Category Archives: Education

Geography Awareness Week Events You Won’t Want to Miss!

By iowaviewNovember 11, 2022Announcement, Education, Event, Geography Awareness Week, National Geographic2022 Geo Tech Center Virtual GIS Day, Geo Tech Center, GIS Day Events, GIS Day Facebook Live Event with Joseph Kerski, Maria Fadiman, National Geographic Explorer, National Geographic Society, People Plants and You, The Art and Science of Sustainability

Please consider joining our in-person event in the College of Design in Ames, Iowa. Here are a few virtual events taking place during Geography Awareness Week:

Monday, November 14, 2022 – 10 am (Central) – People, Plants, and You! presented by Maria Fadiman – Join National Geographic Explorer Maria Fadiman to learn how people connect with plants around the globe–and the importance of geography! https://www.nationalgeographic.org/tickets/explorer-classroom/event/PeoplePlantsAndYou/

Wednesday, November 16, 2022 – 10 am to 4pm – 2022 GeoTech Center Virtual GIS Day
Speakers will present on a number of GIS related topics throughout the day – View Agenda https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/23b6ae31a4e8443290a6efbd868b4c20

Wednesday, November 16, 2022 – 1 pm (Central) – Live GIS Day Facebook Live Event with Joseph Kerski
Join geographer, educator, and GIS professional Joseph Kerski to (1) Celebrate the users of GIS, (2) Explore why maps and geotechnologies are relevant to 21st Century problem-solving, and (3) Discover how you can make your own maps and pursue your own learning! https://fb.me/e/3PtnqfMUz

Thursday, November 17, 2022 – 1 pm (Central) – The Art and Science of Sustainability presented by E Wen Wong – Learn how National Geographic Explorer E Wen Wong’s organization relies on both art and science to illustrate how we are impacting the environment and to inspire positive environmental change.
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/tickets/explorer-classroom/event/ArtandScienceofSustainability2/

Are you Counting Down to GIS Day 2022?

By iowaviewNovember 9, 2022Announcement, Education, Event, Geography Awareness Week, Landsat, Landsat Golden Jubilee, Outreach#geoweek, #IowaView, #Landsat50, 30 years of ISU GIS Facility, Anniversary Party, Geography Awareness Week, GIS Day 2022, Landsat Celebration, Landsat Golden Jubilee

Wednesday, November 16, 2022, the Iowa State University GIS Facility will be hosting an open house event for GIS Day from 11:30 to 2:00 in the North atrium of the College of Design.

This year we will also be celebrating the 30th anniversary of the ISU GIS Facility and 50 years of Landsat, the US Land Satellite mission. We will have refreshments and giveaways. It will be a chance for students interested in the GIS minor and GIS certificate programs to ask questions and to meet with GIS professionals. We have confirmed professionals from the Iowa Department of Transportation coming to showcase some of their work. If other GIS professionals are interested in reserving time to meet with students, please contact Amy Logan.

IowaView Staff Make STEAM at Art Educators Fall Conference

By iowaviewOctober 10, 2022Article, Conference, Earth Observation Day, Education, Landsat, Landsat Golden Jubilee, Lesson Plan, OutreachArt Educators of Iowa, Davenport, Discovering Earth As Art, earth observation, Fall Conference, Figge Art Museum, Landsat Collage, STEAM

Celebrating Zero Emissions Day with Landsat – A Solar Farm in Wapello, Iowa

By iowaviewSeptember 21, 2022#Time Lapse Tuesday, Education, Landsat, Landsat Golden Jubilee, Outreach, Remote Sensing#IowaView, #Landsat50, Bands 652, Changing Sandbars, Iowa, Landsat Golden Jubilee, Louisa County, Reduce Emissions, September 21, Solar Farm, Southeast Iowa, Wapello, Zero Emissions Day

Change Over Time – Flooding on the Landscape (NW Iowa)

By iowaviewAugust 24, 2022Education, Environmental Change, Imagery, Landsat Golden Jubilee, Observation, Remote Sensing#Landsat50, 1990, 1993, 2008, 2022, Barringer Slough, Clay County, Des Moines River, drought recovery, Emmetsburg, flooding, Flooding on the Landscape, heavy flooding, Iowa, Landsat Golden Jubilee, Little Sioux River, Lost Island Lake, NW Iowa, Palo Alto, Remote sensing, Spencer, Trumball Lake

Use sliders to compare images.

Today’s image shows an area in northwest Iowa between Spencer (Clay County) and Emmetsburg (Palo Alto County). The two images on the left are showing water levels in 1990 (typical year) and 2022 (recovering from a drought) compared to 1993 (heavy flooding) and 2008 (flooding). Notice the swollen streambanks and flooding along water bodies in the right images.

This year we are celebrating 50 years of the Landsat earth observing satellite mission. Landsat data helps us observe changes in our communities and environment over time.

How are you celebrating the Landsat’s Golden Jubilee?

By iowaviewJuly 26, 2022#Time Lapse Tuesday, Activity, Announcement, Education, Environmental Change, Event, Imagery, Landsat, Landsat Golden Jubilee, NASA, Observation, Outreach, Remote Sensing, Resource, Story Map, USGS#IowaView, #Landsat, #Landsat50, #TimeLapseTuesday, 2022 GLOBE Land Cover Challenge, 5 decades, Camp Landsat, Create Earth Art, earth observation, Explore Camp Landsat, GLOBE Observer, Italy, Landsat Collage, Landsat Golden Jubilee, Landsat science, Naples, observe, Oh_thePlaceWeGo!, People and Places, Postcard from Camp Landsat, Postcards from Camp, Remote sensing, StoryMap

*This image is from the Camp Landsat website: https://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/outreach/camp-landsat/*

To celebrate the Landsat Golden Jubilee, consider taking a virtual visit to Camp Landsat! This summer Camp Landsat is celebrating this exciting anniversary with 5 weeks of programming, celebrating the 5 decades of Landsat’s continuous mission. This week the theme is People and Places.

