What are the costs of implementing GLOBE in my school?

GLOBE Iowa workshops are free to Iowa teachers. GLOBE Iowa even provides schools with sub pay for workshops which take place during the school year. However, each GLOBE protocol requires the use of equipment, some of which the school may not already have. This page discusses the cost of GLOBE equipment and some ways of keeping that cost low.

The minimum equipment needed to participate in GLOBE is a computer with web access. Ideally this would be a computer in the classroom which is accessable by all the students. Computer labs or library computers accessable by students are also exceptable. The computer needs to have web access and a graphical browser (Netscape or I.E.). Students use the computer to access the GLOBE website, ue GLOBEMail and send their data to the GLOBE server.

Equipment and Supplies Provided in a GLOBE Iowa Workshop

The GLOBE Program provides each GLOBE teacher with a kit. This kit contains the Teacher's Guide, a GLOBE cloud poster, a GLOBE cloud chart, tree key(s), 4 GLOBE videos and more. The GLOBE Program also provides GLOBE schools with a LANSAT satellite image of their school and surrounding area. Each GLOBE Iowa participant will receive a Project WET Activities and Curicullum Guidebook with 92 interdisiplinary water related activities. Participants make and take home a Clinometer (for measuring tree height and hill slope) and a Tubular Densiometer (to tally canopy cover in a forest/woodland). These two pieces of equipment have a commercial cost of about $100 each. GLOBE Iowa also loans GPS units to schools so that they may collect the latatude, longitude, and elevation of their data collection sites.

Equipment not provided by GLOBE or GLOBE Iowa

It is possible to participate in GLOBE using only the materials and equipment provided in the workshop. However, this participation is limited to the Atmosphere: Cloud Cover and Type protocols. For some classes this may be the appropriate level of involvement in GLOBE. Most teachers and students, once involved in GLOBE, will want to do more. A GLOBE school should expect to purchase some equipment for GLOBE.

GLOBE makes every effort to keep the price of equipment down for the schools. Plans are provided for the Atmosphere Instrument Shelter and Snowboard. Asking a parent, industrial technology class, or school friend to build the instrument shelter can bring the cost down to $20-40 rather than the $110-$150 of a new commercial shelter.

Other pieces of equipment can not be made. Care must also be taken to insure that the equipment used meets the instrument specifications for the protocol. The cheapest rain gauges do not meet instrument specifications because they are not accurate enough or can not measure enough rain. GLOBE provides information on instrument and equipment suppliers so that teachers can find the best deals on equipment which must be purchased new.

The GLOBE Iowa workshop will include a session on how to acquire equipment for GLOBE including writing grants and involving local business. The participants of GLOBE Iowa 2000 workshops brainstormed this list of potential funding sources. Participants of GLOBE Iowa workshops have also asked where the Iowa Academy of Science has purchased the equipment used in GLOBE Iowa workshops.

What is the bottom line on equipment for GLOBE?

The bottom line is that each school should plan to set aside some money for the purchase of equipment. The more classes in the school involved in GLOBE, the less money per class required because almost all the GLOBE equipment is easy to share. GLOBE Iowa will do everything possible to help teachers and schools find low cost equipment.

The following GLOBE Program webpages will help in identifying equipment needed for each protocol:

• GLOBE Measurements and Their Instruments
• Specific Instrument and Equipment Suppliers