Brazilian Cartographic Olympiad Project
ISBN 978-85-88783-11-9
Authors
1Carvalho Di Maio, A.; 2Koenig Veiga, L.A.
1Universidade Federal Fluminense Email: dimaio@vm.uff.br
2Universidade Federal do ParanĂ¡ Email: kngveiga@ufpr.br
Abstract
An Olympiad is a challenge, and challenges are incentives to improve the academic performance of students who can be awakened, in this case, to the study of spatial representation, orienteering and the use of maps. The I Brazilian Cartographic Olympiad (OBRAC) has national coverage and is focused on high school students, aged between 14 and 18 years, from public and private schools. Among the objectives of the event stands out: stimulating school interest in science, especially in mapping science; provide teachers with the knowledge and tools for dynamic and participatory teaching areas covering the cartographic content; providing socialization of teachers and students through group activities and foster the training of human resources to work in the field of cartography and geotechnologies. The project for the first Brazilian Cartographic Olympiad meets a worldwide celebration, the International Map year 2015/16, which aims to provide opportunities to engage people the in art, science and technology of maps' construction and use. The Olympics activities should also highlight the economic importance and the need to encourage professionals in the mapping area. For example, geo service sector (geographic mapping and location-based services) generates 150-270 billion dollars revenue globally, it overcomes video games industry (OXERA CONSULTING LTD, 2013). Preparing youth for this market is to invest in the development of the nations. The Olympics activities will be executed in two stages: first, each participating school must form a team of 4 students and a responsible teacher who will register through a website. All mapping related activities shall be prepared and will be available to subscribers. Each team must perform the proposed activities and submit to the Olympic evaluation committee. In the second stage, the evaluation committee will make the assessment of practical work received (analogical or digital maps produced, instruments) and select the top three teams. These three team will be in the final step in Rio de Janeiro city, where a series of practical activities will be held, including participation in the orienteering running, that will occur during the International Cartographic Conference (august 2015), where the winning team will be declared the champion of the I Olympiad Brazilian Cartography. It is expected that the Cartographic Olympiad, in its first edition, works as the basis for the continuity of the event, at least every two years, and contributes to the learning and dissemination of cartography, fundamental science in the development of countries. It is also expected that the Brazilian Olympiad format, serves as a model or as an incentive for other countries, and that in a near future winners of local events can participate in an international cartographic Olympiad.
Keywords
Cartographic Olympiad; Scientific Olympiad; Orienteering in School