7 News Belize

A High-Tech Summer Camp
posted (July 1, 2011)
GIS - the abbreviation stands for Geographic Information Systems - it's a system of map-making combined with information to come up with a real time image of a place or space.

It may sound complex, but you'd be surprised to know that it's so simple even a child can do it! That's what we found when we visited a very novel summer camp at total Business solutions Limited. Here's more:…

Jim McFadzean Reporting
It's technology that we can all use and these primary school students on summer vacation are finding that a trip to the top of the Victoria peak won't take too much sweat getting from point A to point B.

Pablo Espat, Jr. - Hummingbird Elementary
"I am looking at a 3D version of Mt. Everest of Google Earth and its uses GIS to map out the height. You can see down there the elevation is 27,538 ft. and I can bring it down to street view where it's going to show like I am actually walking on it. I can see the exact layer of the ground and I can check the height and the longitude and latitude to the bottom of the screen."

Total Business Solutions Limited is behind the drive to give Belizean youths access to this important tool, and is lobbying the Ministry of Education to collaborate in the effort to give them at the least a competitive edge.

Loretta Palacio, Managing Director, TBSL
"I think that it is important to introduce our children to this type of technology at a very young age. I think it's important for them to be competitive when they are out there or even here when they are performing in school or in their job place in years to come. Its nit only mathematics that we can think about complex, analysis, GIS is one tool that we can allow our children to think analytically, look at information in an analytic way and so it's very important for them to be introduce at this stage, You and I didn't have that chance and this is what the world out there is doing. We are going through this geo-spacial revolution - I see it on TV, I see it on Channel 7 - everybody is now pointing to a map."

Jim McFadzean
"What's the most useful tool that these kids are going to carry away from this experience?"

Loretta Palacio, Managing Director, TBSL
"I think the most useful knowledge is for them to leave knowing that there is a spacial component for everything that is here on earth. If it's a building, if it's a moving vehicle, if it's a piece of information that is related to a buoy out in the waters they can know that there is a latitude and longitude for everything that is on earth and that information can be put into system call the geographic system to be analyze."

It is 21st century technology based on satellite imagery that allows one to zoom in accurately on his or her location at the click of a mouse.

Jim McFadzean
"Let's locate right now where Belize Elementary School is."

Erei Palacio, Belize Elementary School
"I'm trying to find it by tying its name into the computer to see if it will locate it for me and if it doesn't do that then I will just have to go over the town to see if I can find the space of my school."

Jim McFadzean
"What's the most useful aspect of this experience for you?"

Erei Palacio, Belize Elementary School
"Well the easiest aspect is that you can use it for many things but some of the simple things is that you can use it to go to the store, you can use it to see a friend's house, you can use it to see faraway places, close places. `But it's just usually sue to find location that where you want to go if you want to fish or hunt - a lot of things."

Jim McFadzean
"How difficult is it to share this information with kids at this age?"

Instructor
"Well it's a challenge but once you simplify things kids are very interested and so they catch on very quickly and technology is booming and it sparks their interest."

And if this report sparks an interest in your kids, there is another Geographical Information Systems class being offered on August 15th.

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