Teaching Hazards Geography and Geographic Information Systems: A Middle School Level Experience

Figures & data

Table 1 Hazards within South Carolina science academic standards (SCDE, 2005a)

Grade	#	Science indicator
2	2-3.2	Recall weather terminology (including temperature, wind direction, wind speed and precipitation as rain, snow, sleet and hail).
	2-3.4	Identify safety precautions that one should take during severe weather conditions.
3	3-3.9	Illustrate changes in Earth's surface that are due to slow processes (including weathering, erosion and deposition) and changes that are due to rapid processes (including landslides, volcanic eruptions, floods and earthquakes).
4	4-4.5	Summarise the conditions and effects of severe weather phenomena (including thunderstorms, hurricanes and tornadoes) and related safety concerns.
5	5-3.1	Explain how natural processes (including weathering, erosion, deposition, landslides, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and floods) affect Earth's oceans and land in constructive and destructive ways.
5	5-3.6	Explain how human activity (including conservation efforts and pollution) has affected the land and the oceans of Earth.
6	6-4.5	Summarise the relationship of the movement of air masses, high and low pressure systems, and frontal boundaries to storms (including thunderstorms, hurricanes and tornadoes) and other weather conditions.
7	7-4.4	Explain the interaction among changes in the environment due to natural hazards (including landslides, wildfires and floods), changes in populations, and limiting factors (including climate and the availability of food and water, space, and shelter).
8	8-3.4	Infer an earthquake's epicenter from seismographic data.
	8-3.7	Illustrate the creation and changing of landforms that have occurred through geologic processes (including volcanic eruptions and mountain-building forces).
	8-3.8	Explain how earthquakes result from forces inside Earth.
9∗	ES-3.4	Explain how forces due to plate tectonics cause crustal changes as evidenced in earthquake activity, volcanic eruptions and mountain building.
	ES-4.7	Summarise the evidence for the likely impact of human activities on the atmosphere (including ozone holes, greenhouse gases, acid rain and photochemical smog).
	ES-4.8	Predict weather conditions and storms (including thunderstorms, hurricanes and tornadoes) on the basis of the relationship among the movement of air masses, high- and low-pressure systems, and frontal boundaries.

Table 2 Hazards within South Carolina social studies academic standards (SCDE, 2005b)

Grade	#	Social studies indicator
K	K-2.3	Identify people in the community and school who enforce the rules that keep people safe, including crossing guards, firefighters and police officers.
	K-6.3	Match descriptions of work to the names of jobs in the school and local community, in the past and present, including jobs related to safety.
1	1-2.2	Compare the ways that people use land and natural resources in different settings across the world, including the conservation of natural resources and the actions that may harm the environment.
2	2-3.2	Identify the roles of leaders and officials in local government, including law enforcement and public safety officials.
7	7-7.7	Summarise the dangers to the natural environment that are posed by population growth, urbanisation and industrialisation.
8	8-5.5	Summarise the human, agricultural, and economic costs of natural disasters and wars that occurred in South Carolina or involved South Carolinians in the late nineteenth century, including the Charleston earthquake of 1886, the hurricane of 1893 and the Spanish American War.

Table 3 Topic presentation within the course∗

Lesson progression
Hazards tour; Introduction to hazards
Hurricanes overview; Hurricane Katrina; vulnerability; contrast with other hazards
Global positioning systems and its use for disasters; geocaching exercise
Introduction to GIS and its use for disasters
GIS use session I: Tools and concepts
GIS use session II: Working with disaster data
GIS use session III: Working with disaster data
Disaster mitigation game
Final project preparation and presentation

Table 4 Major hazard concepts introduced

Hazards concepts
Event types	Key terminology
a. Natural	a. Hazard
b. Technological	b. Disaster
c. Social	c. Risk
	d. Resilience
	e. Vulnerability
Measures/parameters	Emergency management
a. Magnitude	a. Mitigation
b. Intensity	b. Preparedness
c. Frequency	c. Response
d. Duration	d. Recovery
e. Rate of onset
f. Temporal spacing
g. Spatial dispersion
h. Areal extent

Table 5 Major GIS concepts introduced

GIScience concepts
Course GIScience concepts	GIS & T body of knowledge topics∗
Conceptual
Basic description of GIS
Intro to GPS	GD7-3
Data models and structures	DM1-1
Rater data model	DM3-2
Vector data model	DM4-1, DM4-2
Attribute data introduction
Thematic mapping concepts	CV4-1
Implementation
Linking spatial and attribute data
Attribute joins	AM2-2
Attribute data manipulation
Choropleth mapping	CV4-1, CV3-3
Spatial overlay	AM4-2
Buffering	AM4-1
Spatial selection	AM2-3
Rudimentary map design	CV3-1
Map production for use in presentations	CV5-2

Figure 1 Base map of Graniteville, SC

Figure 2 Vulnerability for Harrison County, MS – children vulnerability space

Figure 3 Vulnerability for Harrison County, MS – poverty vulnerability space

Figure 4 Overall place vulnerability for Harrison County, MS

Figure 5 Overall place vulnerability for Graniteville, SC

South Carolina Department of Education . 2005a . South Carolina Science Academic Standards , Columbia, SC : SCDE .

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South Carolina Department of Education . 2005b . South Carolina Social Studies Academic Standards , Columbia, SC : SCDE .

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DiBiase , D. , DeMers , M. , Johnson , A. , Kemp , K. , Luck , A. T. , Plewe , B. and Wentz , E. Geographic Information Science & Technology Body of Knowledge , Washington, DC : Association of American Geographers .

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