Virginia Space Grant Consortium
Geospatial Education Projects
Chris Carter, Assistant Director
July 12, 2008
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About VSGC
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Part of National Space Grant Network of 52 (one
in each state)
 500+
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colleges and 300+ other members
Focused on Science, Technology, Engineering,
and Math (STEM) education, workforce
development, and NASA-related research
Serve as umbrella organization for partnerships
Old Dominion University Research Foundation
(ODURF) is fiscal agent
http://va.spacegrant.org
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VSGC Member Institutions
College of William and Mary
Hampton University
Old Dominion University
University of Virginia
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
NASA Langley Research Center
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center’s Wallops Flight Facility
State Council of Higher Education for Virginia
Virginia Community College System
Virginia Department of Education
Mathematics and Science Center
Science Museum of Virginia
Virginia Air and Space Center
Virginia’s Center for Innovative Technology
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Space Grant Program Areas
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Workforce Pipeline for NASA, Aerospace,
and STEM Sectors
 Scholarships/Fellowships/Internships
 Student
Research and Mission Opportunities
 Higher Education Partnerships
 Building Research Capabilities/Research
Partnerships
 Precollege – Teacher Professional
Development
 Public Science Literacy/Informal Science
Education
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Why is VSGC Interested in Geospatial
Technology?
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President’s High Growth Training Initiative –
1 of 12 priority sectors
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U.S. DOL – Geospatial Technology 1 of 3 most
important emerging technologies (nano and bio
technologies)
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Workplace tool that supports aerospace, STEM
employment and NASA’s mission
Workforce Development
NASA Data Use
Spatial Awareness Skills
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Virginia Geospatial Extension Program
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Dr. John McGee, Virginia Geospatial Extension
Agent at Virginia Tech
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Partnership with the Virginia Space Grant Consortium and
Virginia Cooperative Extension
 Serve as hub for Geospatial education activities in the
State
Workshops, presentations, symposia and training
 Training to more than 1,500 constituents in Virginia
Provides assistance for data resources, applications and
curricula development
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http://www.cnr.vt.edu/gep/
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NASA Langley-VSGC GIS Internship Program
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Manage the NASA Langley GIS Internship Program
NASA GIS Team provides geospatial data management
solutions for Langley, ALL Centers and other customers
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GIS Internships With NASA GIS Team
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Most advanced GIS of any NASA Center
Leader in GIS within NASA and the Federal Government
High school, community college, undergraduate, and graduate
students
Majors in geography, technology, civil engineering, and others
Interest in developing skills in spatial data technology in support
of NASA’s mission
12 students placed in 11-week summer internships
Fall and spring placements too!
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NASA Langley-VSGC GIS Internship Program
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Primary Duties Include:
 Support development, maintenance and data input
in GIS
 Updates to building floor plans and space
utilization, environmental data, and center
infrastructure.
 Modifications of center spatial data and web
interface
Part-time and full-time positions
Students will earn a stipend relative to their academic
level (~$8 to $15/hr)
Prior experience not required—training will be
provided
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OVERspace Program
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Offering Virginia Educators Resources in Spatial Practices
Across the Curriculum for Excellence
Mission --- teach teachers how to utilize geospatial
technologies such as GIS and GPS in the classroom
Teachers teaching teachers
Customized hands-on workshops
 On-site in partnership with school divisions
 Open enrollment workshops
 Low cost or no cost (depending on external funding)
Over 400 teachers trained since 2001
To bring a workshop to your
school or division, contact
Nick Koltun (nkoltun@odu.edu)
757-766-5210
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OVERspace Workshops
Recently updated and redesigned
OVERspace program (work in progress)
 20 teachers trained at WHRO-May 30
 Pilot workshop in June for 16 teachers
 Workshop for Chesterfield Public School
teachers in August
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OVERspace
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Teachers of all disciplines and grade levels (typically 412)
 Skills and resources needed to use geospatial
technology as a teaching tool
Administrators, coordinators, counselors
Introductory level/awareness level training
Will expand into intermediate level follow-up training
1-5 day customized workshops
Review/adapt/adopt existing lessons
Assist teachers through the ‘resource overload’
Teacher support from NASA GIS interns
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OVERspace – 7E Model
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ELICIT - Pose the problem. Anticipatory Set/Prior
understanding/background
ENGAGE - Stimulate thinking and raise questions
EXPLORE - Learners form hypothesis, complete activities,
explore possibilities
EXPLAIN - Learners communicate understanding of concept
presentation/sharing in teams/comparing to own understanding
ELABORATE - Learners apply knowledge to new
domains/transfer of learning
EVALUATE - Formative and summative/final project is
compared to guidelines.
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How will you assess the lesson’s effectiveness and know when the
student has met the objectives.
EXTEND - Practice the transfer of learning/not simple
elaboration
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Other Geospatial Educational Efforts
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Statewide GIS Software License with ESRI
 Middle School to Higher Education
CTE 8423 Geospatial Technology I (II in progress)
Virginia Western CC
 Specialization in GIS, GIS Certificate and Career
Exploration Certificate in GIS
Northern Virginia CC – GIS Certificate program
Mountain Empire CC
 Online GIS Certificate program
 NSF project to integrate geospatial across curriculum
Geospatial courses at:
 BRCC, DSLCC, DCC, NVCC, PDCC, SWVCC,
 PVCC, TCC
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Geospatial Technician Education Through Virginia’s
Community Colleges (GTEVCC)
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National Science Foundation
Advanced Technological Education (NSF-ATE)
 Planning Grant awarded in May 2007
 Full ATE project proposal will be submitted in
October 2008 (3 yr award)
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Vision
 Establish
sustainable academic pathways in
geospatial technology to provide
business/industry/public sector agencies with
larger pool of skilled geospatial technicians.
