Easily Discover and Map Microclimates
Understand how physical features of the environment affect climate
The Teaching Challenge
Give students a grounding in factors affecting climate zones by giving them first-hand experience in their surroundings. When they explore their surroundings -- asphalt parking lots, buildings that block breezes, running streams and bodies of water -- they feel the difference and can measure the difference in those microclimates.
- Students experience the environment as they measure it.
"The soccer field feels cooler."
- See a bird's eye view of school microclimates.
"The parking lot looks like a heat island."
- Extend globally by examining My World's included data sets.
"Cooler temperatures along the Pacific Ocean ... just like what we experienced near the creek."
Students collect their own data and display it spatially—simple measurements take on real meaning and encourage active discussion and inquiry.
The PASCO Solution
By exploring Microclimates students can measure temperature, barometric pressure, relative and absolute humidity, dew point, wind speed, wind gust and wind chill, plus GPS location.
Students take measurements at multiple points in and around the school grounds, bring the data back to the classroom and use My World GIS software to map and analyze data on aerial photos.
Solution at a Glance
| Qty. | ||
| Xplorer GLX (PS-2002) | $349 | 1 |
| PASPORT GPS Position Sensor (PS-2175) | $159 | 1 |
| PASPORT Weather/Anemometer Sensor (PS-2174) | $179 | 1 |
| PASPORT Sensor Extension Cable (PS-2500) | $20 | 1 |
| My World GIS K-12 Campus License (SE-7353C) | 1 | |
| Call for availability. | ||
For more product information and to order products separately, see below.
Find the hotspots (and any other anamollies)
When the student-collected data is opened in My World GIS, simply use the automatic connection to TerraServer to import the aerial photo of the school grounds. Students not only experience the environmental conditions as they walk the school grounds-- they see a visual representation of data.
Using the bird's eye view of student data, discuss the factors that may contribute to different microclimate conditions.
Students collect their own data and display it spatially—simple measurements take on real meaning and encourage active discussion and inquiry.
Students see the data in the context of the physical environment they have personally experienced.
Extend their local experience to the regional and global
Students will recognize that physical characteristics of their surroundings measurably affect their microclimates.Help them extend that awareness globally.
Discuss major factors affecting climate zones -- oceans and large bodies of water, mountains, even large urban environments. Explore the global climate dataset included in My World GIS, and see how oceans help create climate zones.
Extend the discussion by using datasets included with My World GIS to discuss global context of physical features and climate.
Here's What You Need
U.S. Educator prices shown.
Get your data collection and mapping solution here
Xplorer GLX (PS-2002) - $349
The Xplorer GLX is a data collection, graphing, and analysis tool designed for science students and educators.
PASPORT GPS Position Sensor (PS-2175) - $159
Collects GPS data simultaneously with other sensor measurements, automatically syncing the data to your latitude, longitude, altitude, and velocity. For use with PASPORT Interfaces.
PASPORT Weather/Anemometer Sensor (PS-2174) - $179
Measures wind speed and wind chill in addition to temperature, barometric pressure, relative and absolute humidity, and dew point. For use with PASPORT Interfaces.
PASPORT Sensor Extension Cable (PS-2500) - $20
Allows an additional two meter length extension on all PASPORT sensors.
Additional Information
To map your data and to explore global data sets, order a license of My World GIS software.
- Product information
- Range of licensing options
- Free trial
