The ESRI press book Mapping Our World: GIS Lessons for Educators is a finalist for the Software & Information Industry Association's 2004 Codie Awards in the Best Educational Total Comprehensive Solution category. The book is one of 215 selected finalists out of more than 800 nominees from 600 companies. Mapping Our World is a classroom resource combining global geographic themes and issues, inquiry-based learning, and interactive mapping and analysis using geographic information system (GIS) technology. The book contains a curricular package that puts spatial learning in the hands of teachers and students in technology education, social studies and other subject areas.

The Mapping Our World package consists of a workbook with seven modules and 19 lessons, photocopy ready teacher instructions, student handouts, assessments, and evaluation rubrics. Companion CDs include a one-year license of ESRI's ArcView 3.x software, 250 MB of GIS data used in the lessons, printable versions of the lessons, multimedia GIS resources and links to other data and resources. The license for a single package allows use throughout a school building where the materials are being taught as well as on teachers' home computers.

The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) is a trade organization with 1,200 member companies from around the world working together to expand market opportunities and strengthen the software and information industry. For the past 19 years, SIIA has showcased the industry's finest products and services as well as honored corporate achievement and philanthropic efforts. The Codie Awards program is the only peer recognition program in the software and information industry. It provides companies with the chance to compete for the praise of their competitors.

The 19th Annual Codie Award winners will be announced at a reception on May 18, 2004, at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, California. For more information about SIIA and the Codie Awards, visit www.siia.net.

Source: ESRI, Jan. 22, 2004