Landscape Interpretation and Visualization Using A GIS

John G. Van Hoesen Green Mountain College

© BY HILDE FONDA

Private liberal arts collegeRural Vermont ~700 studentsNo geology majorNo dedicated lab10-12 students/class

ACTIVITY GOALS

• GIS techniques students learn in this assignment

Students learn: (1) how to use basic navigation and analysis tools, (2) how to use the raster calculator, (3) how to utilize zonal statistics to extract information from areas of particular interest, and (4) how to manipulate digital data within a three-dimensional environment.

• Other content/concepts goals for this activity

The geoscience-specific goals of this assignment are: (1) to strengthen students spatial visualization skills through an alternative way of rendering topographic information and (2) to strengthen students understanding of the relationship between process and form.

• Higher order thinking skills goals for this activity

Students are required to: (1) develop mental models of topography and then sketch them for comparison with GIS-created topographic profiles and (2) compare and contrast analog versus digital techniques.

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