Google Earth & Geospatial Projects Event

Mapping Historical Resources, Harrisonburg, VA, Kevin Borg, History Dept.
Professor Borg began by passing around a map of Harrisonburg. The representational graphic allowed the audience to see the types of maps Borg and his students worked with. Borg and his students scanned sections of maps drawn in 1912. Borg then used Google Earth Pro to piece together the maps of 1912. He then overlapped this now complete map on top of the Google Earth images of Harrisonburg. This allows students and citizens of Harrisonburg to compare what the town used to consist of versus what it consists of today. The visuals were very helpful. The images of Harrisonburg today were very recognizable because they were full colored pictures. It was difficult to truly picture what Harrisonburg looked like in 1912 because it was only represented by line drawings that mapped out infrastructures of the town. However, Borg did mention that he hoped to receive grant money that would allow him access to colored images of Harrisonburg in 1912. The visuals Borg used helped change the audiences perspective of the subject because people do not often walk around a town thinking of what it used to look like. Instead, we only focus on today. It was interesting to see into the past of Harrisonburg and to realize how it has developed. The graphics were presented using a projector and screen. This equipment may have effected the images due to the screen resolution and how many pixels the projector lens presents. Borg did a good job of expressing how the process was for him and his students and made it possible for the audience to understand the struggles the students went through without actually hearing from them. Borg used a few terms that I was not aware of before this presentation. First, I learned that "Art GIS" is a map making program. Then, I learned the technique "rubber sheeting", where one looks for anything that exists on maps now that had also existed in the past (as in 1912). Also, I learned that "geotips" are tip files that have the location (longitude and latitude) embedded in them.


Interactive Geologic Maps of Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley Region, Steve Whitmeyer, Geology & Environmental Science Dept.
Steve Whitmeyer used representational graphics to discuss the geological make up of Virginia. He used Google Earth  Pro to show the audience maps, cross sections, and actual photographs of the different types of rocks that make up the land in the Virginia area. Whitmeyer said that he hoped to create a geological template for Virginia and, if successful, would use the template for other areas of the world as well. He aimed to help citizens have a better understanding of the regional development of Virginia as a whole. This presentation seemed to be more technical and was mostly aimed towards those with a general understanding of geology. It was helpful that Whitmeyer used several different types of graphics. He did the presentation in layers. Whitmeyer began by showing an image of Virginia. He then zoomed in and the map separated the different regions of Virginia into different colors. As he zoomed closer and closer the images became more detailed. They started to show the types of rocks in the region and the different elevations of the land. Whitmeyer had also embedded links to photos of different areas to help the audience picture exactly what area was being discussed. Whitmeyer used a projector and screen. The equipment may have affected the image clarity due to the screen resolution and number of pixels the projector lens presented. It would have been helpful to see images of other geological maps to compare the similarities and differences between them and Whitmeyer's. It was difficult to follow this presentation at points because I am unaware of geological terms. Whitmeyer did not express why this template would be helpful to citizens of Harrisonburg and/or Virginia as a whole.