This presentation will focus on "Building the Earth Information System" through the power of using GIS to display and study earth events and the use of geoscience data in contemporary issues such as Hurricanes and Homeland Security. Several international student data bases such as GLOBE, NASA S'COOL, Automated Weather Source (AWS)and search engines such as DLESE will be highlighted, along with tradition imagery and data products available from NASA and NOAA. Examples of how real time data and imagery can be geo-referenced into a usable GIS allowing students to study the situation and decision makers to make better decisions. Students grades 9-12 at the Burlington County Institute of Technolgy have participated in the GLOBE Program's 2003 Global Learning Exhibition, and have worked on a cooperative exchange program with GLOBE schools in Denmark furthering an international exchange of earth information and developing GIS applications. The develop of this project was accomplished with tools and data sets that available to educational institutions free of charge. This project will highlight how many of the National Science Standards and Geospatial Workforce Readiness Standards can be met through this type of instructional strategy. As the NSF seeks to investigate and build the Cyberinfrasture, this project demonstrates current applications of teacher-student research in the classroom and builds international collaborations.

This project won Intergraph Corporation's "2004 Educational Best Practice Award". This presentation also demonstrates how pre-college students can enage in scientific inquiry while learning technical skills to prepare them for the Geoscience workforce while contributing to "Building an Earth Information System."