GEES Small Scale Project

Google Earth and Sustainable Development Education: examples from human and

physical geography

Friday 9th July 2010University of Plymouth

Project Team: Simon Haslett, CELT, University of Wales, Newport

Rebecca Schaaf, Andrew SkellernSchool of Science, Society and Management, Bath Spa University

Project context

• HEA-GEES funded project 2008-2009.• Collaboration between University of Wales, Newport,

and Bath Spa University.

• Project aims:1. provide an overview of current use of Google Earth in

sustainable development education,2. highlight existing cases of best practice,3. develop a new blended learning example(s) and

monitor student engagement,4. make recommendations for embedding in diverse

curricula, and5. suggest further developments for its future use.

Methodology

• Uses of GE for different levels and topics1st year: development geography3rd year: climate change2nd and 3rd year: disaster response

• Questionnaire survey to students– BSU and University of Wales– 77 responses – Quantitative and qualitative information– Topics: prior use, ease and enjoyment of use,

enhancement of skills and knowledge, value of specific features, future value of GE

Development Geography

Project: To use the Internet and Google Earth to devise a project on a development geography topic

– Self-directed learning, with 1-2-1 support available

• Aim: develop understanding of distant places and identify development issues:

– Flooding and other natural disasters– Overcrowding, infrastructure and housing issues– Soil and water quality– Deforestation and desertification– Urbanization/rurality

Development Geography

• Positive response from students– Ease and value of use: ‘being able to see real images from places’, ‘easy to zoom in and find information’– Improved skills and enhanced understanding of places

and topics:‘it gave a clear indication of how isolated the place was’, ‘image of built up area in China – showed clearly overpopulation’, ‘showed limited infrastructure…roads and houses were of poor

quality’‘I see that Google Earth is a useful tool to help and support

studies and gain awareness of a[n] area or place before you visit or conduct research’

Development Geography

Value of Google Earth:

• Raising awareness of and interest in distant places

• Highlights potential development issues

• Raises questions for further study

• Enables more applied learning

Climate Change

• GE3012 Climate and Environment• Honours Level 20 credit team taught module• Delivered 1 hour lecture + 2 hour prac, plus

one field day• One semester of 12 weeks• Assessed by essay and exam (50% each)• Develop 2 week climate change and

sustainable development lab prac to support exam topic

• i.e. integrating (palaeo)climate change and SD

Climate Change Exercise brief

• “This practical aims to explore the links between palaeoclimate research, present climate change impacts, and related sustainable development issues.

• In this practical you will examine a proxy (geochemical) palaeoclimate record collected from an Ocean Drilling Program core (ODP site 658) taken in the eastern tropical Atlantic, offshore Cap Blanc (Mauritania, western North Africa).

• This will be followed by a consideration of modern climate change impacts in the region and the associated sustainable development issues.”

Linking research and teaching

On Minerva [Blackboard], you are provided with an Excel table of geochemical data from Haslett and Davies (2006). Plot the Aluminium (Al) data against time and smooth with a 3-point moving average … If Al deposition at this site represents dust transported by aeolian processes offshore from the Sahara/Sahel:

1. Interpret the sequence.2. Identify any major palaeoclimate

cycles/events present or absent (i.e. Heinrick Events, LGM, Bond Cycles, Dansgaard-Oeschger Events)

3. Is there any relationship between palaeoclimate and dust input?

4. What is the implication of this palaeoclimate research for understanding modern climate change impacts?

Climate Change • Using Google Earth:• Briefly ‘fly over’ the modern

landscape of Mauritania.• For Nouakchott, examine the

eastern margin of the urban environment, and:

• Describe the condition of the urban-desert margin.

• Interpret the current dynamic status of the urban-desert margin.

• Is there a link between the modern landscape and climate change?

• Is there any evidence that measures have been deployed to enhance the sustainable development of the area?

Link sustainable development actions to geomorphology?

Climate Change

•Further details on The Sands of Time, 2009

Uses in climatology

• Initial investigation of other topics:– Hurricane tracking and mapping possible

landfall– Input of synoptic charts and deriving wind

speeds from mean sea level pressure fields– Analysis of jet stream position

Climate ChangeNumber surveyed: 33 Yes % No%Have you ever used Google Earth before? 73 27If yes, have you ever used Google Earth in academic study before 29 71Do you find the basic functions of Google Earth easy to use? 97 3Have you enjoyed using Google Earth in academic study? 97 3Has it improved or increased your awareness of general geographical skills

94 6

Do you find it easier to visualise/interpret landscapes than using maps? 91 9Do you feel Google Earth has enhanced your understanding of the topic studied in this session/exercise?

91 9

Do you think it will be useful in your own private academic study in the future

82 18

Do you think Google Earth could be useful in academic research 79 21Do you feel Google Earth could support fieldwork? 94 6Do you think Google Earth could replace fieldwork? 0 100Do you think Google Earth could be used in virtual fieldwork for students with mobility disabilities?

76 24

Helping Haiti – real life applications

• World Bank and the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR)

• 12 January 2010 M7.0 earthquake.

• A global damage analysis network - the Global Earth Observation Catastrophe Assessment Network (GEO-CAN) Collapsed structures, Port Au prince

Helping Haiti

Helping Haiti

• Participants represent 131 organizations

• 60 universities; 18 government and non-profit organizations; 53 private companies

• From 23 countries around the world.

• As of Feb 2010 has over 600 individuals and is still growing

• Provides real life experience of applications – will be built into modules for 2010/2011

Number or collapsed structures per 0.5km x 0.5km tile

Conclusion

• Using Google Earth for teaching aspects of sustainable development well received

• Perceived to be of use for individual research – dissertations – location/site maps

• Variety of future applications could be developed

• Value of use at range of levels and in a variety of tasks

Further information

• The Sands of Time: A Google Earth Approach to Climate Change Education, 2009 An eResearch Publication Online http://idl.newport.ac.uk/celt/sandsoftime/

• Climate change education through a blended learning Google Earth exercise. Simon K. Haslett, Andrew Skellern, Matthew Chilcott and David Longman in Haslett, S.K., France, D. and Gedye, S. (eds) (2010) Pedagogy of Climate Change. Higher Education Academy

• Google Earth http://earth.google.co.uk/