Where Am I?

1. Where Am I? -- a study in position on planet Earth . . . starting at the University at Albany -- by Paul Favata & Eileen O’Connor -- sponsored by the Science Technology Entry Program, (STEP) Center for Urban Youth and Technology (CUYT) ; Science Day – April 2, 2004 -- During your activities at the University, you can use a motion detector to monitor your position in the room. When you go home, you can keep on exploring location using some of the Internet tools and mapping techniques explain in this handout.

2. Ways to Know Where You Are • You can view your location in many ways. In the following pages, you can see how to: • View a location from an aerial photograph or from a topographic map; you can even find the homes of friends and relatives later using Internet • Make your own mapping system using coordinate pairs

3. Finding your place in the world – from the computer Use a computer with Internet to see the world from different perspectives – either an aerial map (a picture from a distance) or a topographic map (an illustration that represents elevation AND roads) • In Internet, go to http://terraserver.microsoft.com - to gather different views of the world; either: • Click the part of North America you want to see • Click Advanced Find (on the left or the top of the screen) > Address > complete form with address • You can chose from aerial maps and topographic maps – visit both maps for interesting comparisons • See if you can find the home of your friends, your grandparents, or your cousin who lives far away by using their addresses • Look at the different views of the university and of the Albany area, including Thatcher Park and the escarpment!

4. Science Day – UA Sponsored by STEP/CUYT U-Albany Area - 1996

5. Science Day – UA Sponsored by STEP/CUYT U-Albany area - 1986

6. Science Day – UA Sponsored by STEP/CUYT U- Albany Area - 1996 Western Ave.

7. Science Day – UA Sponsored by STEP/CUYT Thacther Park Area - 1986

8. Science Day – UA Sponsored by STEP/CUYT U-Albany Area - 1996

9. Science Day – UA Sponsored by STEP/CUYT Thacther Park Area - 1996

10. Science Day – UA Sponsored by STEP/CUYT Thacther Park Area - 1996

11. Science Day – UA Sponsored by STEP/CUYT Thacther Park Area - 1986

12. Science Day – UA Sponsored by STEP/CUYT Making your own maps • You can use coordinate pairs (remember your math?) to make your own map systems that you could share with someone else. • Use a grid like the one to the right to overlay a map or printout • Write the coordinates for locations of interest • You can see an example on the next page

13. Science Day – UA Sponsored by STEP/CUYT Making your own maps Science Day is in this building Did you come by car? Your car might be here somewhere. (New construction is not shown on this map.) If you came by car, you might have to go from (5.5, 4.5) to (-8,7) Could you make a coordinate pair map to show a friend where to meet you at SUNY after Science Day in the sports area? (see the track in the bottom half?) U-Albany Area - 1996

14. Some thoughts about location: • What information is provided in a topographic map that you can not gather from and aerial photograph (satellite photographs)? And vice versa? • Can you locate the same structure, address, or building in the two representations of the same area? • Find Western Avenue in Albany (labeled on page 6) and use the direction indicator in the upper left corner. What might you rename the street to make its direction more accurate? • The topographic maps were made in 1986 and the aerial photographs were taken in 1996. Look carefully at the same area on the two different maps. What has changed? and why? • What games could you make using maps? • What role do maps have in government and planning, and in times of war?