Finding and predicting hurricane activity through GIS
This activity is part of the On the Cutting Edge Peer Reviewed Teaching Activities collection.
HideSummary
Students must be able to search for, find, download, display, query and map hurricane and other relevant GIS data.
Hurricane data spans 1851-2008 and is from: http://www.fgdl.org/metadataexplorer/explorer.jsp
Countries data is from: http://www.diva-gis.org
Learning outcomes: For students be able to successfully use GIS data to answer a basic spatial research question. Many skills are required for this seemingly simple question: creating a correct query that matches the data, understanding hurricane and weather patterns for example.
Hurricane data spans 1851-2008 and is from: http://www.fgdl.org/metadataexplorer/explorer.jsp
Countries data is from: http://www.diva-gis.org
Learning outcomes: For students be able to successfully use GIS data to answer a basic spatial research question. Many skills are required for this seemingly simple question: creating a correct query that matches the data, understanding hurricane and weather patterns for example.
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Context
Audience
introductory GIS students of undergrad or grad level. but usually at the junior level or higher.
Skills and concepts that students must have mastered
Prior to activity: students will need to know basic hurricane formation, historic info, and high vulnerability areas associated with hurricanes
How the activity is situated in the course
Type of activity: classroom (flipped), computer lab or homework (if they have the software)
Activity is situated: as a stand-alone activity following an intro to hurricane and severe weather lecture
Activity is situated: as a stand-alone activity following an intro to hurricane and severe weather lecture
Goals
Content/concepts goals for this activity
Content/concepts goals
Climate versus weather, can we correlate hurricane activity with climate change data?
Climate versus weather, can we correlate hurricane activity with climate change data?
Higher order thinking skills goals for this activity
Higher order thinking skills goals
how accurate? What other data might you want to have in a hurricane dataset?
Where are the gaps? Is this enough to establish accurate area threat map? What other data could you add to a predictive threat model? How would you incorporate this?
how accurate? What other data might you want to have in a hurricane dataset?
Where are the gaps? Is this enough to establish accurate area threat map? What other data could you add to a predictive threat model? How would you incorporate this?
Other skills goals for this activity
Other skills goals
GIS map creation, understanding the software and applying it to data analysis, make students do 2-3 minute oral presentation on findings and show maps.
GIS map creation, understanding the software and applying it to data analysis, make students do 2-3 minute oral presentation on findings and show maps.
Description and Teaching Materials
Instructions: answer the following question in map format
"Which storms have greater than or equal to category 5 hurricane level, occurred in October and had winds speeds greater than or equal to 75 knots"
- Map only these storms, label them and the countries that are within 50 miles of the storm's track. This is a fairly basic spatial research question and you could create one that is far more complex and includes additional datasets such as elevation or land use land cover.
- They must write up exactly the steps they took, and if the map they got makes sense according to the query.
- They must also do some additional research and answer this question: "does the map of these storms (that satisfy these two queries) accurately or inaccurately portray where they caused the most damage" (which your map indicates by the wind speed and hurricane level cat 5)? If not, why not?
Teaching Notes and Tips
Assessment
If they have answered all questions thoroughly. If the map/s they have created have good aesthetic qualities such as good contrast, spatial placement of map items (title, north arrow, legend, scalebar, author of map, labeling, etc). If the additional research they have done makes sense and is applicable to the spatial research question.