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Activity (Hands-On)Grades 7 - 9

Making GPS Art: Draw It, Walk It, Log It, Display It!

Students design their own logos, pictures or other graphic images and then use handheld GPS receivers to map them out. They write out the image on a field or playground, walk the route, and log GPS data. Displaying the collected data on the GPS receiver screen results in the finished artwork. The process requires students to use geometry, sketch, measure distances and make scaling calculations, and familiarizes them with technological devices. A student worksheet is provided.

An aerial photograph of a corn field shows a map of the U.S., the words "God Bless America," and mazes on the outer edges of the field that have been cut into the field. The design was "mapped out" using inexpensive software, and then the farmer plowed the field accordingly using data loaded into a GPS receiver.Figure 1. GPS art made in a corn field.

Engineers design GPS technology for many applications. In industry, GPS has uses in agriculture, surveying, map making from aerial photographs, public safety and telecommunications. GPS is used in recreation, sports and transportation on land, water, air and space. Science provides a wide range of applications: archaeology, atmospheric science, environmental, geology, oceanography and wildlife. In some cases, tiny transponders and transmitters are applied to birds, animals, products, shipments and measurement devices to collect data such as location, movement, altitude/depth and speed.

After this activity, students should be able to:

  • Use geometry and scaling in order to draw a sketch.
  • Use numbers to count, measure, label, and indicate distances and points on a GPS receiver.
  • Measure and calculate values from acquired data.
  • Understand how technology is needed to explore space.

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