An Interactive CD-Rom for Teaching Remote Sensing Applied to Amazon Issues and Exemplified by LBA Case Studies.
Nelson
W
Dias, Indiana State University, nelson@indstate.edu
Getulio
T
Batista, Universidade de Taubate, getulio@agro.unitau.br
Paul
W
Mausel, Indiana State University, gemause@isugw.indstate.edu
Evlyn
M
Novo, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, evlyn@ltid.inpe.br
(Presenting)
Dennis
L
Skelton, Indiana State University, geskelt@isugw.indstate.edu
Thelma
Krug, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, thelma@ltid.inpe.br
An interactive CD-ROM developed by INPE and Indiana State University with support from NASA LBA-ECO entitled “Sensoriamento Remoto: Aplicações para a Preservação, Conservação e Desenvolvimento Sustentável da Amazônia” has been available for Brazilian university undergraduate and high school education since April 2003. Multimedia products for technology transfer focusing on topics such as remote sensing and its applications have become widely available through NASA sponsored projects. This set includes two CDs, CD1 is divided into three sessions: 1) Introduction to Remote Sensing; 2) Preservation and Conservation Principles; and 3) Amazon Case Studies – LBA Examples. Six remote sensing and GIS datasets cover different Brazilian environmental applications suitable for students to conduct hands-on analysis using INPE’s SPRING software are found on CD2. Materials are presented in short texts illustrated by more than 800 figures, accompanying audio, and animations. Navigation is done via menus and an index page controlled by the database. Teachers can customize student use of the materials by selecting portions of the content for a given course. Additional reading and updated information can be accessed by a link to a website hosted by INPE identified in the CD. The expansion of computer facilities in universities and high schools and the advance in Internet technologies have offered new opportunities to deliver instructional materials using digital media. The approach used in this material intends to facilitate easy comprehension of science topics for Brazilian students and support efforts to democratize scientific knowledge by disseminating understandable and conceptualized LBA research results.