Georgia State University Belize GIS Program Itinerary, May 2014
Below is the detailed itinerary for the Georgia State University GIS Study Abroad Program from 2014. The 2015 class will have a similar model with some minor changes. This schedule is provided to demonstrate how research intensive the trip is and how many hours of contact time are expected during the trip (and in Atlanta before and after the trip). In Belize, the days are long, hot, exciting, invigorating, and tiring. All trip activities are designed to challenge students intellectually, physically, and emotionally.
Sun 11
6:00 pm sharp: Wrecking Bar, Little Five Points, mandatory group meeting
Mon 12
9:00 am-3:30 pm: Mandatory GIS Lab Time, Sparks 369 (lunch break in there on your own)
Tues 13 in Atlanta at Hartsfield Jackson Airport
Meet the group at Delta International Security Check-in @ 7:45 am sharp
Depart 9:47 am EST on Delta Flight 703
Arrive in Belize City @ 10:55 am central time (2 hour difference)
Plane Reading Assignments: Study Abroad: Hawthorne et al. (2014); Reilly et al. (2009)
Leg 1: Orange Walk, Hotel De La Fuente
Tues 13: arrive in BZE @ 10:55 am Belize time
Lunch on your own on way to Orange Walk
1:30 pm-3:00 pm: Check-in and get settled at hotel
3:30 pm: Fieldwork meeting with sugarcane mapping partners (meet in lobby): to include fieldwork data collection training with GPS units
6:30 pm: Dinner as a group (paid on your own) to include evening discussion on field data collection and readings
Wed 14
6:00 am: Breakfast on your own
6:30 am sharp: Departure in individual teams to sugarcane fields
12:00 pm-1:30 pm: Lunch as group (provided) at location TBD by sugarcane partners
1:30 pm-5:30 pm: Post-fieldwork collaborative meeting, making sense of data, next steps, metadata discussion
6:00 pm: Dinner as a group
7:45 pm-9:00 pm: Evening reflection on day’s activities, data management and brainstorming discussion
Leg 2: San Ignacio at Martha’s Guest House
Thurs 15
6:30 am: Breakfast on your own in Orange Walk
7:30 am-10:30 am: Data collection meeting with partners or post-processing of project data, metadata creation exercise and discussion
11:00 am: Departure from hotel with Yute Expeditions
12:00 pm: Lunch at Amigos or Cheers (included in price)
1:00 pm: Belize Zoo excursion (*Relaxation and Reflection Activity [R and R])
6:00 pm: Arrival and check-in at Martha’s Guest House
7:00 pm: Group dinner and evening discussion/Davette presentation on archaeology and GIS
Friday 16
6:00 am: Breakfast (included in price)
7:00 am: Departure for ATM Cave Tour (boxed lunch included) (R and R activity)
- (break into two groups for tour of caves, bring socks, suit, and shoes to get wet)
3:00 pm: Return to Martha’s Guest House
3 pm-4:30 pm: Break time to relax
4:30 pm-6:00 pm: Mandatory lab/work time and office hours
6:00 pm: Dinner on own
7:30 pm-8:00 pm: Nathan GIS and Belize fieldwork presentation
8:00 pm-9:30 pm: Mandatory lab/work time and office hours
Evening: submit laundry to front desk
Sat 17
7:30 am: Breakfast (included in price)
9:00 am: Depart for Xunantunich Maya ruin site (lunch included at Benny’s) (*R and R activity)
2:00 pm-4:00 pm: Mandatory lab/work time and office hours
4:30 pm: Depart for San Antonio Village Dinner (dinner included in price) (*R and R activity)
Evening (Time TBD based on return): Discussion of overlay and proximity analysis, reflection time as group, smaller group discussions about experience
Leg Three: Caye Caulker at Tropical Paradise
Sun 18
7:00 am: Breakfast (included in price)
8:00 am-9:30 am: Mandatory lab/work time and office hours
10:00 am: Departure to Belize City for Caye Caulker Water Taxi (lunch included in price at Cheers/Amigos)
1:30 pm sharp: Belize Water Taxi
2:15 pm: Arrival on Caye Caulker, walk to and check-in at hotel
2:30 pm-4:30 pm: Get settled in hotel, relaxation time
4:30 pm-6:00 pm: Mandatory lab/work time and office hours
6:00 pm: Dinner as group (not included in price)
8:00 pm: Evening discussion about Ocean Academy plans and fieldwork led by Dr. Visaggi
Mon 19
7:00 am: Breakfast on your own
8:10 am-9:20 am: Geography class at Ocean Academy
9:20 am-10:20 am: Science class at Ocean Academy
10:30 am-10:45 am: Dr. Hawthorne leads drone demonstration
10:45 am-11:55 am: Science class at Ocean Academy
11:55 am-1:10 pm: Lunch on your own… any Ocean Academy students join?
