Learning about your local area lies at the very heart of geography, but in the past has been difficult to deliver owing to limited access to data sources and linked mapping activities. This has recently changed with the advent of a combination of GIS, new and free data sources, and easier access to downloading data from the internet.

An understanding of the local area can motivate pupils and the ease of access to data means they can work at their own pace. Much of the fieldwork and out of classroom learning undertaken by pupils in schools concerns their local area.

‘Local learning through GIS’ provides web-based resources that identify the major types of freely available data at the local level, and that guide users in how the data can be accessed and incorporated into a GIS, suitable software packages. Innovator teachers have also provided exemplar resources of their lcoal areas.

Documents available to download include:

• how to access Neighbourhood Statistics and import them into a GIS
• how to transfer ArcView projects between computers
• resources for use in the classroom, based around topics including migration, household structure, employment, environmental quality and urban structure.