These pathways will serve as models for
other community colleges.
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Partners and GTEVCC Steering Committee
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Tidewater Community College (TCC)
 Rodney
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Virginia Western Community College (VWCC)
 David
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Webb
John Tyler Community College (JTCC)
 Dr.
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Clayton and George McLeod
William Wyatt
Virginia Community College System (VCCS)
 Elizabeth
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Geospatial Extension Program at Virginia Tech
 Dr.
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Creamer and Dr. Gretchen Schmidt
John McGee
Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC)
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GTEVCC Goals
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Model Academic and Workforce Training Pathways
 Update and Add Courses, Create Certificate and
Specialization programs in GIS
Faculty Training
Pre-college Initiatives and Teacher Training
Increase awareness of careers in geospatial
technologies among students, faculty, and parents
 GIS Day
Resource-rich Web Resource Tool
Trained Geospatial Technicians Ready to Work!
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GTEVCC Advisory Committee Members
Brad Ball
NASA Langley Research Center
Dr. Lynn Basham
Virginia Department of Education
Dr. William
Dugger
Dr. Inez Farrell
International Technology Education
Association
Virginia Community College System
Lyle Hornbaker
Virginia Geographic Information
Network (VGIN)
Dr. Bill Hightower
Virginia Community College System
Dr. Ann Johnson
ESRI, Higher Education
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GTEVCC Advisory Committee Members
Dr. Bob Kolvoord
James Madison University
Russell Minich
Timmons, Inc.
Dr. Richard Phillips
Mountain Empire Community College
Dr. Marical
Quintana-Baker
State Council of Higher Education
Bob Rike
ESRI-Virginia Account Rep
Jonathan Soulen
Michael Baker Jr. Inc.
Dr. James Wilson
James Madison University
Carolyn McLellan
Tidewater Community College
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GTEVCC Working Groups
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Workforce Needs
Curriculum and Formal Education
Professional Development for Faculty and
Teachers
Web Resources
Career Awareness
Diversity/Recruitment
Sustainability
Linkage to ATE Centers and Projects
Evaluation
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Workforce Needs Working Group
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Identify demand for GIS Technicians in Virginia
(online survey)
Identify essential competencies needed
(DACUM survey and interviews)
Virginia’s geospatial industry expanding (210
responses)
 Anticipate more than 230 new hires over the next 2
years
 Staffing issues are the primary challenge (59% )
Do the tasks listed in DACUM match your employment
needs?
 Of the 33 employers surveyed, 29 (88%) answered
“yes” – Virginia DACUM drafted
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Geospatial Technician Skills
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Create/Acquire Data
Determine data
compatibility
Perform data conversions
(e.g. between formats)
Populate GIS feature
attributes
Query data
Create metadata
Collect field location data
via GPS
Collect field attribute data
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Geocode data
Create maps
Create analysis reports
Create tables
Generate mailing labels
Create graphic items (e.g.
logos, headers, posters,
exhibits)
Distribute digital products
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GTEVCC Project Updates
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Faculty Workshop Conducted by VGEP
 12 faculty from TCC, VWCC, JTCC, JSRCC, and
TNCC trained
Pilot workshop for teachers June 23-25 in Chesterfield
 Teachers from regions of VWCC, JTCC, TCC
Workshops Include:
 Local Data (Virginia County Data Series) associated
with each Community College region
 Exercises based on Virginia Data
 Presentations, software, and other resources
 ArcGIS Software Installation CD + License Codes
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GTEVCC Project Updates
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TCC is creating a Career Studies Certificate
Program in GIS
 Offered
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through the Information Technology Division
Multidisciplinary
Graduates prepared for entry-level GIS
Technician positions in variety of fields:
 Information Technology
 Environmental Sciences
 Civil Engineering
 Business Logistics
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Tidewater Community College GIS Certificate
Program Plan
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Requirements for Certification:
 Core
Courses (16 credits)
 GIS 200 Geographical Information Systems I
 GIS 201 Geographical Information Systems II
 GIS 210 Understanding Geographic Data
 GIS 215 GIS Software Platforms and
Applications
 Elective
Courses (10-13 credits)
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Tidewater Community College GIS Certificate
Program Plan
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Elective Courses
 Information
Technology
 ITD 132 Structured Query Language (4)
 ITE 150 Desktop Database Software (4)
 ITP 100 Software Design (4)
 Environmental
Sciences
 GOL 105 Physical Geology (or) GOL 110 Earth Science
(4)
 GOL 225 Environmental Geology (4)
 GIS 230 GIS Applications in Environmental Science (3)
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Tidewater Community College GIS Certificate
Program Plan
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Elective Courses
 Civil
Engineering
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 Business
CIV 116 Topographic Drafting (3)
CIV 171 Surveying I (3)
CIV 256 GPS for Land Surveying (3)
CIV 258 Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (1)
CIV 259 Virginia Coordinate Systems (1)
Logistics
 BUS 223 Distribution and Transportation (3)
 BUS 234 Supply Chain Management (3)
 GIS 220 Intro to Urban and Regional Planning (4)
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Tidewater Community College GIS Certificate
Program Plan
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Elective Courses ( ) credits
 Concentrations:
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GIS Generalist
 GOL 105 Physical Geology (or) GOL 110 Earth Science
(4)
 GIS 220 Intro to Urban and Regional Planning (4)
 CIV 258 Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (1)
 ITE 150 Desktop Database Software (4)
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Course-specific GIS activities or modules in elective courses
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GTEVCC Project Updates
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JTCC developed an enrichment
presentation for architectural drafting
 Using
GIS to study land contours
VWCC articulation agreement with ODU
 Geospatial Technologies will be a featured
career on VCCS career website
 Report with recommendations for design
and hosting of the web resource complete
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