Elements of a Framework for GeoSkills as the Focus of New Approaches in Applied Geography Education and Training

Dr. Barry Wellar Professor Emeritus, University of Ottawa President, Wellar Consulting Inc. Distinguished Research Fellow, Transport 2000 Canada [email_address] http://wellarconsulting.com/ PowerPoint slides for 2009 Wellar GeoSkills Lecture Laboratory for Applied Geomatics and Geographic Information System Science University of Ottawa January 27, 2009

Context Slide 1 Geography Awareness Week 2008: GeoSkills Showcase www.cag-acg.ca/files/pdf/GAW/GeoSkills_Final.pdf

Geography Awareness Week 2008: Applied Geography Showcase www.cag-acg.ca/files/pdf/GAW/Applied_Final.pdf Context Slide 2

Table 1 : A Selection of Terms and Concepts that Underlie GeoSkills as the Focus of a New Approach in Applied Geography Education and Training Source: After Wellar, (2005): ccge.org/ccge/english/geoLiteracy/docs/symposium_june2005_media_wellar.pdf Right-of-way Route Scale Scape Segregate(ion) Shape Shed Site Situation Slope Space Spatial Sphere Sprawl Spread Strip Structure Surface System Techniques Topography(ic) Topology(ic) Ward Zone Morphology Movement Near(ness) Neighbour Network Node Object Orientation Origin Overlay Parcel Partition Path Pattern Perimeter Periphery Place Plane Point Polygon(area) Proximity Quadrant Region Relationships Geopolitical Georeference Geospatial Global(ization) Grid Gridlock Habitat Hinterland Interaction Intersection Island Isolate (ion) Land Latitude Line Link Locality Location Longitude Map Margin(al) Meridian Methods Migration Conurbation Coordinates Core Countryside Density Diffusion Dimension Disperse(ion) Distance Distribution Edge Elevation Encroach(ment) Environment Field Flow(s) Form Fringe Function Geocode Geodetic Geofactor Geographic Geometric Accessible(ity) Adjacent(cy) Agglomerate(ion) Aggregate(ion) Amalgamate(ion) Area(polygon) Associations Border Boundary Buffer Center Centrality Circle Close(ness) Clump Cluster Coastal Compact(ness) Concentrate(ion) Concentric Congestion Connections Contiguous Continent(al)

Figure 1: Geography, GeoSkills, and the Driving Forces Behind Data, Information and Knowledge Activities

The skills involved in geographic teaching, research, and applications are numerous, diverse, and rapidly changing as universities, colleges, schools, governments, businesses, and other organizations introduce new and different methods, techniques, technologies, and practices to support and promote thinking about and doing geography. Message from the 2007 and 2008 Websites, Geography Awareness Week

Examination of GAW 2007 and 2008 websites reveals that becoming informed about the education, training, and work experiences associated with geographic skills is a daunting task. As demonstrated by the GAW 2007 and 2008 websites, these skills are not “under one roof”. Rather, they are developed, taught, and used in Canada’s universities, colleges, and schools, by governments at all levels, by businesses in all parts of the country, as well as by advocacy groups, the media, and other organizations. One-Stop Googling for GeoSkills? I Don’t Think So!!

Cartographic

Geographic field methods

Geographic research methods

Geographic research techniques

Geomatics

Geoprocessing

Geostatistics

Types of GeoSkills? Perhaps There Are More than You Might Think

Geotexting

GIS applications

GIS science

GIS technology

Remote sensing

Spatial analysis

Visualization

Cartographic & Geographic field methods

& Geographic research methods

& Geographic research techniques

& Geostatistics

& GIS science

& Remote sensing

& Spatial analysis

& Visualization

Types of GeoSkills? Perhaps There Are Way More than You Might Think (What about the combinations?)

Cartographic & Geographic field methods & GIS technology

& Remote sensing

& Spatial analysis

Etc.

Etc.

Etc.

Types of GeoSkills? Perhaps There Are Way, Way More than You Might Think (What about the other combinations?)

Sources of GeoSkills Given that there are a number of types of GeoSkills, it follows that there are a number of ways of acquiring GeoSkills, which is demonstrated by this indicative list of sources. It is important that GeoSkills programs in applied geography education and training are organized around a framework which takes these sources into account in curriculum design.

Conferences

Courses

Demonstrations

Labs

Lectures

Lesson plans

Practical experience

Projects

Publications

Seminars

Training sessions

Videos

Workshops

Recognizing GeoSkills in Applied Geography Education and Training Programs The ways of acquiring GeoSkills are created by professors, technologists, technicians, engineers, scientists, researchers, etc., many of whom have achieved the accreditation of GISP (Geographic Information System Professional). Within the university environment, it appears fair to suggest that more thought needs to be given to properly recognizing and rewarding the teaching, research, and service performance of faculty members who contribute their GeoSkills expertise to applied geography education and training programs through the following ways:

Conferences

Courses

Demonstrations

Labs

Lectures

Lesson plans

Client-driven, practical

experience

Projects

Publications

Seminars

Training sessions

Videos

Workshops

GeoSkills Showcase Sampler Geography Awareness Week 2008 The GeoSkills Showcase is an ideal venue for organizations to demonstrate how they combine geographic text, geographic numerics, and geographic graphics in their processes or products. And, it is an ideal venue for providing a range of materials that are informative and instructive to beginners and newcomers to the field, as well as to people with advanced training and experience as designers, instructors, and users of these skills. A selection of title pages from publications, as well as from presentations at conferences, workshops, public meetings and other venues has been assembled for the GeoSkills Showcase Sampler , Geography Awareness Week 2008. The complete presentations can be viewed by accessing the website URL that is included with each title page. The title pages introduce Canadians to the broad range of university and college departments, government agencies, firms, advocacy groups, and other organizations that use geographic skills in conducting their teaching, research, training, education, governance, public service, business, entertainment, and other affairs. Third, the title pages provide an indication of the courses, workshops, lesson plans, training sessions, publications, demonstrations, and other means of imparting, learning about, and acquiring geographic skills.

From NASA Satellite Images (1966) to Google Earth (2008): Geography, Geomatics and GIS Have Come a Long Way Dr. Barry Wellar Professor Emeritus University of Ottawa [email_address] PowerPoint Slides for an Invited Lecture Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society Ottawa Chapter Thursday, April 24, 2008 National Research Council, Ottawa, Ontario Source URL: www.geomatics.uottawa.ca/WellarPresentstheTriple.htm

Sustainable Transport Best Practices and Geography: Making Connections Dr. Barry Wellar Professor Emeritus, University of Ottawa Distinguished Research Fellow Transport 2000 Canada [email_address] http://wellarconsulting.com/ Text of the Fleming Lecture Organized by the University of Washington 2007 Annual Meeting Association of American Geographers San Francisco, CA, April 17-21 Source URL: http://people.hofstra.edu/geotrans/tgsg/events/AAG%202007%20Fleming%20Lecture%20Final.pdf