Mapping Our World With Open Geospatial Tools: A Practical Guide for High School Teachers

This Handbook is published under Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International licence

(CC BY-SA 4.0)

Geospatial technologies are becoming increasingly important in today's world, as they allow us to better understand and manage the complex spatial relationships that shape our environment and society. From tracking natural disasters and wildlife habitats, to analyzing urban sprawl and demographic trends, to guiding precision agriculture and transportation systems, geospatial tools have a wide range of applications and implications for individuals, communities, and nations.

Yet, despite their growing relevance, many people still perceive geospatial technologies as complex, expensive, or intimidating. This is especially true for high school teachers, who may not have had the opportunity to learn or use such tools during their own education or professional development. As a result, they may struggle to integrate geospatial concepts and skills into their curricula, or miss the opportunity to inspire their students to explore and engage with the geospatial field.

This handbook aims to address this gap by providing a practical guide for high school teachers who want to map our world with open geospatial tools. By "open", we mean tools that are freely available, interoperable, and supported by vibrant communities of users and developers. Such tools include web mapping platforms, desktop GIS software, mobile apps, data portals, and online tutorials, among others. By "practical", we mean tools that are accessible, adaptable, and relevant to diverse contexts and subjects. Such tools can be used in science, math, social studies, art, language, and other disciplines, as well as in extracurricular activities and community projects.

Geospatial technologies offer a unique opportunity for high school teachers to incorporate STEAM methodology into their classrooms. By integrating geospatial tools and concepts, teachers can provide students with a hands-on and interdisciplinary approach to learning, which can help students develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and technical skills. In addition, geospatial technologies provide an excellent platform for engaging students in real-world issues, encouraging them to become active participants in their communities and to explore potential career paths.

Welcome to the handbook "Mapping Our World With Open Geospatial Tools: A Practical Guide for High School Teachers'', which is based on the results of a comprehensive questionnaire filled out by teachers on their skills, experiences, needs, and challenges related to teaching geospatial concepts and mapping in high school classrooms. This handbook aims to provide educators with practical and accessible guidance on how to incorporate geospatial tools and concepts into their curricula, with the ultimate goal of fostering a STEAM-literate and geospatially-aware generation of learners.

We hope that this handbook will inspire and empower high school teachers and their students to explore and engage with the fascinating world of geospatial tools, and to contribute to the development of a more informed, connected, and sustainable society. We also welcome feedback, suggestions, and contributions to this handbook, which is meant to be a dynamic and evolving resource for the geospatial community. Let's map our world together!

Jana Michalková

Chapter I provides an introduction to the fundamentals of mapping and geospatial concepts for high school teachers. It starts with an overview of why mapping and geospatial concepts are important, followed by a discussion of the fundamentals of data processing, including data collection, organization, analysis, and visualization. Next, the chapter explains geospatial data, including an understanding of geodata and geographic information systems (GIS) together with examples of its usage. Finally, the chapter delves into the open source philosophy and its applications in mapping, including the use of open source software, open data, and open mapping initiatives. It also describes the most popular open source geotools that can be useful in the high school educational process. This chapter is designed to equip educators with the knowledge and tools necessary to incorporate mapping and geospatial concepts into their curriculum, ultimately helping students to better understand and analyze the world around them.

We would like to express our gratitude to the authors and contributors of the handbook "Mapping Our World With Open Geospatial Tools: A Practical Guide for High School Teachers," which is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC-BY-SA) license. Our special thanks go to the following individuals for their valuable contributions:

EDITORS:

Jana Michalková, Miloslav Michalko

AUTHORS:

UNIVERSITY OF PREŠOV

• Miloslav Michalko ;

• Jana Michalková ;

• Daniela Vavreková ;

• Katarína Korfantová

• Štefan Koco ;

POLITECNICO DI MILANO

• Maria Antonia Brovelli ;

• Alberta Albertella ;

• Alberto Vavassori ;

• Rodrigo Cedeno ;

• Lorenzo Stucchi ;

• Angelly Pugliese ;

• Juan Pablo Duque ;

• Federica Gaspari ;

• Vasil Yordanov ;

UNIVERSIDAD POLITECNICA DE MADRID

PUBLISHER:

University of Presov Prešovská univerzita v Prešove Ul. 17. novembra 15 080 01 Prešov Slovakia

We also acknowledge and appreciate the efforts of Euronike as the main partner and coordinator of the Erasmus+ project "EUthMappers – open and collaborative mapping for pupils-led projects in Secondary Schools through innovative teaching methodology and fostering STEAM education and Environmental engagement" with code KA220-SCH-8A47B4C2. This project is co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union.

Chapter II provides an overview of the concept of Citizen Science and Volunteer Geographic Information, highlighting their importance in promoting public participation in data sharing. It further discusses OpenStreetMap, which is a community mapping initiative that allows individuals to contribute to the creation of a comprehensive map of the world. The chapter describes the licensing structure, community overview, and data availability of the OpenStreetMap platform, along with practical guidance on how to access the platform. Finally, it concludes with a discussion on UN Mappers, an inclusive mapping initiative that uses citizen science and volunteer geographic information to support UN activities in promoting peace and security through open mapping.

This chapter provides a brief explanation and importance of organizing a humanitarian event „Mapathon“. It's a modern digital form of volunteering that is accessible to everyone, regardless of age. Through the organizing of the „Mapathon“ event, we can improve the quality of the world's data on maps, as well as meet people from around the world and exchange knowledge. We think it's important to spread awareness about this form of volunteering, so that even more people can get involved. In this case, we have prepared a detailed step-by-step manual that will explain how to organize „Mapathon“ and how to map on the Teach OSM humanitarian platform using the iD editor. This step-by-step manual is supplemented by instruction images taken from task #1148 Mapping Tartus created by the student community PoliMappers from Politecnico di Milano.

This chapter provides practical guidance to begin preparing pupil-led projects in each school. Teacher teams will first diagnose their school contexts and opportunities (teachers involved, subjects, school ongoing projects, strategic lines, coordination requirements, etc.). Then, they will define and evaluate two possible challenges that will be presented to the pupils later. Finally, the pupils will select the school challenge through a participatory process. The results of this work seek to enhance coordination and participation of teachers and pupils, being the starting point for the next module.

This chapter focuses on mapping activities, specifically open field mapping tools that are utilized to analyze environmental and humanitarian topics. Open field mapping tools such as Vespucci or GoMap give access to the OpenStreetMap database, allowing the public to contribute and access and edit environmental information. This helps to better understand and utilize climate change and find solutions. The public accessibility of the database has a broad range of uses, such as disaster relief, humanitarian aid, and environmental conservation efforts. Also we will learn Field Papers which provides analog field mapping with possibilities of digitizing paper maps. So, in this chapter, we will deal with such tools and learn how to use them in mapping local environmental issues.

The validation process plays a critical role in maintaining high standards and improving the quality of data in a mapping project. Mapping work performed on a voluntary basis by non-professionals must undergo validation to ensure accuracy and consistency, which are essential for reliable information on the map. The validator's responsibility is to ensure that the mapping work meets the project's specifications and is executed correctly. In evaluating each task, completeness and correctness are the two crucial aspects that must be considered. Completeness refers to identifying all the elements accurately, while correctness entails ensuring that mapped entities are geometrically and semantically correct. Therefore, during the validation process, errors must be detected and corrected. However, for teaching purposes, it is also essential to encourage mappers to correct their own work and become aware of the project's overall goals, rather than just correcting errors during validation.