Geoscience Data for Educational Use: Recommendations from Scientific/Technical and Educational Communities

Abstract

Access to geoscience data has been difficult for many educators. Understanding what educators want in terms of data has been equally difficult for scientists. From 2004 to 2009, we conducted annual workshops that brought together scientists, data providers, data analysis tool specialists, educators, and curriculum developers to better understand data use, access, and user-community needs. All users desired more access to data that provide an opportunity to conduct queries, as well as visual/graphical displays on geoscience data without the barriers presented by specialized data formats or software knowledge. Presented here is a framework for examining data access from a workflow perspective, a redefinition of data not as products but as learning opportunities, and finally, results from a Data Use Survey collected during six workshops that indicate a preference for easy-to-obtain data that allow users to graph, map, and recognize patterns using educationally familiar tools (e.g., Excel and Google Earth).