Earth observation from space is relevant in science education already in high schools since it sharpens the sensibility to the natural environment and thus stimulates the willingness to learn of its relevance to everyday life conditions. This covers a broad field of experience, ranging from local nature such as daily weather data to environmental hazards and long-term climate change on a global level and their interconnection. It makes also aware of the need to use most modern scientific and technical methods to obtain this information with environmental monitoring.
With more than 250 members, many of them university institutes, the European Association of Remote Sensing Laboratories has high expertise in earth observation from space. Based on their research results, internet-based e-learning tutorials will be realized on selected topics in earth observation. This will also assist the students in understanding how earth observations form space is beneficial for society by improving knowledge of our planet. The tutorials will be realised at first in the English language. At a later stage they will be translated into other European languages, by means of modern technical language translation tools but with added human control, to make them useable in Europe and beyond. UNESCO will use the produced material for educational purpose in selected developing countries, hence extending the benefits of this project to an even larger audience.
The project covers many disciplines such as physics, mathematics, biology, geography and engineering, and focuses on the interdisciplinary character of remote sensing. Students will connect local personal observations to global perspectives, and will thus gain an understanding for the techniques needed to receive and interpret these data. Its results are thus suitable to achieve scientific literacy, which belongs to the key scientific education standards.
Making earth observation with remote sensing an element of science education provides a basis for using environmental monitoring in the work-life subsequently. The eLearning tutorials realised in SEOS span also the elements of the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) programme, and are particularly suitable for the users of GMES services and information products at governmental organisations and in the private sector.
COORDINATOR: European Association of Remote Sensing Laboratories, EARSeL-Europe
DURATION: 01/07/2006-01/07/2008
COLLABORATORS:
FINANCIAL SOURCE: EU- FP6-2005-Space/ Activity Code:AERO-2005-2.3.2.1e/ Area: Education and Training
Last update: 03 of February, 2012