I was asked to design a summer project for two high school students in Inuvik, NWT. The summer project needed to involve geomatics concepts while being accessible to interested students with possibly very little technical knowledge or skill. This was a part of larger attempt to engage community members with the Inuvik Satellite Station Facility and build geomatics capacity in the community.
I developed a project for the summer students to use special software to convert real-world location data into a playable Minecraft world. It exposed them to the field of geomatics, and also sparked the attention of community members.
To learn more:
- read the project's associated blog
- read a Simply Science article
To effectively reach the larger objective of engaging the interest of local community members, I spent time researching the age group, local history and culture. I wanted I incorporated as many aspects of geomatics as possible: cartography, online mapping, satellite. But my most important goal was to meet the students where they were at, by building the project around something fun.
What I didn't know, I sought out myself: sensitivity training for Indigenous engagement, training programs for the software being used (FME and ArcGIS Online), and mentorship with other mapping folks using Minecraft as a teaching tool.
Spending the summer in Inuvik, I worked with the summer students and taught them basic geomatics. Based on their interests, I added fieldwork sessions using handheld GPS receivers. I encouraged them to follow their interests in 3D modelling by learning SketchUp and building a replica of the satellite antennas.
Of course with any new approach, some mistakes will be made along the way. The important thing was to keep learning, trying, and asking for help when we needed it.
