NGCSU students go high-tech in search of pilot

From Gainesville Times
Published on: September 29, 2007

North Georgia College & State University students are using satellite images to search for missing aviation pioneer and millionaire Steve Fossett.

Fossett made national headlines when he went missing in the Nevada desert on Labor Day. At the time, the National Aviation Hall of Fame inductee was flying a single-engine aircraft.

Intrigued by the story, North Georgia computer science instructor Holly Payne decided to join rescue efforts by helping search a 600 square-mile geographic area.

Last week, students in her Computers and Information Systems Seminar course used database technology to search nearly 3,000 images covering 5,195 acres of desert terrain.

Using the Amazon Mechanical Turk computer program at mturk.com, they accessed photos through Google Earth, an online resource with three-dimensional satellite imagery.

"We may be in Georgia, but with technology, we can look for a missing person in another part of the country," Payne said. "In that light, the students realized that this might change a family's life if they could help the family in any way."

The computer science course focuses on database technology and building students' abilities to competently use information resources. It also familiarizes students with the structure, planning and usability of databases.

"We're in the classroom developing databases using primarily Microsoft Access. This was an opportunity to look at other types of databases out there."

Payne made the long-distance search-and-rescue effort a graded assignment. The students were assigned Global Positioning System, or GPS, coordinates and had to identify what was at the location.

"In that area of the country, it's rugged, barren terrain with canyons, but I wanted students to make the effort and take this project seriously," Payne said.

Through the Amazon Mechanical Turk program, students could "flag" an image and request that suspicious or unidentifiable objects be researched further.

Payne asked students who flagged any photos to copy her on their findings. "We didn't find Steve Fossett's plane as far as I know, but it was definitely an interesting way to learn about image databases and hopefully a real-life learning experience for students to understand how they can impact peoples' lives." 

From www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/stories/20070929/localnews/196510.shtml