Nurturing a Geospatially Empowered Next Generation

For new generations of citizens in all countries, a level of proficiency in geospatial concepts and skills will be required to realize the potential of professional and developmental opportunities. The teaching of geospatial skills links into traditional science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) curriculum objectives, community-wide concerns and initiatives, and global citizenship. Therefore, by the pre-university and undergraduate level, it is desirable for each student to have acquired such competencies. Free and open-source tools that are accessible and affordable in most areas of the world, along with data availability, offer an opportunity to support teaching such a curriculum. Here, core geospatial concepts are introduced, along with available data and tools. Then, using three scenarios, it is shown how the core concepts can be applied to different settings for educational purposes.