Critical GIS .com

Several maps were produced by students of the 2010 GIS Workshop at Ball State University.  I've compiled a selection of these maps into a lower resolution PDF, see below. City of Muncie Strays in 2009: City of Muncie Strays in 2009 by Census Tract: Muncie and Age Over 65 Mobility: Muncie Predatory Lending and Poverty: Muncie Childcare Services and Poverty: GIS Workshop Selected Final Maps View more documents from Matthew Wilson .

At the conclusion of GIS Workshop (GEOG448/548), each student team presented their findings to community partners.  While all the student teams created products that will greatly assist their community partners, the animal shelter project, in particular, captured the attention of the community partners.  The Star Press , drawing on recent concerns about the operation of the animal shelter, ran a story about the mapping project. An excerpt: It's raining stray cats and dogs in Muncie, and there doesn't seem to be any way to stop it. That's what mapping by Ball State University shows. It also shows the problem is worse in south Muncie, including the Industry Neighborhood. "There's certainly a south-of-the river phenomenon," said Matt Wilson, an assistant professor of geography and emerging media expert. But he advises against finger-pointing. "This is a social justice issue," said Wilson, who predicts the spread of stray animals wil...

For one academic year, I've attempted a different type of approach to an introductory course in GIS, drawing on various curricular strategies of Nadine Schuurman , Sarah Elwood , Francis Harvey , and Meghan Cope .  In this course, students work through introductory technical skills, while simultaneously reading/writing about and discussing the GIS & Society tradition.  In this brief post, I'm asking students who participated in this introductory GIS course to reflect on what it means to practice 'critical GIS'.