Basic Geo-Spatial Data Literacy Education for Economic Applications

Area of Science:

• Economics Education
• Geospatial Data Science
• Information Literacy

Background:

• Geospatial data literacy is vital for economic decision-making in a digital world.
• Economics programs require geospatial competencies to ensure reliable data interpretation.
• Educating students on geospatial data enhances their expertise in economics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To sensitize economics students and educators to the origin, nature, quality, and acquisition of geospatial data.
• To propose a teaching approach for geospatial data literacy in non-geospatial degree programs.
• To highlight the significance of spatial reasoning, spatial thinking, and map manipulation awareness.

Main Methods:

• Developed an interdisciplinary data literacy course for economics students.
• Incorporated elements of flipped classroom and self-learning tutorials.
• Focused on sustainable economics applications and the critical use of geospatial visualizations.

Main Results:

• The implemented teaching concept successfully imparted geospatial competencies.
• Positive exam results indicate the effectiveness of the approach.
• Students gained an understanding of geospatial data's power in their specific fields.

Conclusions:

• The proposed teaching method is suitable for imparting geospatial competencies to non-geospatial students.
• Integrating geospatial topics enhances the skill set of future economics professionals.
• Geospatial literacy is a valuable addition to economics curricula for informed decision-making.