The sections below provide brief descriptions and contact details of some of major suppliers of GIS resources suitable for teachers. We will be updating this page at regular intervals. If you come across other other materials that you would like to recommend for inclusion here, or have comments about any of the resources, please contact us.
Contents
1. Software
2. Data
3. Publications
4. Other resources
| AEGIS | PC-based software package for display, query & simple analysis of geographical data. Provided with sample digital maps of World (countries), Europe (regions) and UK (standard regions) as well as fieldwork examples. Can display point, line and area spatial data and attribute data in comma separated value format. | Advisory Unit:
Computers in Education 126 Great North Road, Hatfield, Herts, AL9 5JZ Tel: 01707 266174 Fax: 01707 273684 E-mail: sales@advisory-unit.org.uk http://www.advisory-unit.org.uk |
| SCAMP | Analysis and mapping package for the 1991 UK census. Provided with 17 categories of census data, census boundaries and base mapping. Census data can be displayed as choropleth maps and subjected to limited statistical analysis. Ordnance Survey Landline large scale digital map data may be imported and displayed as a backdrop to census data. | Pebbleshore Lewes Enterprise Centre, 112 Malling Street, Lewes, Sussex, BN7 2RJ Tel: 01273 483890 Fax: 01273 479645 E-mail: pebbleshore@btinternet.com |
| Excel | Spreadsheet with mapping function. Allows production of choropleth maps from tabular data. Comes with a limited number of outline maps. Further maps can be imported in MapInfo format. | Microsoft UK in Education http://msn.co.uk/default.asp |
| Idrisi | Easy to use, yet competent software package for GIS, image processing and spatial statistics. Developed at the Graduate School of Clarke University specifically for educational purposes. Primarily designed for handling spatial data in grid (raster) format. A range of offers for educational institutions are available. | The Idrisi Project Clark Labs for Cartographic Technology and Geographic Analysis, Clark University, 950 Main Street, Worcester, Massachesetts, USA Tel: +1 508 793 7526 Fax: + 1 508 793 8842 http://www.clarklabs.org/ |
| ArcView | The world's most popular desktop mapping and GIS software for Windows 3.1, 95 and NT, Apple Macintosh and a range of other platforms. Provides a wide range of functions for data manipulation, management, query, analysis and display. May be extended with a number of additional, optional software modules. Comes supplied with sample data and tutorial programmes. Educational offers from ESRI (UK). | Environmental Science Research
Institute (UK) 23 Woodford Road, Watford, Hertfordshire WD1 1PB Phone: 01923 210450 Fax: 01923-210739 E-mail: info@esriuk.com http://www.esriuk.com |
| Free
ESRI software
MapInfo Professional |
ArcExplorer is a free paired-down version of ArcView
allowing users to display and query a wide variety of standard data sources. It can also
link to Internet map servers. For Windows 95 and NT 4 only. ArcView 1 is available for
free in limited quantity on CD but you will have to ask them about the availability of
stock. GIS and desktop mapping software for Windows 3.1, 95 and NT. Capable of importing and exporting a wide range of digital map data formats and performing complex data manipulation, query and analysis operations. Extensive catalogue of data products available. Educational licences, demo software and teaching packs are also available. |
ESRI (ArcExplorer) ArcExplorer
MapInfo Corporation Minton Place, Victoria Street, Windsor, Berkshire SL4 1EG Telephone: 01753 848200 Fax: 01753 621140 E-mail: uk@mapinfo.com |
| UK Digital maps | The Ordnance Survey provides a large number of digital map products in both raster and vector data at a wide range of scales. Data may be available for free for Local Authority Schools. The Data can be purchased in digital tiles centred on an educational establishment. Details of data and related software products are provided in the free OS newsletter Mapping News. | OS Data Supply Team Tel: 01703 792743 Fax: 01703 792496 E-mail: datasupply@ordsvy.gov.uk http://www.ordsvy.gov.uk Local authority OS Liaison Officer |
| UK aerial photographs and satellite images | Ordnance Survey black and white vertical photographs available as prints or laser copies can be obtained from Approved Educational Suppliers such as the National Map Centre. | National Map Centre 22-24 Caxton Street, London, SW1H 0QU Tel: 0171 222 2466 Fax: 0171 222 2619 |
| World-wide digital data | A large number of organisations across the world supply digital map and image data suitable for use in educational projects. Free sample datasets are often available. Other data archives can be accessed from the Kingston and Edinburgh internet GIS resource sites (see below). |
| Teaching Today: Staff
Development Geography and IT Professional Development for Teachers |
A BBC Education Booklet, CD-ROM & Video. One of a small number of publications that has been produced over recent years designed to help teachers get started with GIS. This is a very helpful resource which features case studies of classroom practice using GIS as well as practical advice on how to manage GIS in curriculum delivery. It is principally aimed at teachers in secondary schools. | BBC Education Information, White
City, London, W12 7TS. Tel: 0181 746 1111 http://www.bbc.co.uk/education |
| Books | A large number of books have been written on GIS that serve as suitable introductions for those new to the subject. A small selection is listed here. | Burrough and McDonnell (1998),
Principles of Geographical Information Systems. (Oxford, 2nd edition) Clarke (1997), Getting Started with Geographic Information Systems. (Prentice Hall) |
| Magazines | A number of periodicals deal with GIS and it applications. Perhaps the most useful are Mapping Awareness, GIS World and GIS Europe. Subscription information is available from Geoplace.com. | Geoplace.com http://www.geoplace.com/ |
| Kingston Centre for GIS | Kingston University and Kingston College are jointly the largest providers of GIS education and training in the UK. Courses range from BTEC National Diploma for school leavers to BSc and HND programmes. Short courses, customised training and distance learning courses are also provided. The World Wide Web site provides a useful index to GIS resources including software, data, publications, education and training. | Kingston Centre for GIS School of Geography, Kingston University, Penrhyn Road, Kingston-upon-Thames Surrey, KT1 2EE Tel: 0181 547 7510 E-mail: t.linsey@kingston.ac.uk andrew.williams@kingston-college.ac.uk http://www.kingston.ac.uk/gis |
| Association for Geographic Information | The Association for Geographic Information represents all interests which make up the UK geographic information community. Members are drawn from every sector of government, business and commerce and include both suppliers and users. The AGI has a strong interest in education, training and research for GIS and has an Information and Education Committee which works to promote GIS education at all levels. The AGI organises an annual exhibition and conference each year.. | The AGI 12 Great George Street, Parliament Square, London, SW1P 3AD Tel: 0171 334 3746 Fax: 0171 334 3791 E-mail: info@agi.org.uk http://www.agi.org.uk/ |
| GIS WWW Resource List | A very comprehensive index of World Wide Web servers of interest to the GIS community developed by the University of Edinburgh, in collaboration with the Association of Geographic Information. | GIS WWW Resource
List http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/home/GISwww.html#IThis |
