Peter Bower's M.S. Degree, 2005

Using an Internet Map Server and Coastal Remote Sensing for Education

Master of Science, Geography, Oregon State University, Spring 2005
Emphasis in Geographic Information Science, Minor in Resource Geography

Graduate committee: D. Wright, Larry Becker, A.J. Kimerling

Peter Bower
Dept of Geosciences, Oregon State Univ
Corvallis, OR 97331-5506
bower.pete-at-gmail.com

Abstract.
An Internet Map Server (IMS) web site was constructed with the goal of
helping middle- through high-school students learn about ocean processes.
This IMS was developed in conjunction with the activities of the Science
& Math Investigative Learning Experience (SMILE) program, and for eventual
use with the Oregon Coastal Atlas, an existing IMS site which allows a
diverse audience of coastal users to access information about the Oregon
coast. The main objective was to create educational lessons making use of a
simple IMS site to allow students with basic computer skills to learn about
large scale ocean process from actual ocean satellite imagery. This site
features remotely sensed ocean images showing physical parameters and includes
data from biological surveys conducted during the US GLOBEC (Global Ocean
Ecosystem Dynamics) cruise off the Oregon Coast in the summer of 2000. The
satellite imagery was selected from different time periods to show students
key seasonal trends and differences in physical conditions that occur off the
Pacific Coast of Oregon and Northern California. Evaluation of the project
has shown that the use of an IMS site allows students who have no prior
training or access to GIS software to effectively view and understand the
meaning of real ocean data and to perform simple analysis without the need
for extensive data processing or software training.