This is the place to find data projects and GIS information. For example, weather data projects, development data as well as digital maps and ideas for the use of GIS.

GeoDataSource World Cities Database

GeoDataSource provides geographical database gazetteers of world features, cities and ZIP Codes with place names, coordinates, latitude, longitude, and distance calculation.  There is a free query interface for general public.

http://www.geodatasource.com

Globalrichlist

www.globalrichlist.com  is in $ or if you want to do it in £ then C4 have one too www.channel4.com/4money/funnymoney/richometer/index.html

Thanks to Tony Cassidy Kirk Hallam, Derbyshire, for recommending this site.A great starter activity and scary too. Use it to get pupils to guestimate how many people earn more than

1000000
100000
10000
1000
100 dollars per year and then reveal it! and ask what surprised them?

GIS survey -  you did help

I'm a Masters student at the Institute in London (Ashley Kent/Sheila King are my tutors) looking at the use of GIS in enquiry based learning and developing spatial skills and wondered if you/your site contributors would like to take part? I have done quite a bit of action research myself (not exclusively in Geography which has been quite exciting) and would be keen to contribute what I can to inform others. 

Mary has updated me recently, saying your responses were really useful, and says "Thanks to all busy SLN users who took part in the recent GIS survey. If anyone else would like help or advice on getting started with GIS or in developing their GIS use in schools please get in touch, thanks again."

Download questionnaire

 Hope any of you  you can help, Mary Fargher  mgfargher@hotmail.com ]

Spreadsheet lessons

Sheila Morrison, Fortismere School in London has offered this Year 7 climate graphs speadsheet lesson. It is used after class had had an introduction to climates in Australia using Australia 2000 video.  Skill to draw climate graphs developed in next lesson.  Pupils responded really well to this activity it supported the weaker pupils whilst allowing the stronger pupils to use some high level analysis to explain the climate graphs. It is particularly nicely designed and structured.

Download spreadsheet Download worksheet

Local-Global survey of employment 

Allyson Taylor, Slough Grammar School, has asked: She has just carried out an investigation into the sectors of employment of friends and families of our year 8 pupils. She has managed to get nearly 900 pieces of data which relate to the last 50 years and both MEDCs and LEDCs and have produced some interesting patterns. Would any others be interested in doing the same research and contrasting our data with theirs? 

She is particularly interested in rural schools.  The lesson outline, the form and the spreadsheet that will automatically do the calculation are here. This is a wonderful national potential project.  if people could send me the data too, I will collate the spreadsheets.  I may if it works to be able to create an interactive map.  Go for it?

Thanks to one school in Chatteris Cambs, Allyson was able to compare with the results from Slough. Here is the ppt presentation

7-11 Weblinks GIS and data from the web 

We have updated our weblinks to GIS and databases that are online.

It includes environmental, quality of life, river, population data...

Send us any links that you have.

GIS potential 2003 

Dave Hassell from BECTa has kindly offered his presentation for people to download.  It is visual and it is big but it does show what the potential is.

david.hassell@becta.org.uk  http://www.becta.org.uk  & http://www.ictadvice.org.uk 

Help us update GIS stories please

We are looking for stories on the web like this one where Geographic Information Systems [GIS] are used in global business, transport and environmental projects- Any suggestions? 

This example about the retail chain Tesco in Japan could be used to look at overseas investment and interconnections between the UK and Japan.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,5-709979,00.html  http://www.mapinfo.co.uk/download/customer/Tesco.pdf  (This is about Tesco using MapInfo [a GIS] to help with expansion into Asia) http://www.thisismoney.com/20021227/nm57280.html  http://japan.internet.com/ecnews/20001004/9.html  http://japan.internet.com/ecnews/20000720/8.html  http://www.siamfuture.com/AsianNews/AsianNewsTxt.asp?aid=2410 

This was the old one to give you ideas Stories and Geographical Information

Please email them to chris.durbin@staffordshire.gov.uk   

Next year's date GIS Day 2004 will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2004

Why not tell your pupils a story about GIS on this day or another. Lots of ideas and resources at http://www.gisday.com

Other links at www.esri.com www.mapinfo.com www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk

Census 2001 - Staffordshire

There are more weblinks from the weblinks pages!

As you know census data for 2001 is dribbling out of the Office for National Statistics www.statistics.gov.uk and now Neighbourhood Statistics is on line too with a small GIS system built in.

Mark Sproston from Development Services has kindly made available: 

A district census data report - 300mb pdf file

A spreadsheet of population for Staffordshire as Excel file 

Download quickly by right clicking and save target as

There is also more details on the Staffordshire Research and Information Network http://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/live/welcome.asp?id=1452  

Check out the GIS FIles from the Ordnance Survey