Geospatial Inquiry Mapping Project Using Arc GIS to

Geospatial Inquiry Mapping Project: Using Arc. GIS to Visualize Potential Natural Disasters and their Impact on the Nation’s Power Grid Mr. Nick Sirek L&N STEM Academy Background Today’s electrical energy grid is a vast complex machine that requires constant monitoring, maintenance and upgrades to ensure that electric power is available at the flip of a switch. High school students (and their parents) are generally oblivious to this fact and just know that the power is always there with little thought as to why or how it works. The focus of my power grid lesson research is to present the Nation’s aging power grid to my students in a visually meaningful way. By using the online geospatial analysis tool, Arc. GIS. com, the mapping tool allows students (and professionals) the ability to create their own interactive map to investigate, model and analyze various scenarios. Geospatial Inquiry Process 1. Ask: This Project Based Lesson (PBL) asks the guiding questions: “What is the potential for a significant natural disaster (i. e. 6. 5+ earthquake) occurring in the midcontinent (New Madrid Seismic Zone) and its impact on the Nation’s electrical power grid? What would this mean to people living in nearby and surrounding areas? What are possible solutions for living in this active seismic zone? ” 2. Acquire / 3. Examine 5. Act 4. Analyze New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ) Catastrophic Planning Project Additional Information Data analysis included the USGS Earthquake Risk Map, coal powered generation stations and electrical transmission lines >220 k. V. USGS Earthquake Hazards Program Great American Shakeout This work was supported primarily by the Engineering Research Center Program of the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy under NSF Award Number EEC-1041877 and the CURENT Industry Partnership Program. ESRI Arc. GIS