Selecting a Target Observational Science & the Five Skills of Geography

Observational Science What it is… Five key skills of geography Link to ISSEarthKAM and good science and geography

Three Types of Science Experimental Science –Scientific method –Manipulating variables

Three Types of Science Theoretical Science –Application of scientific logic and laws…

Three Types of Science Observational Science –Seeing less than manipulating or applying laws

Purposes Answer fundamental questions about the Earth system One of NASA’s key areas of interest

Military Applications

Earth Science Applications

Homeland Security Applications

Guidelines for Conducting Observational Science Select a theme to study Select Areas of Interest (AOIs) –Regions as examples –Regions as anomalies –Regions as analogues Limit your study Prepare a research plan –See Five Skills of Geography Collect data –Images and supporting information Conduct your analysis Make your conclusions Verify

Five Core Skills Asking geographic questions –Where? Acquiring geographic information –Gathering data Organizing geographic information –Maps, reports, and more Analyzing geographic information –What does it mean? Answering geographic questions –What have I learned?

Why skills are important… Provide necessary tools and techniques for thinking spatially Necessary for making wise personal, community, governmental, and business decisions Community, government, and business decisions Life skills

Asking Geographic Questions Why things are where they are and how they got there… –Where is it located? –Why is it there? –What else is there, too? –What are the consequences of the location and associations of things there? –What is being observed? –What are my perceptions of it?

Asking Geographic Questions Skills…  Students identify geographic issues and themes and/or define problems  Students ask geographic questions  Students can plan and organize a geographic research project Specify a problem Pose a research question or hypothesis Identify areas in need of investigation Test the hypothesis/answer the question

Acquiring Geographic Information What is geographic information? Information about locations, Human and physical characteristics of locations, About the geographic activities and conditions of humans who live there Kinds of geographic data? –Primary –Images, field work, community-based learning –Secondary –Texts, maps, statistics, photos, multimedia, computer- based databases, telephone directories

Acquiring Geographic Information Skills…  Locating and collecting data  Images, maps, and a variety of other sources  Observation and systematic recording of information  Interpretation of maps and other graphics

Organizing Geographic Information Many ways to organize and present geographic information –Annotated images –Maps –Graphs, tables, spreadsheets, and timelines –Oral and written reports –Multimedia: pictures, maps, graphs, captions, web pages –Poems, collages, plays, journal writing, and essays

Analyzing Geographic Information Seeking patterns, relationships, and connections within geographic information Maps/Images spatial patterns Graphs trends/relationships Data sequences, correlations, trends Texts explanations/syntheses

Answering Geographic Questions Developing and making generalizations –Key ideas that students should learn at the culmination of a process of inquiry –Requires that students Use the information they have collected, processed & analyzed OR Take the evidence they have acquired to make decisions, solve problems, or make judgments on a question, problem, or issue

Answering Geographic Questions Organizing geographic information Analyzing geographic information Answering geographic questions Asking geographic questions Acquiring geographic information Last step in the process of inquiry…

Problem Based Learning Five SkillsPBL Ask geographic questions Select a problem with a spatial focus and make it a problem. Acquire geographic information Collect primary data from observations, field work. Locate existing supporting data. Organize geographic information Organize data spatially, explore geographic relationships, annotate Analyze geographic information Explore images, analyze, synthesize, explain relationshipps. Answer geographic questions Summarize & offer possible solutions to the problem.

Remote Sensing ‘science and art of identifying, observing, and measuring an object without coming into direct contact with it’ --a tool and technique

Remote Sensing Process: –Detection and measurement of ELECTROMAGENTIC RADIATION at different wavelengths reflected or emitted from distant objects/materials –Data provides ability to identify Earth features & materials

Remote Sensing Purpose: –Identify and categorize by class/type, substance, and spatial distribution e.g., features in a scene (presented as image) classified into categories or classes Image-->thematic map e.g., land use, vegetation types, rainfall –Can also abstract information about an object

Color… Objects appear different at different wavelengths and produce different information, Computers can be used to produce a color image from a black and white remote sensing data set.

Remote Sensing Methods PLATFORM e.g., pigeon, balloon, airplane, satellite Remote sensing instrument e.g., radiometer, radar, spectrometer [AVHRR, MODIS, ETM+] Object, area, phenomenon viewed by sensor system

Remote Sensing Platform + instrument: Satellite + sensor Data from Earth orbiting satellites transmitted using radio waves to ground stations-->digital image. Digital image-->tiny shapes “PIXELS” (represent the energy reflected or emitted by each pixel)

Remote Sensing PIXEL = area on ground (& image) that is a measure of the sensor’s ability to resolve (see) objects of different sizes 15 meters Higher resolution (smaller pixel area)-->able to see smaller objects # of pixels in an image-->calculate area of a scene

Satellites Human-made spacecraft placed in space to orbit another body –Crewed e.g., space shuttle, ISS –Uncrewed e.g., TERRA

Satellite Orbits… Each satellite has a set path above Earth= orbit varies with satellite’s purpose –polar orbit (circular above poles to survey all or portion of Earth as it turns below) –geosynchronous orbit (above equator at 35,888 km to match and “floating over” a point on equator –Low Earth orbit e.g., Space shuttle –Elliptical orbit

Why bother? Provide way-cool information…