From Oak Hill Cemetery to the Lab and Departure

Listening to the Director at Oak Hill Cemetery

The Friday session of the maps class began with a field trip to Oak Hill Cemetery, the oldest cemetery in Birmingham.  We were greeted by the cemetery caretaker who gave the group a small introduction to this beautiful burial ground.

We were given a thorough orientation to the layout of the cemetery by director Stuart Oakes.

The cemetery is a beautiful one and our task was to learn how to map a cemetery using the GPS device. Divided into small groups, we headed towards our sections and got to work.  My partner and I had a strong interest in seeing the old African American section, and headed that way to see what was there. It was a pleasure to see the headstone of one of the leading African American citizens of Birmingham, Rev. William Pettiford.  He was also an early pastor of the well known 16th Street Baptist Church which many of us know was bombed during the Civil Rights movement.

Headstone of Rev. William Pettiford, leading minister and educator in Birmingham

Two other researchers were busy documenting the same section.

Crystal Simmons and LaDonna Garner study map of cemetery before marking the perimeter on GPS

The exercise at the cemetery was followed by a session in the computer lab where we learned how to take the data using ArcGIS Explorer to present the data captured on the GPS devices.

Computer Lab, Capturing Data from GPS

Sadly, the last session came to an end.  We discussed the points that we enjoyed most and shared ideas for next year's institute.

This experience at Samford had been wonderful for me, and I must say that I can only look forward to next year. New friendships were made, and old ones were re-established.  I learned so much from both the faculty and also from the participants.  My head is full of new ideas, and after I catch up on my rest I have some new things to try, to enhance what I do----to tell the story better.

Thank you to all who worked so hard to make the Samford experience, once again a great one. And alas, farewell to that beautiful campus!

Samford University, a beautiful campus.

From Migration Maps to GIS, to Geo-Caching

Thursday consisted of exposure to maps of all kinds

The world of cartography is an amazing one, and we got a chance to see in so many ways, how the human story is still unfolding not only with historic maps but also with contemporary events. World crises from earthquakes in Haiti, to efforts to document public health epidemics such as H1N1 virus, maps are so important in our lives. It was exciting in the class to see how this world has expanded and come to address contemporary events. We also learned a lot as genealogical applications of GIS were also shared with the class.

Discussing Historic GIS and the Genealogical Applications

Before we headed outside for some fun with Geo-Caching, we had some interesting exercises.  We tried our hand in a virtual poll via a quick texting exercise.

Voting via Texting

But then it was time for Geo-Caching! But what is geocaching? Geocahing is a real-world outdoor treasure hunting game. Players try to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, using GPS-enabled devices and then share their experiences online. We were not participating in an official way---but the exercise gave many of us 

some experience in using GPS devices for something other than finding our way to a destination. But first we  had to become acquainted with the equipment.

Setting up the GPS

Everyone in the class seemed to have gotten into the exercise, and all began to study the settings and heading off to find the cache.

Outside the Science Center and Getting Started

In small groups everyone studied their devices to see where to go.

The exercise was a good one, as it made us comfortable with the GPS device, and it also taught us some of the various features of the unit as well.  The compass, the ability to follow something that had been marked, required our adjusting to readings and how to interpret them.

We found our cache and enjoyed the message enclosed.

The day was full of so many resources, it is difficult to describe how one left feeling amazed at the end of the day when taking it all in.  I did enjoy all of the exercises---even in that Alabama  heat!!!

The evening was topped off with a wonderful time at the banquet, before one final day that awaited us!