GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION-SYSTEMS AS AN EDUCATIONAL-TOOL

When a Geographic Information System (GIS) is implemented in a classro om environment, valuable skills such as creative thought and problem s olving can be encouraged. A group of college students were given the p roblem of siting a sanitary landfill for Brazos County, Texas, utilizi ng the technology of a GIS. They decided on the criteria needed and ho w the data and criteria would fit into a GIS. With minimal experience, they developed a data base and completed the task in a manner accepta ble to private industry and governmental agencies. The use of GIS prov ided a physical product displaying the interrelationships between regu lations, physical environment, group actions, and individual thinking.