Mobile Decision-making in the Cloud (MobiDiC)

Abstract

The Mobile Decision-making in the Cloud (MobiDiC) project sought to create a geographically enabled, online, collaborative environment (geocollaboratory) to support fieldwork in the geosciences, specifically for undergraduate and postgraduate GIS fieldwork. This article begins by reiterating the pedagogic benefits of fieldwork, before discussing the project’s value by integrating social networks and an online infrastructure to enable student collaboration into the normal fieldwork paradigm using a GIS fieldtrip to Malta as a case study. We evaluate the approach using an exercise that was repeated over two days with identical goals but different instructional methodologies. The innovative approach enhanced staff — student communication, reflective learning and inquiry-based learning during a week-long fieldtrip to Malta for GIS students through widespread use of mobile technology and social networks. The approach was awarded an Innovation in GIS award at the Esri(UK) conference in 2010 and Best Multimedia map at the Esri International User Conference in 2010.

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences (GEES) Subject Centre Learning and Teaching Development Fund . The work was completed whilst the authors were Principal Lecturers in GIS at Kingston University, London and they wish to acknowledge the participation of successive groups of GIS students whose hard work led to the success of the Mobile GIS field course to Malta during their time at Kingston. The field course won an Esri(UK) Innovation in GIS award in 2010 and the geo-collaborative twitter map won the Best Multimedia map at the Esri International User Conference in 2010.