1:10 pm-4:30 pm: Debris mapping with OA students at 5 sites on Caye Caulker
6:00 pm: Dinner in groups with 3 families (included in price) (*R and R activity)
8:30 pm: Group debrief and planning meeting including REEF project and data collection
Tues 20
7:00 am: Breakfast on your own
TBD: Visit Primary School to aid OA in recruiting of Standard VI students and demo helicopter
TBD: Learn/see kayak made of plastic bottles
10:00 am-1:00 pm: Lab hours for data discussion and planning as a group
1:00 pm -2:00 pm: Lunch on your own
2:00 pm -5:00 pm: Snorkeling tour (included in price)
6:30 pm: Dinner on your own
8:00 pm: Group debrief and planning meeting about reef data collection for South Water Caye
Leg Four: Dangriga and South Water Caye
Wed 21: Dangriga
6:30 am: Breakfast on your own
7:30 am: Walk to Belize Water Taxi for 8 am sharp boat ride to Belize City
9:00 am: Arrival in Belize City, pick-up by Yute Expeditions (boxed lunch included)
12:30 pm: Arrive in Dangriga at Pelican Beach Resort (resort lunch included in price)
2:30 pm: Field data collection planning discussion and business district parcel data collection
6:30 pm: Group dinner (included in price)
7:30 pm-8:00 pm: Lia presentation on health and safety GIS in the developing world
8:00 pm-9:30 pm: Mandatory lab/work time and office hours
Thurs 22: South Water Caye
7:00 am: Group breakfast (included in price)
8:30 am sharp: Departure for South Water Caye by boat
9:30 am: Arrival on South Water Caye: mandatory welcome tour of island by staff
10:30 am-11:30 am: Group swimming on your own to get comfortable (*R and R activity)
11:30 am-12:15 pm: Drone mapping exercise
12:15 pm: Group lunch (included in price)
1:15 pm-4:15 pm: Snorkeling and kayak field data collection led by guides
4:15 pm-5:30 pm: Break time
5:30 pm-6:30 pm: Office Hours
6:30 pm: Dinner (included in price)
7:30 pm-9:00pm: Class lab work organizing data from afternoon snorkeling
9:00 pm: Optional night snorkeling, price on your own around $25 USD
Fri 23: Dangriga
7:30 am: Breakfast (included in price)
12:30 pm (tentative): Depart for Dangriga from South Water Caye
Lunch (included in price)
6:30 pm: Group Dinner (included in price) and Surprise Closing Celebration (*R and R activity)
Sat 24: Depart for Home
6:00 am: Breakfast (included in price)
7:00 am sharp: Pack vans with Yute then drive to Belize City Airport (boxed lunch included)
9:45 am: BZE airport arrival
11:50 am: Delta Flight 664, Depart BZE at 11:50 am Central Time
4:53 pm eastern time: Arrive in Atlanta
Tues 27
9:00 am-12:30 pm: Mandatory Project Work, Sparks 369
12:30 pm-4:30 pm: Highly encouraged to work with group members in lab
Wed 28
9:00 am-12:30 pm: Mandatory Project Work, Sparks 369
12:30 pm-4:30 pm: Highly encouraged to work with group members in lab
Thurs 29
9:00 am-12:30 pm: Mandatory Project Work, Sparks 369
12:30 pm-4:30 pm: Highly encouraged to work with group members in lab
Fri 30
9:00 am-12:30 pm: Final Presentations and Celebration: Sparks 369
Tuesday, June 3rd at 9:00 pm: ALL COURSEWORK DUE: Desire to Learn