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Geographic
Information Systems (GIS): Taking Mapmaking Further
 True Geographic Information Systems allow mapmakers
to layer data such as census information in order to discern
spatial distribution patterns. Multiple layers allow geographers
to see how different factors interact, to understand the
relations between these factors, and to understand how they
correlate. For example, is there any relation between income,
education, and access to computer technology?
That
question is one addressed by the Digital Divide. The term
"Digital Divide," expresses the gap between people
who have meaningful access to computers and the Internet
and those who do not. This definition expands to include
other digital disparity gaps, such as effective use of information,
the ability for an information user to be more than a passive
consumer, and the availability of relevant, useful, appropriate,
and affordable content. While a consensus does not exist
on the extent of the divide (and whether the divide is growing
or narrowing), researchers are nearly unanimous in acknowledging
that some sort of divide exists at this point in time. This
gap can be viewed along socio-economic status and race/ethnicity
lines.
GIS
Mapping at Jordan High School
Students
at Jordan High School, in the Watts section of inner city
Los Angeles, mapped the Digital Divide for Teaching to Change
LA, part of a program of UCLA's Institute for Democracy,
Education and Access. Their teacher, Herschel Sarnoff, teaches
GIS skills to his students as a means to engage them and
provide skills they can use in future careers. He has been
reaching out to the underprivileged students in this neighborhood
for 30 years and is a tenacious proponent of providing informed
computer access.
 "Jordan High School is hardcore inner-city,
incredible poverty here… we've got kids feeding in
from the housing projects- just your classic inner-city
neighborhood. This is it. The Watts Riots took place right
out here in '65. …Most of the kids are really good
and they want to learn and if you can give them something
they're interested in. And something that they can learn.
And GIS, I found, is, the kids that come to class are totally
fascinated by it and they'll sit here and they'll try and
try and try. It's really encouraging for a teacher to see
kids really involved with the work." - Herschel Sarnoff,
10th-grade history and GIS teacher, Jordan High School,
Los Angeles
First
introduced to GIS in 1998, Herschel has educated himself
on its use and created the GIS skills course at Jordan High
School. You can find many of Herschel's GIS-based lessons
at the ESRI website: http://www.hmsgis.com
The
following maps were produced by Herschel's students using
ARCView GIS software and were presented at the 2001 Digital
Divide Conference held at UCLA. Their objective was to create
GIS layouts examining selected schools and their place in
the Digital Divide. Which schools have access to computers
and the Internet? This project gave students the opportunity
to map the spatial dimensions of the Digital Divide and
helped build their own understanding of technology's impact
on economic success. The maps were created using data from
three different sources: the U.S. Census, California Department
of Education, and results from surveys designed by Teaching
to Change LA.
As you
view the maps, what conclusions can you draw from individual
maps? What conclusions about the Digital Divide can you
draw from the maps as a whole.
Geographic
Information Systems (GIS): Slideshow
Click
the NEXT or PREVIOUS button to display each slide and text
(6 slides).
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