New Directions in Remote Sensing Education Michael F. Goodchild University of California Santa Barbara

An educator’s perspective n New technologies in the classroom n Sharing of instructional resources n Vertical integration in K-16 n Education vs training n Lecture vs hands-on n Motivating students

Education for whom? Technology- centric Application- centric

Questions n Which level of the pyramid? –and what are the associated educational goals? –what principles are relevant at what levels? –what are the characteristics of the culture at each level? n How to move people higher? –if the lowest level is the point of entry and the most strongly motivated?

Stages of problem solving Formulate the question Observe, acquire data Analyze Seek solutions Intervene and change

Elements of a problem-centric perspective n There are many potential sources of data –how to evaluate fitness for use –how to find, access, and retrieve –how to integrate –how to deal with misalignment –how to assess the effects of uncertainty n There is potentially too much to learn –what are the essential concepts and principles that will still be true in 20 years?

A model of traditional education Information sources: books, journals, … Instructor’s office Classroom

Metaphors for the office n The filing cabinet –fixed and linear ordering of class materials n The bookshelf –random ordering n The pile –last in first out n The hard drive –folder tree

New technologies in education n The geolibrary –the Alexandria Digital Library –putting a map and imagery library online –generalizing to any data with a footprint – –many similar projects –terabytes of data

Persistent issues n Vertical integration n Interoperability n Collection-level metadata n Misregistration

CLM of the Alexandria Digital Library

ADEPT: The Alexandria Digital Earth Prototype n Value of a geolibrary in the classroom? n Other information types –curriculum –class notes –learning modules –readings –annotation –simulation models –decision support systems n Concepts as an organizing principle

Simulations n 1.8 vehicles per driveway n Driver behavior influenced by: –lane width –slope –view distances –traffic control mechanisms –information feedback –driver aggressiveness n 770 homes –clearing times > 30 minutes 2D clip 3D clip

Policy implications n Addition of new outlets n Better deployment of traffic control resources n Understanding the risk n Reduce cars used per household n Problems of shut-ins, elderly, latch-key kids

Towards an infrastructure for dynamic models n Infrastructure for sharing –search –discovery –evaluation of fitness for use –acquisition –execution

Falling through the cracks n Text-sharing infrastructure –libraries, bookstores, books, journals, WWW, search engines n Data-sharing infrastructure –metadata schema, archives, clearinghouses, data centers n Model-sharing infrastructure –models are the highest form of sharable knowledge of the Earth system

Current status n Some archives –some pre-WWW n No standards n No clearinghouses n

Building a metadata standard for describing models n A model is a transformation –characterized by metadata for inputs and outputs n Write down the key elements –compare FGDC CSDGM n How do humans do it? –we’ve been doing it for decades n A first-draft standardstandard

DLESE: Digital Library for Earth System Education n n A digital archive of learning resources n Directed by the community n Library metaphor –accession process –gatekeeper –IP at the object level

Peer to peer resource sharing n In the style of Napster n Registration of object by contributor n No management of IP n Grass roots

Challenges in RS education (1) n Identify the fundamental and persistent principles of the field –that will still be true in 20 years –that can frame any technological innovation

Challenges in RS education (2) n Reinvent traditional instruction –to take advantage of new instructional technologies –to better integrate K-16 –to reach new types of students –to share resources better between peers –to accommodate individual learning styles

Challenges in RS education (3) n Focus on the solution of problems as the primary motivation –whether in science or in society –data integration –spatial decision support –simulation modeling –accuracy assessment