ATLAS Ontario Program
The ATLAS Ontario Program (Access To LAnd information for Schools in Ontario) is a joint project between the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and the ESRI Canada K-12 Program. This comprehensive CD-ROM is a collection of data and lesson ideas aimed at supporting the new Geography curriculum in Ontario. The lessons are aimed at raising the awareness of the application of Geography in a wide variety of careers and disciplines.
Rural-Urban Development students in grades 9 through 12 will use the resources available on the CD to study relevant issues such as rural-urban development, including those surrounding on the Oak Ridges Moraine and the Holland Marsh. In one scenario, students, working as planners for the town of Newmarket, are asked to forecast the growth of the city so that it does not encroach upon the intensive agriculture land of Holland Marsh. Additionally, in the London area, students are assigned the challenging task of determining an optimal location for a new suburb.
Additionally, students will have the opportunity to explore significant physical formations such as the Niagara Escarpment and the Canadian Shield with the Physical Formations data available. Environmental topics, including wildlife habitat management and wetland preservation are also covered. Those wishing to examine the Niagara Region will be asked to continue development along the Bruce Trail while taken into account a variety of parameters. The area surrounding Orillia is the perfect region for examining the differences between the Great Lakes Lowlands and the Canadian Shield.
Finally, the data contained on the Tourism and Recreation CD will allow for the creation of a variety of lessons that focus on the tourism and recreation industry in Ontario. In the Temagami region, students, employed by Ontario Parks, are asked to design a new and unique provincial park that will take advantage of the beautiful scenery and the existing trail network. In the Mattawa area, the creation of a canoe trail, including portage and camping sites is the task at hand. This puts the students in the role of the Voyageurs who used the Mattawa River as a route to the west.
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