GIS Edu Weekly: Authorities at the door

COVID-19 Mapping 

NPR: New Data Reveal Which Hospitals Are Dangerously Full. Is Yours? - There's a county based choropleth map and a tool to search for the details in your own county.

83 Degrees: USF researchers develop web portals to map COVID-19 by ZIP code, forecast outbreaks - What might an anthropologist who specializes in geoscience and archaeology, and a computer whiz with a background in aquatic environmental science bring to COVID-19 mapping and prediction?

Pew Research: The Changing Geography of COVID-19 in the U.S. -  The report reveals "how the geography of the coronavirus has changed as the coronavirus spread across the country."

Resources for Teaching and Learning 

US News: What You Need to Know About Becoming a Geography Major - "Geography and cartography majors study the intersection of humans and the environment through the social sciences, humanities and natural sciences. That includes exploring built and natural environments over time and understanding human activity within them." GIS is mentioned: "These specialized computer systems are used to describe spaces and compare data points..."

Futurity: Maps depict and shape history, power, identity -  "The stories maps tell—and particularly the way they can show how some troubling aspects of the colonial past continue to affect our present—are primarily what interest Kyle Wanberg, a clinical associate professor in global liberal studies and author of the new book Maps of Empire: A Topography of World Literature (University of Toronto Press, 2020)."

People

ENMU: ENMU Anthropology Graduate Student Conducts Geospatial Study of Blackwater Draw Site - Taylor McCoy is pursuing a master's degree in anthropology at Eastern New Mexico University; she's "conducting a geospatial study of Blackwater Draw Locality 1 using documents from previous archaeological investigations at the locality."

USA Today: Who is Rebekah Jones? Former Florida COVID-19 data scientist had home raided by authorities - A discussion of this week's raid of her home and her role in mapping Florida's pandemic data.

Meanwhile in Education

Huff Post:  Inside Classrooms, The Differences Between Haves And Haves-Nots Have Already Grown - "They attend the same schools and have the same teachers, but some kids have started to fall behind their wealthier classmates." Via @audreywatters.

Kahawatunga: Somalia Gov’t Expresses Regret After Geography Teacher Found Error In Textbook Cutting Coastline by 533KM -  A Form Four Geography text book cut the Somalia coastline from 3,333KM to 2,800KM. A teacher found the error. The ministry of education suggested that the error would be corrected in a future edition.

Jack Sometimes Writes: How does Brown University know where you are? - When Brown University started sending letters notifying students they were not off-campus as they said they were, PhD student Jack Wrenn explored if and how the administration might know that. Via @audreywatters.

SamR's Assorted Musings and Rants: Mastery grading - A discussion of the challenges and potential benefits of mastery grading in computer science. The author, Sam Rebelsky, is a very thoughtful educator at Grinnell College and a longtime friend.

Programs and Courses

OPB: Western Oregon University plans to eliminate several majors and programs - "In a finalized plan, released last week by a task force that included WOU President Rex Fuller, the university said it will eliminate majors including anthropology, philosophy and geography, as well as its master’s programs in information systems and in music. The plan said the cuts were necessary because of low or declining enrollment."

USGIF: High School GEOINT Credentialing Added to Missouri’s Credential List  - Missouri high school districts can choose, independently, to give high school credits to students who take and pass American Youth and Business Alliance Academies Inc. (AYBAA) and USGIF’s training program. USGIF described high school students "enduring" the "training" in the pilot version of the program, held in June.

Alabama Cooperative Extension/Auburn: SmartMap - The free online course "reviews available technology and provides step-by-step tutorials in using two GIS mapping applications for building maps. It also explores UAS technology for both aerial scouting and capturing up-to-date aerial imagery for use in mapping. This course offers a certificate of completion and, for a fee, Alabama forester and logger CEU credits." The offering is based on a previous face to face workshop.

URI Graduate Certificate in GIS and Geospatial Technologies - "The certificate is delivered in asynchronous online, seven-week modules that allows for flexibility to fit your schedule, and the four 3-credit courses can be completed in as little as 2 semesters." The spring 2021 cohort starts 1/12 with applications due 12/15.

AAG: Advocate for Geography in Austerity - I'd have called it "How to advocate..." since it offers "what geography departments can do (and should not do) to advocate for their work in budget talks." It's from AAG President Amy Lobben.

Esri

Esri: COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Resources - Esri hosts a hub with sample applications interpret the CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Program Interim Playbook for jurisdiction operations to determine population phases, allocate resources, select new sites in a sample region, and communicate these results with the public." This is one of those times when even if you are not using Esri tools, you'll want to look at the workflow.

Online Maps for Ohio Schools: Learn about online mapping and analysis with ArcGIS Online, and a competition for students in grades 4-12. Info at https://esriurl.com/funwithgis279.  Today Dec 10 at 4 pm EST. Via @GISed.