ITSRG Programs
Urban Apps & Maps Studio
Urban Apps & Maps Studio, funded by the Economic Development Administration, is a design, innovation, and education program that partners with local community organizations, business, educational institutions, families, and students to address significant urban challenges for economic development, environmental quality, and access to services through designing apps and creating maps. The program aims to connect digital technologies and innovations with urban solutions to improve the quality of life in North Philadelphia and beyond. For more information, contact the Launch Director, Todd Abrams: [email protected].
Marcellus Shale Information Use Project
The Center for Natural Resources Development and Protection (NRPD) was funded by William Penn Foundation in 2011 to study the environmental systems associated with the Marcellus Shale Gas drilling events occurring in eastern Pennsylvania. ITSRG is examining the use of information by stakeholders related to Marcellus Shale energy production and environmental challenges. The project was initiated with a symposium at the Tyler School of Art on November 4, 2011.
Marcellus Shale Information Use Project Resources:
Symposium Event Details
http://www.temple.edu/environment/NRDP_shale_2011.htm
Map Resources developed by ITSRG Graduate and Undergraduate fellows: Tyler Cooney, Amber Reeves and Alan Wiig:
coming soon!
BITS Program
Building information technology skills to create a community geographic information system in North Philadelphia was initiated in 2004 as an NSF funded ITEST initiative that provides middle and high school students with hands on inquiry based learning experiences that foster gaining understanding of geography, geographic information systems and GIScience. It is currently funded by the Philadelphia Youth Network, Economic Development Administration and Doris Duke Foundation.
BITS Resources
A guide for Geographic Information Science Instruction in Out of School Time Settings (Masucci 2010) can be downloaded here:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/72874083
Information and Communication Geographies: Strategies for Bridging the Digital Divide (Gilbert and Masucci 2011) can be downloaded here:
http://www.praxis-epress.org/ICT/ictgeographies.pdf
Jonathansreturn.weebly.com
Jonathan's Return is a documentary that depicts one man's journey to live with schizophrenia. The film depicts cultural and geographic settings in JP's story. The project seeks to raise awareness about the experiences of mental illness among individuals, in families, and in communities.
Sites of Memory
ITSRG is partnering with Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection and nationally prominent scholars from Spelman College, the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University to create an online, interactive, multimedia virtual reality of African-American historical markers located throughout Philadelphia, Pennsylvania based on a curriculum developed for the BITS Program.
Women's Heart Health
The Women's Heart Health research and outreach program examines the use of information and communication technologies among women to manage their heart health and create a community of support to improve their health knowledge.
GIS for Emergency Managers Responding to Special Needs Populations
ITSRG has collaborated with Temple's Center for Preparedness, Research, Education and Practice - C-PREP - to develop guidelines for counties in Pennsylvania to assess needs and implement strategies for improving public health and emergency response among special needs populations. For more information see: ITSRG Workshops Page.
