Promoting Earth System Science through Geospatial Technologies

The study of Earth as a System and it's acceptance in the scientific community, has opened up new opportunities for teachers and students to use the wealth of often real-time Earth Data in the many forms it exists, such as data sets, computer visualizations, and satellite imagery. Due to the ever-increasing availability of the web-based data stream, teachers and students can explore the world right from their desktops. With the emergence if Geographic Information Systems, and Global Positioning Systems, data can be linked through thematic layers creating multiply layers of data and information geospatially oriented.

This presentation will explore the “Space to Earth, Earth to Space” (SEES) Model, which allows students to build a type of 3-D model consisting on multiply data layers. Using geospatial technologies, students can create layers that can include views from space and ground observations. Data and other information can be gathered from sites such as the Digital Library for Earth Systems Education, or the GLOBE Program which will introduced to the participants.

This presentation will show examples of pre-college student work that demonstrates applications in both the Atmospheric Sciences and Ocean Sciences. Student achievement will be discussed from various studies focused on the value using data in the classroom.

All three Online Course from the American Meteorological Society, are based on the utilization of this same “DataStreme” as it supports the study of the Atmosphere, Water in the Earth System, and Oceans. The AMS has documented the value of this approach for Teacher Enhancement.

In light of the scientific communities' agenda to create a Global Earth Observation System, and an Ocean Observation Systems, pre-college students, the next generation of Geoscientists, can today begin to incorporate these types of activities into real scientific inquiry-based projects while meeting local and national education standards.