Case Studies

Solution Mr. Neil identifi ed ArcGIS Online as the ideal platform for the project and with this he applied for and was awarded Esri Canada's GIS in Education Grant on behalf of the school in 2013. The grant, which is awarded to fi ve Canadian schools each year, provides software (desktop and online) for all computers in a school, as well maintenance for two years and education resources. With no previous formal training using ArcGIS Online, Mr. Neil engaged Esri Canada's Education and Research group, took advantage of their readily available training resources, and integrated the platform's features into his lesson plan. After devising questions about the NGP to frame their research, his students worked in groups to learn how to plot the pipeline's proposed route using ArcGIS Online. Next, the students worked independently to delineate their own study areas, selecting 50 km sections with 5 km buffers using the buffer tool in ArcGIS Online. Each student was responsible for studying the potential social and environmental impacts of the NGP within their study area. To accomplish this, students enriched the maps of their study area by adding layers available in ArcGIS Online, including ecology, population density and First Nations treaties and land claims. Students were organized into groups, summarized their fi ndings, and decided on whether or not they would approve construction of the NGP in their specifi c area of study. Using the ArcGIS Online story map template, the class created an interactive map that summarized each group's fi nal decision. In the fi nal part of their project, students used the elevation profi le tool in ArcGIS Online to create a large and scaled 3D relief map of the topography along the proposed pipeline. Working in groups, the students then created the model with paper mache, plywood and Styrofoam referring to the elevation profi le to confi rm their elevation measurements. Benefi ts In a post-project survey, 30 students strongly agreed that ArcGIS Online was a useful tool in their learning. Students believed using the technology made learning the project's subject matter more engaging and authentic. The students also indicated that their opinion of the NGP changed as a result of their research. Visualizing the pipeline's proposed route on a map that integrated demographic, topographic and ecological data enabled students to contextualize information in specifi c geographic areas. Compared to a lesson based more on theoretical discussion and research, this approach gave students a more tangible sense of how the NGP could impact people and the environment. Thanks to Esri Canada's GIS in Education Grant, the Connect Charter School was given a school-wide subscription to ArcGIS Online at no cost. Each student was assigned their own login to the school's subscription to create, save and share maps using their own laptops. Because ArcGIS Online is a hosted solution in Esri's secure cloud, installing software on each student's machine was not necessary, which eliminates the need to use the school's IT department and infrastructure. For their research, students used ArcGIS Online as a data source, and for browsing and selecting layers of pre-confi gured data to enrich their maps with information. Due to the success of the project, Mr. Neil hopes to help the school expand the use of ArcGIS Online to other subjects. Grade Seven Students Lead Pipeline Study Using ArcGIS Online | Esri Canada 2 Using the ArcGIS Online story map template, the class created a colour-coded map summarizing each group's position on whether the pipeline project should or should not proceed. Adding the Canada Ecozones layer to their maps in ArcGIS Online allowed students to visualize the ecology of each region affected by the pipeline. "GIS helped my students understand and visualize where the Northern Gateway Pipeline is planned to go and the ecological regions it will affect. ArcGIS Online was a powerful tool to help my students understand what questions they needed to ask before conducting their research because, in the end, it was their research that informed their opinions." Greg Neil Science Teacher Connect Charter School

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