Northwestern University GIS I with Nachusa Grasslands

MCDC CONFERENCE MAY 2023

Began in 1986

4000 acres, mostly restored

700 native plant species

250 bird species

270 bee species

100 bison

​

Photo by: Dee Hudson

Prescribed fire

Illinois Prescribed Fires Accomplished Map

​

​

​

Authors:

Bill Kleiman and David Holman

​

Fire is the tool

What gets measured gets done

2016 Illinois Fire Needs Assessment �

Maps are powerful�

Would agencies give us their fire data?

McHenry County Conservation District

Forest Preserves of Lake County

Forest Preserves of Cook County

Nachusa Grasslands, The Nature Conservancy

DuPage County FP

IL DNR at Prairie Ridge State Natural Area

How can we use these data to understand fire outcomes and needs over time?

GIS I at Northwestern

Course Learning Objectives

This course will build skills in geographic informations systems (GIS) by providing theoretical information and hands-on activities.

Skills-Based Learning Objectives

• Understand the conceptual and scientific foundations of geography and GIS
• Harmonize data layers in geographic space
• Analyze vector and raster data types using a variety of analyses
• Develop an analysis plan
• Create print-quality maps
• Present work to community partners

• 10-week quarter
• 20 Students
• 15 Undergrads / 5 Grads
• Little to no GIS experience
• 2 x 80 minute sessions per week
• Intensely hands-on learning
• 4 formative assessments
• 5 major assignments
• Group Community Partner Project

ENVSCI 390 / PBC 490

Eating an Elephant

Weeks 1-4: Skill building, technical assignments

Week 5: Introduction the data, group formation, idea generation

Week 6: Literature review, external data collection, proposal submission

Week 7: Proposal acceptance/revision, mapping work

Week 8: External expert discussion and one-on-one meetings

Week 9: Draft poster presentations and peer review

Week 10: Field Trip Symposium!

Week 5: First Steps

Week 6: Beginning the Project

Introduction

• State your question clearly and concisely
• Write 2-3 paragraphs outlining why this is an important question to test. Be specific.
• Include references to at least 4 sources, 2 of which are peer-reviewed literature.

​

Methods

• Clearly outline the data you will use and the steps you will take to answer your question. This should be written in paragraph form, using active language (e.g. We will construct a distance matrix….)
• In a bullet list, outline how each member of your group is going to contribute to this workflow.

Week 7: Doing the Project

High-quality, professional output

Technical Skills

Group Management Skills

Teamwork

Data & File Management

Communication

Troubleshooting and Skill Building

Week 8: Refining the Project

Week 9: Reviewing the Project

​

Poster content

• Is your question clear?
• Does your background information support your questions?
• Are your methods clear and replicable?
• Do your maps address the question you are trying to answer?
• Are your results clearly presented
• Are the conventions and presentation of your information professional?
• Are your conclusions logical and clearly presented

​

Peer Review

• Are you engaged in providing constructive feedback to your peers?

Week 10: Presenting the Project!

“I also appreciated the TNC partner project which allowed us to work with real data from the Prescribed Fire council, it's great to feel like the work we're doing with school can actually count for something outside of just schoolwork.”

“I also loved the TNC partner project because we got to create our own questions and work with an actual non–profit to deliver results to.”

“The Nachusa Grasslands Project! Engaging with real–world professionals on a project that may genuinely assist them in maintaining an ecosystem is an amazing experience. It was also a very good opportunity to learn realistic teamwork and delegation skills, since the project was of a sizeable enough magnitude to require that it gets split up.”

“TNC partner project [was the most useful] because we got to outline our own question and scope, use the skills we have been learning, and practice presentation skills. This project also made me realize how much we can really do with GIS and makes me think I might want to go into a career with a lot of GIS use.”

Student Perspectives