Links to photo(s) and videos that demonstrate the activity:
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Technology required: Computer with internet access, ArcGIS Online Educational Account (free), Spreadsheet software (MS Excel, Google Sheets, Apple Numbers, or LibreOffice Calc), Data collected with a TerraROVER and Urban Heat Island Instrumentation Package (UHIP).
Setting: Classroom, Indoor
Resources Included for this Learning Activity: Tutorial Video
Lesson Duration: [1 - 2 class periods]
Participant Group Size: [N/A]
Analysis Type: descriptive, quantitative, GIS
History of development and implementation of this learning activity: N/A
NGSS Science Standards: There are no direct NGSS standards for GIS. Instead, GIS helps to address the standards in the following areas:
Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs): GIS is a powerful tool for developing skills such as:
Analyzing and Interpreting Data: Students can use GIS to analyze spatial data, such as population density or climate patterns, to identify trends and patterns.
Developing and Using Models: GIS allows students to create and manipulate digital models of geographic phenomena, helping them visualize and understand complex systems.
Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking: GIS involves various mathematical calculations and spatial analysis techniques, directly supporting this SEP.
Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs): GIS can be used to teach concepts in various Earth and Space Science (ESS) DCIs, such as:
Earth Systems: Analyzing maps to understand Earth's surface features or patterns of weather.
Earth and Human Activity: Examining how human activities, like urbanization or deforestation, impact the environment on a geographic scale.
Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs): GIS is particularly useful for illustrating CCCs like:
Patterns: Identifying spatial patterns in data to understand natural processes.
Cause and Effect: Exploring how different factors, when viewed geographically, influence outcomes.
Systems and System Models: Creating and analyzing geograpic models to understand how different parts of Earth's systems interact.
