Teaching spatial modelling using interacting computers and interactive computer graphics

Abstract

The role of computer graphics in an undergraduate teaching project is described, where programming skills are acquired through spatial modelling. A model of the accessibility of the preschool population to child care clinics in Cardiff is presented, and it is argued that computer graphics represents an essential communications medium for developing and deepening insights into the problems posed by such simulations. In running the model, mini‐ and micro‐computers are linked, with the model and its graphic outputs being initially generated on the mini and then elaborated on the micro. The potential for aiding understanding and interpretation in both research and educational contexts is thus illustrated in terms of the way graphics are enhanced by sequential switching between computers and software.