Mapping the Gaps: Using GIS to Target Environmental Education Efforts

Evaluating the effect of environmental education is critical for measuring changes in community attitudes and behaviors, but to date little attention has been paid to the spatial distribution of environmental education programs. Mapping communities that are participating in environmental education programming can inform the decision-making process for program development and expansion, and help organizations identify un-served and underserved communities. Incorporating census data allows organizations to also identify communities meeting certain demographic criteria, such as environmental justice communities, for potential programming. The New England Ocean Science Education Collaborative (NEOSEC) is a network of fifty-four environmental education organizations with the common goal of improving ocean literacy. To facilitate that goal and identify gaps in programming reach, the spatial impacts of 18 NEOSEC member organizations were mapped into a geodatabase and paired with a model to identify target audiences. The completed geodatabase and model provide proof-of-concept tools for mapping the spatial reach of environmental education organizations. NEOSEC members and other environmental education organizations should consider mapping spatial impacts as a key component of program management and development.