GeoMapApp
Submitted by Andrew Goodwillie, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
General description
GeoMapApp, a free Java(tm)-based tool which works on any type of computer, allows a broad range of geoscience data sets (digital elevations, earthquake data, geochemistry, plate motion information, research cruise tracks and profiles, sediment thickness grids, hydrothermal vent images, amongst many others) to be explored and viewed in their correct geographical context. Data sets, grids and shape files can also be imported.Audience and Setting
This research-centered tool has wide applicability to geoscience education and is used by middle school and high school teachers, and by educators and researchers at institutions across the globe.
The richness of built-in data sets allows GeoMapApp to be used at a level tailored to the user's needs.
Examples of Educational use
Some examples include:
- Demonstrating earth's topography in the oceans and on land, topographic profiles.
- Demonstrating earthquake swarms.
- Searching for geochemical signatures in rock samples collected along mid-ocean ridges and along continental volcanoes.
- Exploring biodiversity at hydrothermal vents using deep sea submersible photos.
Educational Modules (click on the Education tab from this homepage) include chapters in the Earth Exploration Toolkit, data puzzles and concept tests.
At the 2008 workshop on Teaching with New Geoscience Tools, faculty brainstormed for ideas about ways to teach using GeoMapApp. Here are their ideas:
- Compare Data for Plate Tectonics
- Feature Exploration on the Seafloor
- Seafloor Sediment Thickness Variability
- How Much Work to Learn About the Earth?
- Marine Research Proposal
- Lithospheric flexure in Hawaii
- Continental and oceanic heat flow
- Chemistry of continental vs. oceanic rocks
