Land Information New Zealand is funding three geospatial Virtual Field Trips (VFTs) to help school students improve their understanding of the spatial sciences as well as the associated career opportunities. The series of field trips are all focused on how geospatial, or location-based, information is being used to support the recovery and rebuild in Canterbury. The rebuild relies on geospatial information – from understanding where underground infrastructures like electricity and water pipelines are, to information on property boundaries, land use and ownership.

The first VFT took place in August 2012, and the second in May 2013. Virtual Field Trips use multimedia and web technologies to enable school students from participating schools to interact with inaccessible places and people without leaving their classroom.

The first field trip focussed on surveying technology for the measuring and mapping of land movement as well as understanding boundaries, land parcels and how land subdivisions are designed and constructed. The second field trip built on that foundation and described how the council’s consents process uses location-based information during the Canterbury rebuild. The field trip also explained aspects of hydrographic surveying, topographic mapping and the use of aerial imagery.

The third field trip to be held in mid August 2014 will continue exploring material and applications related to aerial imagery. It will also show how secondary school students are contributing building footprint outlines to the Canterbury rebuild and using Open Data in mash-up competitions. Work involved with the 3D Enabled Cities project will be described. A member of the New Zealand Geographic Board will explain the Board’s role, the importance of geographic names and where they come from.

Any NZ registered teacher can access and use the material from the geospatial virtual field trips for free with their classes – see www.learnz.org.nz.