This FREE online geography website provides interested individuals (geographers) with decent explanations and instructions on how anyone can use some very practical geographic tools. All of us in this class are fortunate to be blessed enough to attend a school like University of Richmond and learn from great infrastructures in hands on lessons and lab meetings. Not all young adults across the United States have these same luxuries. There are many people who would love to learn about the environment and the practical use of geographic tools but never get the exposure.
The website provides “useful links” accompanied by downloads to many tools we have been exposed to in our geography class. Some of these include Archaeogeek, GIS and Science, Google Earth, Google Lat Long and much more.
I particularly like this cite because the author offers explanations for beginners starting with the basics of how to read and make maps and then all the way up to professional geographers.
Here I have included a link to a video for Photo Fly: “Project Photofly is a cloud-based service that converts 2D photographs to 3D computer models. It is available as a free technology preview on Autodesk Labs. This video demonstrates how to take a series of photographs with a standard digital camera to maximize the results.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YNrQA6eofI
The author also talks about fun tricks and tools that one can do with a Garmin GPS device. I was very intrigued by this because I have always been a huge fan of portable GPS devices; primarily from when I used to fish a lot. Whether I was out in the ocean or on a freshwater lake my grandfather would always save points on the GPS memory so we would know where we had luck catching fish or ran into a big school the previous day.
Two particular tools the author provides downloads for include:
1) MapSource Uploader – A program to help install OSM-based Garmin maps into MapSource/BaseCamp.
2) Route Editor – GUI to create custom Garmin routing styles
Overall this is a useful website for any interested beginner or experienced geographer.
Thanks,
Jack
Hi Jack,
I really enjoyed reading you post about this cite with free geography tools. I completely agree that we are very fortunate to attend a school such as the University of Richmond where we have so many tools at our disposable. From my experience working with GIS and other geography software tools, I know that the cost of acquiring the software can be extremely high. Not only that, but learning how to use the software can be just as large of an obstacle as the cost. It is great to see that there is a platform where people can not only obtain the software but also the instruction on how to use it for free.
This site has so much potential for anyone who is motivated to learn more about geographic tools. This website is a great resource for anyone that wants to get into GPS or mapping, but is not sure where to begin. The manuals and screenshots provide a very thorough explanation on how to use a number of different tools that I would never have any idea how to use. I sometimes find myself aimlessly looking on Google Maps while I put off doing work, but this website will provide more direction and purpose to looking at maps by having the knowledge to use more in depth tools.
I really appreciate that this website provides these tools with beginners in mind. I remember when we used Google Earth and even some of the mapping tools for the first time, I wished for some sort of tutorial on how to use the tools.
I also like your story about fishing with your grandfather. It served as a reminder that we can use these tools in everyday life beyond the geography classroom!