The EarthKAM project: creating space imaging tools for teaching and learning

The EarthKAM Project is a NASA-supported partnership of secondary and unive rsity students with Earth Science and educational researchers. This report describes an ongoing series of activities that more effectively integrate E arth images into classroom instruction. In this project, students select an d analyze images of the Earth taken during Shuttle flights and use the tool s of modern science (computers, data analysis tools and the Internet) to di sseminate the images and results of their research. A related study, the Vi sualizing Earth Project, explores in greater detail the cognitive aspects o f image processing and the educational potential of visualizations in scien ce teaching and learning. The content and organization of the EarthKAM data system of images and metadata are also described. An associated project is linking this datasystem of images with the Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Na mes, which will allow users to access a wide range of geographic and politi cal information for the regions shown in EarthKAM images. Another project w ill provide tools for automated feature extraction from EarthKAM images. In order to make EarthKAM resources available to a larger number of schools, the next important goal is to create an integrated datasystem that combines iterative resource validation and publication, with multimedia management of instructional materials. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reser ved.