Enjoy and explore many activities from Camp Landsat including:

A time-lapse video featuring urban growth in Shanghai, China
Oh, the Places We Go! Story Map
Take the 2022 GLOBE Land Cover Challenge
Create a stunning Landsat Collage
Write a postcard from Camp Landsat featuring view from Naples, Italy

Graphic from GLOBE Program Website: https://observer.globe.gov/do-globe-observer/challenges/land-cover-challenge-2022

Stay Cool and Keep Observing!

Celebrating 50 years of Landsat Earth Observation!

By iowaviewJuly 25, 2022Announcement, Education, Imagery, Landsat, Landsat Golden Jubilee, NASA, Observation, Outreach, Story Map, USGS#IowaView, #Landsat, #Landsat50, 50 years of Landsat, earth observation, Getting off the Ground, imagery, July 23 1972, Landsat Golden Jubilee, launch, NASA, Outreach, Remote sensing, USGS

Saturday, July 23, 2022 marked the 50th anniversary of the launch of the USGS/NASA Landsat earth observing satellite mission. With the launch in 1972, Landsat has continued its earth observation mission and become the longest continuous earth observing satellite.

**July 1972 – Landsat 1 Launch: This image is from the NASA website: https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/heo/scan/images/history/July1972.htm**l

Enjoy this video recalling the launch and explaining the beginning of the earth observing satellite mission, Landsat 9 – Part 1: Getting off The Ground: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlRf17Egexo.

Keep Observing!

Happy Summer Solstice Week! Let’s head to the lake!

By iowaviewJune 24, 2022Education, Imagery, Landsat, Landsat Golden Jubilee, Observation, Outreach, USGS#Landsat50, Cerro Gordo County, Clear Lake, Explore Iowa, Fall Equinox, imagery, Iowa, Landsat 8, Landsat Golden Jubilee, Spring Equinox, Summer Solstice, Winter Solstice

We are continuing our celebration of the 50th year of the US Landsat satellite imagery program. This week we are heading to the lake – Clear Lake, Iowa, located in north central Iowa.

Below are four images showing Summer Solstice (6/13/2019), Fall Equinox (9/17/2019), Winter Solstice (12/22/2019), and Spring Equinox (3/18/2019) from Landsat 8. The images are presented in color infrared which shows vegetation in red rather than green for better contrast.

Observations:

At Summer Solstice things are still greening up while at Fall Equinox the fields are all green and some are beginning to be harvested.
Observe the different states of the lake: open water, snow covered, and frozen.
The topography of the landscape (ie. hills and roughness) are much more apparent with snow on the ground. In the summer/fall images, it all looks flat.

What else do you notice? Happy Observing!

Way back when before the Saylorville Dam – #Throwback Thursday

By iowaviewJune 9, 2022#Throwback Thursday, Education, Environmental Change, Imagery, Landsat Golden Jubilee, Observation, Outreach#Landsat50, #ThrowbackThursday, drinking water, flood control, Iowa, Landsat 1, Landsat 3, Landsat Golden Jubilee, Polk County, Reservoir, Saylorville Dam, US Army Corps of Engineers

It’s another Throwback Thursday. Saylorville Lake and Dam are located in Central Iowa northwest of Des Moines, Iowa. The Saylorville complex was built to help with flood control and as a drinking water source for surrounding communities. At normal levels, the Saylorville reservoir stores 21.1 billion gallons of water with capacity at flood levels to hold 204.1 billion gallons of water.

Below are several resources if you are interested to learn more about this important structure north of Des Moines:

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Saylorville Lake Fact Sheet – https://www.mvr.usace.army.mil/Portals/48/docs/CC/FactSheets/ODS/Saylorville%20Lake%20-%20Operations.pdf
GEOLOGY OF THE SAYLORVILLE SPILLWAY; AFTER THE FLOOD OF 2008 – https://www.iihr.uiowa.edu/igs/publications/uploads/GSI-084.pdf
A Guide to Saylorville Lake in Central Iowa – https://desmoinesoutdoors.com/a-guide-to-saylorville-lake-in-central-iowa/

This year we are celebrating 50 years of the Landsat earth observing satellite mission. Landsat data helps us observe changes in our communities and environment over time.

Traveling Way Back – Landsat Images From Aprils Gone By

By iowaviewJune 2, 2022#Throwback Thursday, Education, Environmental Change, Imagery, Landsat, Landsat Golden Jubilee, Observation, Phenology, Remote Sensing, Resource#Landsat50, #ThrowbackThursday, Across Five Aprils, Ames, Boone, Central Iowa, Des Moines River, imagery, Iowa weather, Jewell, Landsat Golden Jubilee, Landsat science, Little Wall Lake, phenology, variable weather in April

Welcome to another Throwback Thursday. Today we are going back into the archives to compare imagery from the first five Landsat satellites (all images are featured in natural color). Click on each image for a closer view.

Try to notice the differences in resolution and image quality between the different years.
Another thing to note is the wide seasonal variation between the images. All the images were from the same three week period in April. Some images are have snow while other years are very green.
Observe that the Des Moines River is swollen in the Landsat 4 -1983 image.

You can explore the raw images using this web app: https://arcg.is/0XrG4f. Happy exploring.

This year we are celebrating 50 years of the Landsat earth observing satellite mission. Landsat data helps us observe changes in our communities and environment over time.

Thanks for stopping by and keep observing the world around you!