I have used this exercise in introductory and intermediate-level geology courses for non-science majors (environmental geology).

They should have a fundamental understanding of the physical characteristics and the occurrence of hurricanes. They also need to know how to open ArcView 3.x and search for GIS data.

The activity is a stand-alone exercise on the topic of hurricanes.

The underlying theme of the exercise is the power of GIS for analyzing data pertaining to hurricanes. The goal of the exercise is to identify trends in these data by doing simple inquiries involving the tools of GIS.

Data analysis is done repeatedly, although most automatically, in the exercise. Students also reevaluate and synthesize ideas about hurricanes.

Students become familiar with the GIS environment, although the exercise runs in a relatively old version of ArcView GIS.

The activity allows students to utilize the power of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to quickly analyze data pertaining to hurricanes recorded over the period 1851-2000. Students require a brief introduction to the physical characteristics and occurrence of hurricanes in the Atlantic region, the storage of GIS data on their computer, and the start-up of ArcView GIS. The instructions in the exercise are sufficiently detailed to allow students to explore spatial patterns of hurricanes, the impact of hurricanes on major U.S. cities, and the history of hurricanes in various regions of the U.S. The exercise includes numerous questions that require students to analyze data and synthesize their findings, but these types of questions are few compared to the (great) number of questions that prompt brief, and sometimes obvious answers. The exercise should be condensed to become more appropriate for college-level courses, although this is just my opinion.

Students submit their answers to questions posed in the activity; these are graded.