Service at Sea is a ship-based technology assistance program that will begin performing mapping service for the earth in 2007. We have a big objective: We will sail the world, using adventure as a vehicle to perform community outreach for and service to international conservation groups, and K-12 teachers and students worldwide. 

Community Outreach. We will assist conservation organizations who are using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology to meet goals of their communities. The Service at Sea crew will travel by sailboat (and overland when in port), to connect with communities, conservation groups, and anyone demonstrating GIS technology efforts to understand and improve the place they call home. Specifically, we will be offering GIS training workshops, assistance, and possibly some data to groups who have GIS efforts already underway. Our premise is that access to current training is very difficult for most of the organizations we wish to serve, so we will bring it to them.

K-12 Education. As we leave a site along this journey, we will lift the sails, and set our attention to teachers and students all over the world. As we move toward our next stop, we will develop GIS curriculum for teachers to use in their K-12 lesson plans. The material we develop will be the story of the place we just left – we want to answer some fascinating questions: Who are these people? What are they doing to make their world a better place? How does GIS help them achieve that goal? We will create blended lessons which will embrace social studies, history, and technology and which will utilize the data and mission of the community we just left.

Adventure. The Service at Sea crew is comprised of teachers, students, and earth scientists from around the world. We are academic institutions, researchers, and software company personnel. We are armchair travelers, sailing enthusiasts, and adventurers. Our route around the world is a path to many places and many lives. With our voyage we intend to foster a community of participants from very different cultures. We visualize this community connecting and communicating with each other – and ultimately sensing peerage.

Service at Sea is committed to putting mapping technologies into action for people working to make the world a better place!