Determine Consequences of Different Environmental Choices

• Practice analyzing geospatial data
• Linked to a real world scenario

Using two aerial photos — one from 1963 and one from 1991 — students take a scientific look at changes that have occurred in the 28 years between those dates. Using a transparency grid overlay, students count the number of blocks that cover different types of areas (e.g., manmade structures, forest, open land, water) on each photo. They will then create a pictorial grid of the area for each year, calculate land area percentages and compare the two. This study opens the avenue to consideration of water quality, population changes, land use, habitat, topography, soil evaluation and town planning and zoning. Developed by Edward Duncanson, the activity includes materials for 10 setups and instructions.