Alex MandelUniversity of California, Davis
Impact of free bundled GIS software on education
Attribution Share Alike
History of Handouts
● Code in Publications(magazines,journals, books)● Shareware Floppies● AOL Trial Subscription CDs● Freeware Downloads (ie: cnet.com, tucows.com)● Live Linux
Image from Wikipedia, Copyright AOL TimeWarner
OSGeo Live Project
● Collection of Free and Open Source geospatial software
● Ready to use● No installation
required● Few hardware
requirements
Formats
● Live DVD or USB● “Bootable” media
● Virtual Machine● A computer
within a computer
● Works on● 5+ old computers● Netbooks
Included Software
More than 30 applications and libraries
Potential
● Run a GIS lab
● Demonstrate GIS on the road
● GIS for developing nations
● Community groups
● Hobbyists
● Everything is Customizable
● Test software before you decide what to install/use
Distribution so far
● Total downloads April 2010 ~ 1000+
● Physical Handouts~500
Percent Country14.58% Unresolved/Unknown
12.69% Colombia
12.67% Mexico
12.53% Iran
12.13% Philippines
5.34% Australia
5.05% United States
3.76% Portugal
3.19% Italy
2.78% France
1.46% Indonesia
1.39% Poland
1.34% Ukraine
1.08% Japan
1.05% Germany
0.94% Greece
0.86% Thailand
0.77% New Zealand
0.66% China
0.56% Venezuela
0.49% Canada
0.45% Austria
0.35% Israel
0.34% Viet Nam
0.33% Brazil
0.32% Spain
0.28% India
0.25% Uruguay
0.19% Pakistan
0.13% Tunisia
Educational Opportunities
● Course Materials● Integration with OpenStreetMap, kml ...
● Outreach● It's not all business – Marble, GPS Drive ...
● Lowering Barriers● Multilingual, mailable, world wide community
support (OSGeo local Chapters http://www.osgeo.org/content/chapters/)
● Accessibility● Every student can take a copy home
In the College Classroom
● “Freedom to explore”● A standard platform for material development● Easy to update & manage● Collaborative community
● http://www.osgeo.org/education
● Comparing Multiple implementations
Assessing Value
Potential Questions?
● Increase a students toolbox?
● Lead to better conceptual understanding?
● Engage more students?
● Lower cost of operation for a GIS Lab?
● Increased flexibility in the lab?
Possible Methods● Focus Groups● Usability Study● Feedback Survey● Use case interviews
Acknowledgements
● Information Center for the Environment● http://ice.ucdavis.edu
● Open Source Geospatial Foundation● http://www.osgeo.org
● OSGeo Live - Project Team● http://download.osgeo.org/livedvd/
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