11/23/2008
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Photo by Valerie Tuckerfrom the Kennebec Journal
Rep. Pingree hears varied proposals for health-care solutions
HALLOWELL Fire that cut communications labeled arson
MONMOUTH Police defended after slim budget rejection
State's schools chief to parley
Wasser will lead newsrooms at KJ, Sentinel and in Portland
BRIEFS
Hockey still in picture for Harrington
Portland boxer to face legend's son
All of today's:
News | Sports
from the Kennebec Journal
from the Morning Sentinel
$1.3 MILLION FOR HEALTHREACH
Families Matter grows to meet special needs
Chellie Pingree listens to ideas on health care reform
FARMINGTON Rain alters plans for 4th of July
District regroups after budget failure
Vote on county budget hits snag
Burnham driver wins checkered flag at 2 tracks on same day
Maine boxer gets unique opportunity
All of today's:
News | Sports
from the Morning Sentinel
D. C., a visit to the National Museum of the American Indian can be as easy as sitting in front of a computer.
The Center for Community Geographic Information Systems (GIS) recently offered demonstrations of Google Earth and other sophisticated and powerful digital mapping technologies. The Google software let viewers "fly" anywhere on Earth to view satellite imagery, maps, terrain, and 3D buildings.
"Land trusts, trail groups, social and health services, schools, and youth groups have caught on to the endless possibilities," center director Stephen Engle said.
Mt Blue High School teacher Patti Millette takes her students around Franklin County to locate and analyze outcrops and geological formations. Then she challenges them to explain why these landscapes exist. Students use traditional techniques, but they have added GPS and GIS expertise to their inventory.
Freshman Ashlie Hardy presented a series of photos that documented class progress.
"We've dug down 30 centimeters to map sedimentary deposits in the sand dunes in Cape Cod Hill," Hardy said. "My theory is that the dunes were formed by the wind blowing sand west to east against the hill."
The unique formations in New Sharon have been a mystery since the mid-1800s, Millette said, and her students are close to consensus on the origin of the land forms.
Engle said the interest in GIS has grown significantly over the past three years. Interns now help with field mapping and GPS support for recreational trail inventories, assist with a five-day GIS, GPS, and community mapping workshop for educators, and lead a technology camp for middle school students.
Tyler Duran, a University of Maine at Farmington intern at the center, plans to be a social studies teacher.
"I've worked with the after-school program in the Phillips Elementary School to teach the students about geocaching," he said.
Duran was referring to the hot trend for scavenger hunt enthusiasts. Trinkets and a logbook are hidden in an airtight container, and trackers can go to the Web for coordinates to find the treasure. According to www.geocaching.com, there are 689,335 active geocaches around the world.
Communities are realizing the time and money they can save using GIS and GPS technology to do many of their data updates, especially when there's little extra money to hire an expert.
"We can survey and monitor changes in communities and help community support systems track changes," Engle said. "For example, students in Strong have created mapping information about the town cemeteries to update town records."
Community planners can layer tax maps, new construction sites, fire hydrants, and E-911 data to track growth trends and problems. Interns at UMF have helped with mapping trails, emergency routes for police and fire departments, and health resources.
Jean-Luc Theriault, an AmeriCorps volunteer, showed the benefits for tourism-based regions.
"Outdated tourist map information often shows hotels and restaurants that are closed," he said. "Now, tourist information centers can update maps regularly and post them on the Web."
Engle said the career potential in the GIS field is growing rapidly, and he hoped students would find the mix of technology and outdoor opportunities an interesting option.
The center is part of the non-profit Quebec-Labrador Foundation, which promotes the use of GIS by public interest groups.
For more information, contact the Center at 778-0900 or visit www.community-gis.org.
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