A new, modern and free-to-use educational portal Geography of Bulgaria Geo10 to help teachers, students and all people with an exploratory spirit became operational on Friday, the National Institute of Geophysics, Geodesy and Geography at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (NIGGG-BAS) told BTA.
It has been developed as part of the activities of the NIGGG-BAS National Geoinformation Centre and presents in an interesting and modern way the geographical situation, natural environment, demographic and socio-economic picture of Bulgaria – materials included in the tenth grade geography curriculum.
For each of the topics in the geographic portal, a different number of layers have been created, to which relevant information about Bulgaria is attached, as well as numerous charts, photos, graphs, etc.
Geo 10 answers the questions what are the morphographic units of the relief, what is the manifestation of the internal earth forces in Bulgaria, where and why strong earthquakes occurred, how to compare the distribution of different soil types at a glance or to track the number and dynamics of the population by area.
The large amount of up-to-date information, combined with the technological possibilities for data visualization and analysis, is a prerequisite for the Geo10 geographic portal to go beyond the educational framework for which it was created, by providing for another range of users, such as local and national government bodies that deal with heterogeneous geospatial information. Open access to the portal will also enable the inclusion of all people with a clear interest in the data, processes and phenomena under consideration.
The interactive maps, graphics and other materials created are innovative and original, many of them published for the first time on the Internet. They are designed to provide quick access to a variety of geographical information about Bulgaria’s natural environment, population and economy. This enables users to track the dynamics of geographical processes in the country and to make forecasts of their future development.
The portal’s functionalities are designed to easily support geography and economics teachers and to provide them with new educational resources that offer rich opportunities to use modern methods in planning learning activities. They will find use in the geography lessons, replacing a wide range of specialized thematic maps that are missing from the traditional geography and economics lesson for a number of reasons, yet are an essential attribute of geography education. The portal will also help students to make sense of the material in depth, provoking their interest in research and forming their skills of analysis and synthesis.
