Interactive CD and Web- Based Interface for the Arc- Info GIS System
James C. (Jay) Bell, a professor from the Department of Soil, Water, and Climate in the College of Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Sciences on the Twin Cities campus, has developed two TEL resources: an interactive CD and a Web-based interface for geographical information systems (GIS). The CD teaches resident students how to identify hydric (wetland) soils; it has also been distributed nationwide by the USDA-NRCS. The Web-based GIS interface allows area students and consultants who have no prior knowledge of GIS to query spatial databases. A spinoff of this project is an online digital soil survey delivery system that can interface with the national soil survey database and map initiatives.
In July 1999, Digital Media Center staff asked Professor Bell to describe his development process for the benefit of other campus developers of technology enhanced learning strategies.
instructional problem
Q. Please describe the instructional problem you were attempting to address. Who was the intended audience? What solutions had been tried in the past? What did you hope to improve?
A. This project was intended to make online geography information available on the Internet and to teach students how to use the maps and online resources that were already available. The idea was to teach them how to identify hydric soils without them having to learn how to read the code and map provided by the state department.
tel strategy
Q. What technology enhanced learning (TEL) strategies did you adopt to complete this project? Was the content presented differently to your students?
A. Through the use of technology, we can make it easier for the students to get to the core information without having to use the information that isn't necessary in hard copy survey publications. Because the maps and soil code and type information are on line, it helps to link information about the type of soil to the maps so students don't have to manually look it up. It takes the busy work out for the students.
hardware and software
Q. What hardware or software did you use to produce your project? Did you have to do anything unusual to make the software work for your specific applications?
A. Since there was no software available to actually link this information, we had to write the software for it. Staff from the Department of Forest Resources wrote a program called ForNet. We had to modify that program to develop the new project since that program does not do what we wanted it to do. We are basically building a new tool instead of using tools that were already available. We used Authorware and Director but not extensively; mostly it was learning how to create new tools.
project team
Q. How many people worked on the project? What were their roles? Did you work with any central support units?
A. Mainly, there were three people, but during evaluations we used four people from different agencies to test this project. Staff from the Digital Media Center helped with the design, and staff from the Department of Rhetoric helped with implementing the ideas. We used the DMC's Equipment and Facilities for slide scanning, but since there was no software available, we didn't use their facilities much. We basically started from nothing because we're developing new software for it. Within three months, something was developed, but it took another three months for it to work.
instructional outcome
Q. What was the instructional outcome of your project? Did you achieve your goals? Why and why not? Do you intend to make any revisions to your project?
A. The students were able to learn how to use the soil survey well. Before, it took a long time to teach the survey within a course, so students had less time to learn other subjects or deeply explore the soil survey. Now, with this software being developed, it takes less time to teach the soil survey and more in depth information can be covered. It is more convenient for the students to get online information. Students might want to use the information professionally as well as just using it for class, since it provides them with technical tools. Before it took them so long to read the soil survey, they might not even have used it. Now in the long term, they would consider using it.
We want to add more functions to the online GIS that will make it able to do more things, such as general land use planning functions. We want to develop the interface, build more pathways to the main body of information, and include more information--not just about hydric soils--from inside the University and outside sources.
innovative feature
Q. Please describe the most innovative aspect of your project.
A. The most innovative feature is being able to access interactive map information on the Internet.
advice
Q. Do you have any planning, design, or development advice for other instructional multimedia developers contemplating a project like yours?
A. Don't plan to do this yourself. It takes a lot of time and effort that might be useless. Get people that know how to do something that you can use.
Look at other applications available that might be able to be modified. Also look into additional funding that might be available.
Get more than one depth involved with these projects. Find people that know how to do it and teach it.
I want to emphasize that the DMC Innovation Award Program provided funding that was a seed for a national model for soil survey. It supported something more than just classroom learning because people actually do take this information and use it.
Examples
To use the online GIS soil survey, users select a township from a map of a county, then a section of the township.
Then they select the map's background image; layers that show soil boundaries, roads, and the like; the scale; and if they want to reformat the map for printing. See the online GIS soil survey demonstration for details.
