Page 81 - The Bellfort - Summer 2015

Environment & Society: Geography Department – GCSE GIS Trip to University of Ulster Coleraine The Year 12 GCSE Geogra- phy class took part in a new STEM initiative promoting GIS (Geographical Infor- mation Systems). The class were invited to the Univer- sity of Ulster Coleraine to work alongside PGCE stu- dents to complete a GIS task using their state of the The applications of GIS Students quickly got to art software. were also addressed in this grips with the equipment day -long event. Pupils took and were able to navigate GIS are computer-based part in a task where special- their way around the Dia- systems that enable users ist tracking devices were mond Hall with surprising to integrate a range of geo- used to monitor their loca- accuracy! graphic data to understand tion as they walked around their environment. GIS are campus. The data was col- a fundamental and fast- lated and recorded via sat- growing part of the econo- ellite allowing us to moni- my on a regional, national tor in a real time the loca- and global scale. This taster tion of each pupil. The ac- session not only aforded curacy of such devices the GCSE students the op- were impressive, being pre- portunity to develop new cise to within a 30 cm area. skills but also proved in- formative from a careers aspect where students We also had a glimpse of were told of the numerous the future using GIS with careers available to GIS Paul Alexander fies the pupils being able to fy an graduates. £800 drone helicopter us- drone under instruction from Dr P Mackenzie (UUC) ing GIS software. THE BELLFORT SUMMER 2015 81