GEO 466/566: The Profession of Geography
Geography and the Internet: An Introduction
These materials provide an on-line introduction of the Internet and World Wide Web, from the vantage point of geography. The links and resources highlighted here, however, represent just a portion of the geography materials available on the Web. Explore and enjoy!!
Web Basics and Background Information
One of the leaders in employing the power of the Internet in geography today is Dr. Kenneth E. Foote of the University of Texas at Austin. He maintains a set of on-line notes that outline some of the basics of the Internet. One of Dr. Foote's pages, in fact, was modified in creating this overview for GEO 466/566.
You might also examine a short set of articles entitled "The Accidental Superhighway: A Survey of the Internet" that appeared in the Economist in 1995. This is one of the best surveys of the Internet available on-line.
Getting Started
Many indexes and lists are available to help you find resources in the World Wide Web. V.U.'s Geography and Meteorology home page, for instance, has links to a number of geography resources. As examples here, I have selected a few fundamental resources for geographers and a few that may lead you to interesting materials.
- The Virtual Geography Department
This site contains a wide range of resources and materials aimed at linking geography departments worldwide using the Internet and Worldwide Web. Key links: "Internet Resources for Geographers," "Geography Departments Worldwide," and "On-Line Courses."
- The WWW Virtual Library
This site consists of a searchable catalogue of materials arranged by subject. Check out the "Geography" link, as well as others that may contain useful information.
- USGS Homepage
Many resources for geography, cartography, and GIS.
- NASA's Homepage
Consider the materials that NASA is making available in the Web.
- POPClock
A service of the U.S. Bureau of the Census.
Searching
Use one of the popular Web search engines to look for materials relating to your personal or teaching
interests. These engines are found
here and can also be accessed by pressing the "Net Search" button on the frame of the Netscape
window.
Bear in mind that these services search by key words as they appear in the text of Web pages. Accordingly, some key word searches garner tens of pages, most of which may be of absolutely no use to you. Searching on the Web can thus be frustrating and slow; be patient!
Examine
It is worth examining a few projects and sources in more detail, including:
Learning More
There is a wide range of guides and texts available commercially. Just about any source will be useful, but will be out of date in six months. The best sources for learning how to publish are on-line.
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Created by KEF, 28 March 1996. Modified by JTK and last revised on 2 September 1996.