The Pedagogical Experience in The Pedagogical Experience in Teaching Cartography and GIS Teaching Cartography and GIS

Using Public Data and SoftwareUsing Public Data and Software

The Pedagogical Experience in The Pedagogical Experience in Teaching Cartography and GIS Teaching Cartography and GIS

Using Public Data and SoftwareUsing Public Data and Software Maria Cecília Bonato BrandalizeMaria Cecília Bonato Brandalize

Alzir Felippe Buffara AntunesAlzir Felippe Buffara Antunes

International Cartography Conference International Cartography Conference 20092009

15 - 21 November, Ciudad de Santiago15 - 21 November, Ciudad de Santiago

UFPR - Universidade Federal do Paraná / Departamento de Geomática

• Description of a GIS & Cartography learning-teaching Description of a GIS & Cartography learning-teaching ExperienceExperience applied to applied to Environmental EngineeringEnvironmental Engineering students of students of UFPRUFPR

• IntentionIntention → Apply Cartography’s fundamentals to GIS effective → Apply Cartography’s fundamentals to GIS effective understandingunderstanding

• Use of Use of Free Public DataFree Public Data of the Brazilian territory of the Brazilian territory

• Use of Use of Free Public SoftwareFree Public Software as an option to the standard commercial as an option to the standard commercial onesones

• The actual The actual PolicyPolicy of the federal government and its of the federal government and its migration migration campaign towards the campaign towards the Open Source Software in the Public Open Source Software in the Public AdministrationAdministration

• Implications Implications → → Complexity of practical classes’ preparationComplexity of practical classes’ preparation

• Final considerations about Final considerations about Free Software DisseminationFree Software Dissemination among among students and the students and the Availability of Geospatial DataAvailability of Geospatial Data in Brazil in Brazil

UFPR - Universidade Federal do Paraná / Departamento de Geomática

OverviewOverview

FIRST INITIATIVESFIRST INITIATIVES

20022002 Brazilian Federal Administration Policy Brazilian Federal Administration Policy

Focused in the use of Focused in the use of Free SoftwareFree Software in the in the Public InstitutionsPublic Institutions

20032003 Brazilian Technical Committee to Implement Free SoftwareBrazilian Technical Committee to Implement Free Software

PRIORITIESPRIORITIES

• the implementation of solutions, programs and services based on free open source software (FOSS);

• the gradual migration from proprietary systems;

• and the acquisition of hardware compatible with free platforms. UFPR - Universidade Federal do Paraná / Departamento de Geomática

IntroductionIntroduction

Brazilian Technical Committee to Implement Free SoftwareBrazilian Technical Committee to Implement Free Software

MAIN ACTIVITIESMAIN ACTIVITIES

• distribution of free software systems (collaborative & spontaneous)

• strengthening of sharing actions between governmental organizations and society

UFPRUFPR

As a public institution has been, since 2005, connected with the goals of the public state administration and has developed, in

conjunction with local state agencies, strategies for the migration to free software

Such experience has not yet reached the graduation classes in a satisfactory measure, leading to the development of new

strategies for the teaching process UFPR - Universidade Federal do Paraná / Departamento de Geomática

IntroductionIntroduction

Among several institutions and organizations, it is worth to Among several institutions and organizations, it is worth to mention:mention:

BRAZILIAN INSTITUTE OF GEOGRAPHY AND STATISTICS (IBGE)BRAZILIAN INSTITUTE OF GEOGRAPHY AND STATISTICS (IBGE)

• Cartographic FieldCartographic Field: topographic mapping and mapping of territorial units

• Geodetic FieldGeodetic Field: Brazilian geodetic system, Brazilian network for continuous GPS monitoring, permanent geodetic tide gauge network

and geocentric reference system for the Americas

• Geographic FieldGeographic Field: regional distribution, special areas (like border strip and coastal zone), atlases and cities influence areas

• Environmental FieldEnvironmental Field: publications about sustainable development indicators, environmental studies, fauna and flora, land use and

hydrographic resources

UFPR - Universidade Federal do Paraná / Departamento de Geomática

GIS Data and Software DistributionGIS Data and Software Distribution

UFPR - Universidade Federal do Paraná / Departamento de Geomática

GIS Data and Software DistributionGIS Data and Software Distribution

NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SPATIAL RESEARCH (INPE)NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SPATIAL RESEARCH (INPE)

• Promote and carry on studies, scientific researches, technological development, and human resources capacitation in the fields of Space

and Atmosphere Sciences, Space Applications, Meteorology, and Space Engineering and Technology

• Prepare and Implement a plan to expand the divulgation efforts and the diffusion of scientific and technical knowledge for the popularization of

space science and technology

• Are responsible for the CBERS project, a provider of multispectral images of the world in different spatial resolutions with free distribution

• Develop and distribute to the community free software (public domain & open source) in the following categories: state-of-the-art GIS,

