Virginia View - Educational Resources

Here is a list of remote sensing resources to support Virginia's educational community. Some of these resources will support the awareness of remote sening. Other resources can provide educators with images, posters, and data.

Remote Sensing Educational Awareness Resources

  • Activity Guides and Lesson Plans
  • Tutorials
  • Other Educational Resources (videos, data, etc...)
  • Digital Atlas of Virginia
    • The Digital Atlas of Virginia has been developed to support the efforts of formal and informal educators across the commonwealth. Access the Digital Atlas of Virginia here.

    Activity Guides and Lesson Plans

  • Virginia Geocoin Adventure
    • Give the sport of Geocaching a try with your group - it's a fun and exciting way to introduce geographic concepts! Your Trackable Geocoin will travel the state, the country, and maybe even the world as it circulates through "Geocaches" - small hidden landmarks located throughout the world—and travels through the hands of Geocachers—people that hunt for Geocaches.
    • Learning lessons have been developed to help students explore landscapes and issues impacting our communities using the trackable geocoins as 'their guide'. These lessons and other resources can be downloaded to support an array of learners groups, from Middle/ High School classrooms to 4-H clubs and scout troops.
      • Don't have a trackable geocoin? Request a trackable geocoin here. Otherwise, these exercises can be completed without your own geocoin (you can always track other geocoins that are already in circulation. See insructions in the "Getting Started" guide).
      • Don't have a GPS kit?

    • Tutorials

  • Working with Student Data in ArcGIS
    • These video tutorials were produced by Virginia View for Community College faculty and students interested in using ArcGIS to explore their student population. The 3 short videos cover the operations of geocoding, summarizing and joining tables, and creating relationship classes, as well as give ideas for display and analysis of student data. You'll need ArcGIS 10, an Excel table with student zip codes, and basic knowlege of ArcGIS (opening program, creating a blank map, adding data layers). These resources are available here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.). Or you can look up the VaGeoExtension channel on YouTube.
  • The Canada Centre for Remote Sensing

    • Other Resources and Links

  • AmericaView's Earth Observation Day Website (educational resources for remote sensing)
            • The AmericaView Consortium is pleased to announce Earth Observation Day (EO Day) Website (http://www.earthobservationday.com).. AmericaView (AV) is a nationwide program that focuses on public domain remote sensing data and geospatial technology in support of applied research, K-16 education, workforce development, and technology transfer. While Earth Observation Day is held on March 24th, resources can be accessed and integrated at anytime! This is a comprehensive Website, directed to support the needs of the educational community.  The website provides access to an array of resources, including: Earth Observation Day Lesson Plans (tailored for elementary, middle, high school, and higher edu.); Satellite map posters of each state (and, yes, there is a Virginia poster available for download!); Remote sensing tutorials and lesson plans; Access to remote sensing data; Satellite images; and more!
  • The Geospatial Revolution Project (awareness video)
    • The Geospatial Revolution Project (http://geospatialrevolution.psu.edu/), developed by Penn State Public Broadcasting, has an integrated public media and outreach initiative focused upon the world of digital mapping and how it is shapes the way our society functions.  The project features a web-based serial release of several video episodes, each focused upon an specific narrative illuminating the role of geospatial knowledge in our world.  These episodes will combine to form a full-length documentary. The project also will include an outreach initiative in collaboration with partner organizations, a chaptered program DVD, and downloadable outreach materials. The five-minute trailer available at the web site provides an especially effective introduction to geospatial data.  
    • American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) (awareness video)
      • American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (http://www.asprs.org/) has produced a series of short videos (each about 2 minutes or less in length) focusing on topics relevant to this chapter. The link to “ASPRS films” (under the “Education & Professional Development” tab) (http://www.asprs.org/films/index.html) connects to a series of short videos highlighting topics relating to ASPR history and its contributions to the fields of photogrammetry and remote sensing. Videos in this series that are especially relevant include:Aerial Survey Pioneers; Geospatial Intelligence in WWII; Role of Women Photogrammetry in Space Exploration; Evolution of Analog to Digital Mapping

        Note: These videos are also posted to www.youtube.com/user/ASPRS, in versions that have lower visual quality

    • The British Broadcasting Corporation project (awareness video)
      • Britain From Above, has multiple short video units (usually about 3 to 5 minutes each).  At: http://www.bbc.co.uk/britainfromabove/, go to “See Your World from Above” (“Browse stories“), then “Stories Overview.”  Then from ”Stories Overview,” select the “Secrets” tab, and play the “The Dudley Stamp Maps.”  Or, from the ”Stories Overview” section, select the “Behind the Scenes,” tab, then play the “Archive.”  There are many other videos of interest at this site.
    • USGS National Land Cover Data (NLCD) for Virginia