Links
Ordnance Survey MapZone
This is a brilliant site that is perfect for introducing your students (all ages) and staff to the basic concepts behind GIS software. The site contains lots of information on what GIS is, how it is used in the real world as well as links to helpful sites. The best feature though is the GIS missions – or GIS games. Each one can be downloaded and run on your school’s network and they all have downloadable word documents that your students can use while they undertake the GIS missions. A great starting point for anyone interested in GIS.
http://mapzone.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/mapzone/giszone.html
WWF Wildfinder
The WWF Wildfinder allows your students to enter the common name of an animal and view its geographic extent. Useful for studies on threatened and endangered animals as information on the threat level and links to images are also provided.
http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildfinder/
Geoscience Australia Sentinel
Geoscience Australia is the federal government’s mapping and geophysical sciences department. They have a range of great GIS data and online maps which you can navigate to from the link, but this site is specifically good in that you can view current or recent bushfire hotspots as well as overlay current air pressure and wind information. As well as these features, you can search a database of hotspots across the country or in specific areas. Try searching around Canberra in late January 2003 to see the amount of bushfires in the area.
http://sentinel.ga.gov.au/acres/sentinel/index.shtml
Flash Earth
A neat online mapping site that allows you to search down to the street name in Australia (eg McGinn Road, Ferny Grove, Queensland, Australia) as well as quickly flick between Google Maps and Microsoft Virtual Earth maps to get the best image of your area.
http://www.flashearth.com/
Running Ahead
This website links in with Google Maps and allows you to create and save running or cycling tracks which you can then enter your times to keep record. You can include water and other stops on your route and you get distance markers on the map to assist. Registration is free.
http://www.runningahead.com/
Spatial Worlds
Malcolm McInerney has created this blog site as a way to record his ideas for GIS and share resources for the teaching community. Check back regularly for more thoughts.
http://www.spatialworlds.blogspot.com/
Reefbase
An online repository of information related to the world’s reefs can be found in the ReefGIS section of the Reefbase website. An organisation devoted to sustaining the world’s reef ecosystems, Reefbase have developed a great online GIS that contains useful information such as reef locations, threats, nitrate and phosphate levels, sea surface temperatures and more. Definitely worth looking at if you are examining anything from inland erosion to marine ecosystems.
http://www.reefbase.org/gis_maps/default.aspx?
ESRI Australia
For some an introduction to GIS, some useful resources as well as lessons for Australian teachers, visit the ESRI Australia GIS in Schools page. There are great lessons and a list of online GIS that are worth exploring.
http://www.esriaustralia.com.au/schools
Maps of War
A great site that contains flash animations and maps of various conflicts, and more, over time. There are some excellent resources for the two World Wars as well as current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The History of Religion and Who Has Controlled the Middle East maps will give your students new perpectives on these topics for sure.
Destination Spatial
The Destination Spatial site is a great resource for finding out where spatial technologies can take your students. They can check out tertiary courses in the field and look at the different professions that use spatial technologies in their jobs. Great for those students who are keen on the technologies in the classroom.
WorldMapper
WorldMapper collects world maps on a wide range of useful topics. Each country in resized to show its value according to the statistic you have chosen. There are maps on topics from energy to population to demographics and even hazards and diseases.
Show@World
Show@World does much the same as the WorldMapper site however here you will find a range of topics that may not be covered elsewhere. For example you can get maps showing you different crops around the world, the numbers of IKEA stores, numbers of registered soccer players as well as more conventional statistics.
Scribble Maps
Scribble Maps is essentially Google Maps with a built in notepad function. You can draw on maps, add images, add text and save your creations. You can do all of this over a road map, terrain map or even satellite image. This should be very useful for local field studies.