Educational Map Apps

Thomas Bartoschek (ifgi), Grischa Gundelsweiler (Esri Deutschland),
Markus Herzog (Esri Deutschland), Lars Schmitz (Esri Deutschland),
Oliver Meyer (con terra)

This site shows results from our seminar "Educational Map Apps" in the winter semester 2011/12.

The Web has revealed the immense value and applicability of GIS not only to business and administration but also in the educational context. It strongly changed user expectations and introduced new flexible GIS architectures for use with modern IT-infrastructures. In this course the students analyzed existing Web GIS applications and mapping architectures in the educational context. They learned basic principles of user design and the mediation of spatial information concepts. ArcGIS Server as a platform for data management and geospatial web services was introduced with a focus on web service interfaces (SOAP, REST) and the multitude of APIs (for the Web: JavaScript, Flex, Silverlight; or for Mobile platforms: iOS, Android, Windows Phone).

After 4 days of lectures in October, 7 groups worked for 3 months on their MapApps (browser based or native applications on mobile platforms) with the goal to realize applications with a primarily educational, societal focus (topics could be mobility, demography, environment, culture, civic partizipation, health, infrastructure etc.) and used Open Government Data (OGD) if available.

The seminar was organized in cooperation of ifgi, Esri and con terra. Please find the apps as presented below.

Fundmap

(Christian Kruse, Julian Kuhlmann, Matthias Robbers)

Fundmap is a browser based map app that deals with the discovery of lost properties which is based on freely available online data of lost property offices. Lost objects are visualized at the place textually specified by the finder when bringing it to the office. Instead of browsing the lists of lost properties, the searcher interacts with the map to watch the area around the place of the loss. Found objects are distinguished by several categories like technical devices, clothes or keys and can be displayed seperately or combined. Furthermore the shown objects can be controlled by defining the time period of the loss. If the users specifies a start and an end value, only things that were found within those days are displayed on the map. An animation that lets those objects appear day by day can be started via a play button. In the info bubble of each map object there is a link that leads the user to the website of the appropriate lost property office.

The currently visible data is provided by the lost property office of the city of Münster while OpenStreetMap is used as the base map. The portability to every other city that provides lost property data with location information is ensured.

→ Link | Presentation

LWL-Atlas

(Stefan Arndt, Martin Düren)

The LWL-Atlas is a WebGIS displaying demographic data from Westphalia, provided by the LWL (Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe). The main functionalities are the production of coropleth maps with manual or autmated classifications and color themes, the display of pie charts for distinct data, an automatic legend and a time slider for temporal data. Additionally the basemap can be chosen from different sources: Openstreetmap, BingMaps... The tool is made for use in school context and can be used on an interactive white board or by the students in the browser.

→ Link | Presentation

Leezi

(Benjamin Böcker, Sebastian Niklasch, Fabian Weber)

Leezi is a web application for citizens whose bikes got stolen. They can mark the location on a map and enter additional information like surroundings or pictures. It's also possible to see statistics about stolen bikes in certain timeframes and get first aid and helpful information in case of a bike theft.

→ Link | Presentation

Location App

(Marc Dragunski, Ilka Heinrich, Sven Mattauch, Matthias Pfeil)

The Location finding tool on the other hand should be used with the help of a teacher who is interested in the use of modern media in schools. The Location finding app follows the idea of location factors and in our case needs a teacher for further instructions.

→ Link | Presentation

Orientation App

(Marc Dragunski, Ilka Heinrich, Sven Mattauch, Matthias Pfeil)

With the Orientation App we address children in the age range from 10-12 They should learn mostly by themselves, how to navigate on maps and how to differentiate real life buildings and their map counter parts.

→ Link | Presentation