impact of free bundled gis software on education
DESCRIPTION
The OSGeo Live project, sponsored by the Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo), is a collection of free GIS and related software, data sets and documentation that runs from a DVD, virtual machine, or flash-drive on almost any computer without the need to install software. It provides an opportunity for education and outreach, introducing GIS tools of all levels, with a low level of knowledge needed to get started. While there are many potential uses of this tool, this research will focus on educational uses where this tool might increase accessibility and usability of GIS. The goal is to determine whether tools such as OSGeo Live lead to greater education and adoption of geospatial concepts and technologies.TRANSCRIPT
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/
Content of this presentation licensed under
Creative Commons: Attribution Share Alike