15 minutes each. More advanced capabilities are built into
both the mapping program and the drone program allowing growth in both
aspects before moving on to advanced subjects. Currently the demand for
geospatially experienced employees outweighs the availability. Real
world applications for both of these programs are limitless. We will be
sculpting the workforce of the future.
No comments:
Post a Comment