Geographical literacy and knowledge of geographic information systems (GIS) technology is highly beneficial to young students. Thanks to many years of work by experts in the field, Minnesota is the U.S. leader in K-12 GIS education.
The University of Minnesota’s U-Spatial has created a new hub site that aims to support GIS education in K-12 students by supporting the partnership among GIS, education, and research professionals; advancing best practices; and helping students connect with careers using GIS. The other members of the partnership are the Minnesota Alliance for Geographic Education (MAGE), the Minnesota Department of Education, and the Minnesota GIS/LIS Consortium. A UMN GIS in K-12 collaborative connects this work across the UMN system. A cross-section of faculty experts from are participating in this collaboration, including members from:
- U of M Twin Cities College of Education and Human Development
- U of M Twin Cities College of Liberal Arts
- U of M Twin Cities College of Design
- U of M Duluth College of Liberal Arts
- U of M Duluth College of Education and Human Service Professions
U-Spatial associate director Stacey Stark talks about the UMN GIS in K-12 Collaborative and GIS education in a Case Study published by Esri, the company that develops the mapping and spatial analytics software ArcGIS. The Case Study can be found on the Esri website: Minnesota Offers a Road Map for Expanding GIS Literacy in K-12 Schools.
Research Computing partners:
- U-Spatial
- UMII (funding)
