Group Participation Project #1

Group Two: North America

Group Summary

February 28, 2013

Ellen Markin, Elizabeth Moso, Douglas Rich, Dennis Davis,

David Hunt, David Stewart, Colin Turkington, Chelsea Vaughan

INTRODUCTION

For our Introduction to GIS course our group, Group Two, was required to create maps for individual UNESCO World Heritage sites. The maps were to be made using ArcGIS Online, and were compiled on our group's online page to create a map gallery as a means of showcasing our assigned continent of North America. By sharing our maps as a group using ArcGIS Online we are able to have quick and easy access to the maps of the locations and the information provided by group members. For editing purposes, comments can be made to fellow members and all members can edit and re-save the maps separately.

In the ArcGIS Online gallery visitors can find a map of each of the below listed sites as well as a brief description of each site. Useful links to further explore these sites are also included. Upon visiting the gallery, note that each map is created by a different user, so the maps may not all look the same. Each map is, however, an accurate geographic location of the site. The sites depicted are merely some of the many interesting and important aspects of North America's environment and history of its peoples. North America has sixty-eight World Heritage sites, sixteen, thirty-one, and twenty-one in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, respectively. Of those sixty-eight sites only one, the Everglades National Park, is flagged as one of the worldwide thirty-eight sites 'in danger,' meaning they are threatened by things such as war, natural disaster, pollution, or human impact. Group Two was assigned sites in North America to research and present in online map form. Those ten sites are as follows:

1: Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, Montana, USA and Alberta, Canada

2: Rideau Canal, Ontario, Canada

3: Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, USA

4: L'Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

5: Joggins Fossil Cliffs, Nova Scotia, Canada

6: Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, Hawai'i, USA

7: Great Smokey Mountains National Park, Tennessee and North Carolina, USA

8: Pre-Hispanic City of Teotihuacan, State of Mexico, Mexico

9: Everglades National Park, Florida, USA

10: Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico, USA

Due to unforeseen circumstances, certain group members were unable to participate in this project, resulting in the absence of maps for the Great Smokey Mountains National Park and the Pre-Hispanic City of Teotihuacan (sites seven and eight).

 Group 2 Map Gallery Link

CLOSING REMARKS

At first glance it looked like we would be working on a mapping project as a group. It soon became obvious there would be much more to this exercise with many skills and teamwork required to complete it.

Research capabilities were used to identify the geographical feature shown in the photograph of our assigned World Heritage sites. Internet skills were needed to obtain photos, links and text. Creating and posting our site maps in ArcGIS Online using mapping tools and concepts were other major components of the project. Group communication was integral to editing material and making decisions. Project management skills were used to assign tasks and maintain the objective deadlines. In addition, we learned more about the geography of our planet and a good background on the World Heritage site system.

This assignment was a very important part of the class curriculum. The project itself turned out to be a good example of what most of us will see or have seen in GIS jobs.

REFERENCES

General World Heritage Site Reference:

UNESCO World Heritage Center, http://whc.unesco.org/en/list Information on all World Heritage sites. Good basic information about the importance of each site and general site information.

Individual Site Resources:

Site One: Rideau Canal, Ellen Markin
Wikipedia, Rideau Canal. Accessed on 2/18/2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rideau_Canal Site coordinates, additional information and photos.

Site Two: Joggins Fossil Cliffs, Elizabeth Moso
Joggins Fossil Institute. Accessed on 02/15/2013. http://jogginsfossilcliffs.net/ This is the official website for the Joggins Fossil Institute and has a vast range of information about the location. It is a good site for information about tourism and research.

Wikipedia. Accessed on 02/15/2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joggins_Fossil_Cliffs#Joggins_Fossil_Cliffs This web page has a lot of useful information on the geology and history of the location.

Site Three: L'Anse aux Meadows, Warren (Douglas) Rich
Parks Canada, L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site of Canada. http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/lhn-nhs/nl/meadows/index.aspx Brief description of the site.

Hirst, K. Kris, L'Anse aux Meadows: A Viking Colony in the New World. http://archaeology.about.com/cs/explorers /a/anseauxmeadows.htm Much more in depth explanation of the site and some of the archaeological work done there to describe the site in more detail.

Site Four: Mesa Verde National Park, Dennis Davis
Wikipedia. Accessed on 2/18/2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesa_Verde General information a site coordinates.

National Park Service (NPS). Accessed on 2/18/2013. http://www.nps.gov/meve/index.htm Additional information about Mesa Verde National Park

Mesa Verde National Park. Accessed on 2/18/2013. http://www.mesa.verde.national-park.com/
Additional information about Mesa Verde National Park, including a detailed account of its history, flora and fauna.

Site Five: Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, Dave Hunt
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterton-Glacier_International_Peace_Park


Site Six: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, David Stewart
National Park Service, Hawai’I Volcanoes National Park, http://www.nps.gov/havo/index.htm

Wikipedia, Hawai’I Volcanoes National Park, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaii_Volcanoes_National_Park

Site Nine: Florida Everglades, Colin Turkington
USGS, Florida Everglades. Accessed on 2/21/2013. http://sofia.usgs.gov/publications/circular/1182/

Wikipedia, Florida Everglades. Accessed on 2/21/2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everglades

Site Ten: Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Chelsea Vaughan
National Park Service, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, http://www.nps.gov/cave/index.htm