Welcome to Geospatial - the use of skills, tools and data by people in Canterbury

Welcome to the Geospatial field trip for Term 3, operating from 12-14 August 2014. This trip is supported by LINZ - Land Information New Zealand and The New Zealand Geospatial Office. For similar topics go to the Field Trip Chooser.

Introduction

The Canterbury earthquakes have had a major effect on the lives of just about everyone in the region and have been tragic for some people. The disruptions to infrastructure, commerce, education, recreation and day to day living have been profound. For many homeowners in the eastern areas and in the hill suburbs damage to land has meant that their homes have become uninhabitable. Many large commercial and historic buildings thoughout the CBD have been damaged and a large number have already been demolished. However, the rebuild is under way and is expected to gather momentum as a new vision for the city is realised.

This field trip is the final field trip of a series of three that follows the rebuild of Christchurch. Over the three years you can look at the special systems and tools used in the redevelopment of the CBD, public facilities and the suburbs.

Soon after the earthquakes it became apparent that organisations had to work closely together to make rapid repairs to services and begin the process of rebuilding. See how land movement has changed the city and discover how experts are planning to build a new Christchurch. 

Watch the Geospatial Introductory Video - mp4 file (33Mb)

Look at the Geospatial Preview, a slideshow that gives students an overview of the field trip - PDF (1.2Mb).

Location

Christchurch city is located on the edge of the Canterbury Plains on the east coast of the South Island. Damage to the city of Christchurch occurred after a series of earthquakes. The first earthquake in September 2010 was centred 40 kilometres west of the city, near the town of Darfield at a depth of 10 kilometres. The damaging aftershock which occurred on 22 February 2011 was centred near Lyttelton, 10 kilometres from the centre of Christchurch at a depth of only five kilometres.

View the LEARNZ Homepage Map and zoom in to Christchurch for a more detailed map location.

Field Trip Plan

Monday 11 August

Travel Day: Read the diary about Shelley and Alvin's trip from Dunedin to Christchurch to begin the Geospatial field trip. View the panorama and read Alvin's update.
Tuesday 12 August

Read the diary to discover why open data is free yet so valuable. Watch the videos to explore Christchurch properties and see why accurate building footprints are needed. View the panoramas and read Alvin's update. See 3D plans for the centre of Christchurch. Follow the written questions from students as you play the recordings of today's audioconferences.

Wednesday 13 August

Watch the videos about aerial images and their many uses. Read the diary to find out how aerial images are being used and shared in Canterbury after the earthquakes. Read Alvin's update and view the panoramas. Follow the written questions from students as you play the recordings of today's audioconferences.

Thursday 14 August

Read the diary to discover more about how places are named. Watch the videos to find out more about why place names may change and the history of Otautahi/Christchurch. Follow the written questions from students as you play the recordings of today's audioconferences. View the panoramas and read Alvin's update.

What's New

Friday 19 September

Newsletter 5 was sent to all enrolled classes.

Friday 19 September Congratulations to St Mary's School for winning the evaluation prize draw. Teachers, you can still complete your evaluation for this field trip.
Monday 14 July Check out the Geospatial Preview and Background Reading Pages.
Monday 14 July The Geospatial website is now online.