Background

EDINA Digimap is a JISC-funded web service that delivers Ordnance Survey (OS) cartographic products and digital map data across the Internet, via a simple-to-use interface. It provides convenient, on-demand access to some of the best and most detailed map data available anywhere in the world, building on the successful JISC Electronic Libraries (eLib) Digimap project.

Evaluations revealed that the eLib Digimap Project both encouraged the use of OS data in teaching, and promoted the use of digital data in disciplines outside the traditional 'map domains' of geography and cartography. Over 80% of users were non-geographers and 60% were undergraduates.

Currently, there is a skills/concepts gap between creating a map, which is very easily accomplished, and downloading digital map data for use in Geographical Information Systems (GIS) or drawing software packages.

Fig. 1: The skills/concepts gap

e-MapScholar aims to fill the gap, supporting both those learners who need to progress to using these software packages, and also those whose needs are more simple: to understand how to use geo-spatial data more effectively.

The objectives of the e-MapScholar project are:

• To promote the use of geo-spatial data in learning and teaching
  
  
• To support learners by providing a range of tools, tutorials and learning materials that develop skills in the use of digital map data and knowledge of geo-spatial concepts
  
  
• To support the use of geo-spatial data in teaching by providing exemplar case studies and customisable modularised resources for lecturing staff
  
  
• To support the learner in integrating digital data from other sources with OS data
  
  
• To support the learner in using data visualisation concepts and techniques
  
  
• To provide opportunities for learners to develop workplace-related skills in the use of geo-spatial data, using problem-based learning techniques.
  
  

Given the growing use of spatial data in the real world, where over 80% of all data used in business have spatial elements, an understanding of these data is increasingly part of the skill set of the well-educated graduate. The project aims to support learning in this area, as well as the needs of teaching staff to provide new, exciting and interactive learning materials using geo-spatial data.

back to top ^ Last Updated: March 4, 2004