InTeGrate Modules and Courses >Coastal Processes, Hazards and Society > Student Materials > University Park: Blended > Formative Assessment: Case Studies > Use Google Earth to Explore, Compare and Contrast Coastal Communities at Risk of Flooding
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These materials are part of a collection of classroom-tested modules and courses developed by InTeGrate. The materials engage students in understanding the earth system as it intertwines with key societal issues. The collection is freely available and ready to be adapted by undergraduate educators across a range of courses including: general education or majors courses in Earth-focused disciplines such as geoscience or environmental science, social science, engineering, and other sciences, as well as courses for interdisciplinary programs.
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These student materials complement the Coastal Processes, Hazards and Society Instructor Materials. If you would like your students to have access to the student materials, we suggest you either point them at the Student Version which omits the framing pages with information designed for faculty (and this box). Or you can download these pages in several formats that you can include in your course website or local Learning Managment System. Learn more about using, modifying, and sharing InTeGrate teaching materials.
Initial Publication Date: December 7, 2016

Use Google Earth to Explore, Compare and Contrast Coastal Communities at Risk of Flooding

Google Earth Tour Directions:

  1. Open Google Earth if you already have it loaded on your computer. If you don't, go to the Google Earth download page and download the latest version for your computer.
  2. Download the city tour KMZ file (KMZ File 6kB Sep7 16) and open it in Google Earth. It will appear in the "Places" pane on the left of the screen. You will need to open the contents by checking the box next to the KMZ file name and clicking the arrow next to the box. You will need to open the folder containing all the locations by clicking on the folder icon. You will see a list of all the cities included in the tour - which are the cities ranked high in the World Bank study.
  3. We will begin by touring just the four cities that appear on both the lists: Guanhzhou, Shenzen, New Orleans, and Mumbai. Check the boxes next to these cities and keep the other cities unchecked for now.
  4. To fly to one of our cities of interest, click on the city name. We begin our tour by going the Guangzhou in southern China. The order we explore the places is not important. We will be going to each one and considering the similarities and differences between these places to better understand their ranking.
  5. Once you "arrive" at your destination city, follow the procedure below to explore and complete the table for each city.

Procedure:

  1. Use Google Earth to visit each of the locations shown in red. You are provided with a KMZ file that contains all of the cities listed.
  2. For each place spend time looking at ground level views to gain an overview of the place in terms of its elevations; proximity to tidal water; the type of topography in the area (are there higher elevation places nearby?); presence of major river/ river delta; presence or absence of flood control structures. This will help you begin to complete the chart below. If you are not sure of something by making observations in Google Earth, read the profiles in these materials, go to links to more profiles and/ or search for specific information about the topic on the internet.

 

These materials are part of a collection of classroom-tested modules and courses developed by InTeGrate. The materials engage students in understanding the earth system as it intertwines with key societal issues. The collection is freely available and ready to be adapted by undergraduate educators across a range of courses including: general education or majors courses in Earth-focused disciplines such as geoscience or environmental science, social science, engineering, and other sciences, as well as courses for interdisciplinary programs.
Explore the Collection »