Time for Nature

Bringing Technology in Park Management to Geography Students

November 10, 2008

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Point Pelee National Park of Canada

GIS in the Classroom

Welcome to Point Pelee National Park
© Parks Canada / Kenney, S / 06.62.12.01(57) / 3/30/2006

The clock reads 9:05 and the iPods; MP3 players and even the cell phones are all silent. There are coloured maps and aerial photos dotting the classroom walls and a faint smell of chalk dust hanging in the air. This morning, all eyes and ears in grade 9 Geography are on Tammy Clarke, Formal Education Coordinator for Point Pelee National Park of Canada.

At the request of teachers at an O.A.G.E.E. conference (Ontario Association of Geographers and Environmental Educators), Point Pelee National Park revamped part of its formal education programs to include a grade 9 GIS Geography program. Today, Tammy is giving an in-class presentation on park management and how a geographic information system (GIS) is used as a tool in management decisions.

Habitat Maps

An in-class Power Point slide show presents the concept behind GIS. “GIS produces digital, interactive maps with tons of information, which help us see and manage our world in different ways. GIS is also a great monitoring and decision making tool. With its ability to overlay different thematic layers, resource managers can produce a digital map, “a portrait” of the area to be managed. Sometimes patterns can even emerge never seen before on a map or in the field” said Tammy, “this exercise really demonstrates to students the endless capabilities of GIS, what it is and how it is a useful tool in resource management.”

The Tip of Point Pelee, Canada’s Southern most point
© Parks Canada / Lamiruy, C. / 06.62.03.33(18) / 3/30/1982

“Students also participate in a classroom activity by tracing maps on tracing paper so they see first hand the layering capabilities of GIS. We start with a base map of the park then add a layer with roads, trails, and vegetation communities. We also discuss that a map is only as good as its accuracy, so producing maps with GIS also involve some fieldwork, especially when producing vegetation maps. The tracing paper portion of the presentation is popular because it’s a hands-on activity and students see first hand how GIS can layer different thematic layers and watch how new patterns emerge.”

From the Classroom to the Park

Based on pre-testing and success with the schools, park staff members are considering adding an ‘in park’ portion to the program. Students might go into the field with a GPS device to plot points and create their own GIS maps. “So far we’ve had a wonderful response to the Grade 9 geography program,” says Tammy. “It gets kids into thinking about nature and what is in their own backyard as well as in the park.”

Bringing the park to the classroom is one example of how staff at Point Pelee National Park responds to the needs of the community. They are dedicated in their commitment to present the beauty and significance of our natural world and to chronicle the human determination and ingenuity which have shaped our nation.

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