Chapter 12: Instructional Geographic Information Science: A Multi-Disciplinary Framework for Geospatial Technologies in Education

Interest in the employment of geospatial technology as an instructional tool in K-12 social studies classrooms and other educational areas has been increasing over the past decade. A major focus has been the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Global Positioning Systems (GPS), and related geospatial technology to convey basic geographic concepts to students in elementary, middle, and secondary education (Audet & Abegg, 1996; Bednarz & Audet, 1999; Broda & Baxter, 2003). Classroom instruction that uses this technological potpourri to teach basic geographic concepts can be aptly called Instructional Geographic Information Systems (InGIS). The impetus for InGIS is partially rooted in the dramatic improvements and reduction of costs in technology and the introduction of educational GIS software purchase programs. Many of these programs have provided an economical and feasible platform for purchasing and incorporating GIS into K-12 classrooms throughout the United States. In the spring of 2005, the United States Department of Labor outlined a host of current and future employment opportunities in geography, with the caveat that there will be a shortage of individuals qualified to fill the needs in many geospatial technical areas (Crosby, 2005). Moreover, geospatial technology has been recently recognized as “one of the three most important and evolving fields, along with nanotechnology and biotechnology” (Gewin, 2004, pg. 376). These advances and the development of new applications for existing technology continue to increase the demand for individuals who are trained to use geospatial technology for interpreting and evaluating the world’s complex spatial phenomena.