|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
March 22, 2005
'Not just a store'Hands-on Geography about education, tooByRecord-Eagle staff writer  Record-Eagle/Lara Neel Hands-On Geography's map-making workstations use TOPO! software to show 3-D views, "fly-thrus," elevation profiles and other land details. Bordering busy Munson Avenue and a residential neighborhood west of Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City, the geography learning center and store is marked by a modest sign most notable for the familiar yellow rectangle of the National Geographic logo. Since it opened in November, the store has been discovered little by little, said manager Cindy Gerhard. But few who come through its doors seem to know what to expect. "It's been a trickle," Gerhard said. "Some people just drive by and see the sign and are curious, some have seen our ads. I've found that most people walk in the store wondering what it is." What it is, in fact, is still evolving, according to Joe VanderMeulen, executive director of the Land Information Access Association. The organization created the store in about 10 percent of the 5,500-square-foot building it owns and shares. A specialty retailer of all things geographic, the store stocks hundreds of National Geographic products, including maps, globes, books, GPS units, software, educational games and toys. There are things for kids: wooden and jigsaw puzzles, science and weather kits, flip quizzes and travel games. For adults, there is software, posters and a selection of books ranging from atlases and outdoor activity guides to coffee table volumes depicting some of the world's most beautiful places. "We're slowly building these as we get a sense of where people's interests are," said Gerhard, who doubles as LIAA program coordinator. But the store's main attraction is its maps - hundreds of them - from road maps, biking maps and nautical charts to framed maps, topographical maps and aerial photos. Looking for a map of the moon? Or of Mount Everest or 1923 Antrim County or Civil War battlefields? Hands-On Geography is the place to go. "You can get lost in these maps," observed Gerhard, who has often done just that. That maps are the store's focus is not surprising since LIAA is a Michigan leader in the application of digital mapping technologies. Besides ready-made maps, it offers self-serve map-making workstations that use TOPO! digital mapping software to show 3-D views, "fly-thrus," elevation profiles and other land details. Gerhard said the work stations have been frequented by everyone from couples researching lakefront property to buy to Vasa race coordinators mapping out this year's trail. The store also offers a variety of public education classes to help people get a better handle on the region's cultural and natural resources. From its 10-computer classroom, it has guided Traverse City Area Public Schools faculty in using digital mapping software and taught area Realtors how to use county map-making Web sites - many designed by LIAA staff - to learn more about their properties for sale. "It's not what you expect from a store," VanderMeuelen noted, "but then we're not just a store." VanderMeulen said the Land Information Access Association is all about getting people to take a more active role in local government and their communities by giving them access to planning information. So adding a geography learning center and store seemed like a natural next step. Ditto using the store's proceeds to support another LIAA operation, the Fresh Food Partnership. Established in 2003, the partnership purchases locally grown fruits and vegetables from 28 area growers for distribution by food pantries, shelters and community meals programs. VanderMeulen said the store's drawing card is its affiliation with the 117-year-old National Geographic society, a leader in geographic exploration and the diffusion of geographic knowledge. Now he's looking at other ways to partner with the venerable organization. "We're still learning," he said. "We think we can build on the connections."
|
|
Record-Eagle/Lara Neel