GIS classes and functions library, remote sensing image processing and web applications

UFPR - Universidade Federal do Paraná / Departamento de Geomática

GIS Data and Software DistributionGIS Data and Software Distribution

UFPR - Universidade Federal do Paraná / Departamento de Geomática

GIS Data and Software DistributionGIS Data and Software Distribution

SPRING

SPRING WEB

TERRAVIEW

TERRALIB

USE OF FREE PUBLIC DATA & SOFTWAREUSE OF FREE PUBLIC DATA & SOFTWARE

Environmental Engineering → Discipline “GIS Applied to Environment Issues” (90 h / 1st semester)

Significance of GIS & Cartography are assessed in a sort of workshop since the students have no experience related to the cartographic

sciences

Significant theoretical themes are selected in order to give the students a general notion of basic cartography, GIS data collection, GIS

fundamentals and basic remote sensing concepts

Methodology of practical classes followsMethodology of practical classes follows: distribution of different portions of the Brazilian territory to each student; download, from IBGE homepage, of corresponding topographic maps (1:50.000 scale and file

format chosen by the student); and print of the proposed material

UFPR - Universidade Federal do Paraná / Departamento de Geomática

Practical LessonsPractical Lessons

USE OF FREE PUBLIC DATA & SOFTWAREUSE OF FREE PUBLIC DATA & SOFTWARE

Methodology of practical classes also includesMethodology of practical classes also includes: access and download of free image data and software from the INPE homepage, where

images are corresponding to the portions proposed before

NoteNote: Students have an extensive use of the analogical map before they experience the tools and functions of the chosen software (SPRING)

SPRINGSPRING provides a comprehensive set of functions, including tools for Satellite Image Processing, Digital Terrain Modeling, Spatial Analysis, Geostatistics,

Spatial Statistics, Spatial Databases and Map Management

UFPR - Universidade Federal do Paraná / Departamento de Geomática

Practical LessonsPractical Lessons

UFPR - Universidade Federal do Paraná / Departamento de Geomática

Practical LessonsPractical Lessons Diagram

UFPR - Universidade Federal do Paraná / Departamento de Geomática

Final ConsiderationsFinal Considerations

Sharing the Sharing the use of free public spatial datause of free public spatial data and and free GIS free GIS softwaresoftware with the environmental engineering students with the environmental engineering students of UFPR was quite anof UFPR was quite an interesting experience interesting experience because because:

- Once this graduation course is focused in environmental modeling, cartographic concepts are generally neglected in the first years of the students professional education

- Nevertheless, students have a very strong mathematical background, which facilitates the teaching/learning process of cartography and remote sensing exercises

- The bottle neck is to perform a great deal of practical and sequential exercises in a short period of time

- The students have presented the most significant difficulties in the final phase of the learning process (use of software) data edition and importation (lack of logical consistency)

UFPR - Universidade Federal do Paraná / Departamento de Geomática

Final ConsiderationsFinal Considerations

Sharing the Sharing the use of free public spatial datause of free public spatial data and and free GIS free GIS softwaresoftware with the environmental engineering students with the environmental engineering students of UFPR was quite an of UFPR was quite an interesting experienceinteresting experience because because:

- Access to free public spatial data and free GIS software capable of dealing with these data demand from the educator other responsibilities: practical classes preparation is much more complex once the data available are in a variety of formats and scales and not always compatible with the software which is intended to be used

- Another issue for the educator may be the considerable preparation of data import, export and edition tutorials along with the adaptation of pre-existing free software tutorials according to the discipline needs

- The experience of using SPRING as a learning tool for GIS technology in the environmental area has shown that it is important for the student to have the opportunity of working with other technologies than the proprietary ones

UFPR - Universidade Federal do Paraná / Departamento de Geomática

Final ConsiderationsFinal Considerations

Sharing the Sharing the use of free public spatial datause of free public spatial data and and free GIS free GIS softwaresoftware with the environmental engineering students with the environmental engineering students of UFPR was quite an of UFPR was quite an interesting experienceinteresting experience because because:

- Its is important to notice that the information about the availability of national free public spatial data and software does not reach the majority of graduation students in Brazil → Educator’s Role

- The experience has proven that graduation students are capable of understanding the importance of free software dissemination as an element of digital inclusion and also that the availability of free public data represents an enormous contribution to the students’ spatial and descriptive knowledge of the nation’s territory, which significantly increases their spatial analysis capability

More Demanding Users & Propagate the GIS Culture

UFPR - Universidade Federal do Paraná / Departamento de Geomática

Thank You for Your Attention!!!Thank You for Your Attention!!!

Maria Cecília Bonato BrandalizeMaria Cecília Bonato Brandalize

maria.brandalize@ufpr.br

Alzir Felippe Bufara AntunesAlzir Felippe Bufara Antunes

felipe@ufpr.br