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Resource Spotlight: ESRI Grants for GIS/GPS
In the past six years, ESRI has offered more than 500 software and curriculum grants to outfit 4-H clubs that want to do geospatial programming. The 2010 grant application period has opened, and new applications are due by December 1.
Using GIS software and guided by GIS professionals, youth in 4-H clubs will do projects that illuminate realities in their communities. 4-H embraces geospatial learning for clubs because it provides an opportunity to learn about technology, community and is an essential 21st-century skill.
By taking up geospatial activities, clubs can offer youth a fun activity that teaches valuable geography and technology skills. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the number of jobs requiring GIS skills will grow much faster than average through 2016. Right now, that includes cartographers and surveyors, but in future more and more consumer goods companies will use GIS to track the movement of goods using tags embedded with chips.
What is GIS? Loosely defined, it is the overlap between maps and facts. The maps can be generated by hand-held geographic positioning system (GPS) units, which can be carried from place to place, charting exact coordinates by satellite, or they can be existing maps. The facts can be gathered by the GPS user on-site or imported from databases or other public records. By overlaying the maps with the facts, youth can produce very precise illustrations of conditions in their own neighborhoods. For example, GIS may be used to show the differences in speed of emergency response, analyze rates of cancer, the health of trees or lakes, the rate of home ownership, voting participation or other data by exact location.
Esther Worker, who coordinates this grant program for ESRI, says it is exciting to watch youth develop GIS and presentation skills, and that the projects have effected some remarkable results. “4-H youth in Maine recently surprised adults by evaluating their community’s emergency preparedness options for floods. The town is split by a river and while one side had ready access to multiple shelters, the other side had only limited resources. Community officials have now asked the 4-H youth to assist them in identifying appropriate resources and creating an emergency preparedness brochure,” she said.
ESRI GIS grant recipients will receive a group of software programs, GIS books and training materials and have access to expert advice on their projects. They will submit a project to the ESRI Community Atlas program, and do a community service learning project. See projects done by previous grantees.
There are three grants, corresponding to the level of GIS experience a club has. The number given each year varies; last year about 50 grants were awarded in total.
- Getting started with GIS and GPS Grants
- Good for 4-H clubs that are new to technology and GIS software. They will receive curriculum and software.
- Introductory Grants
- For clubs that already have experience working with GIS technology and want to learn more. It includes the same software that a local planning office or assessor might use to track taxes or property, ArcView, plus curriculum and online courses.
- Intermediate Grants
- For previous recipients of Introductory Grants. Groups may continue with the ArcView software or move up to the ArcGIS Editor software. For more information on which software meets your needs, see http://www.esri.com/software/arcgis/about/gis-for-me.html). They may also receive additional software that is used by many parks departments and forestry companies, useful for environmental projects.
The grant application period started on October 1 and applications must be received by December 1. Grant decisions will be made in December, and the software will be shipped in January and February. ESRI is a privately owned, 30-year-old geographic software company that has several grant-making programs. It has offered the 4-H grants annually since 2004, working closely with CYFERnet and national 4-H headquarters to address the 4-H science, engineering and technology mandate.