I had been in email and phone contact and met Rafael Castillo, the faculty advisor, and the Environmental Club at the Muffles Junior College campus near Orange Walk Town. We had two kite aerial mapping sessions together and demonstrated Mapknitter.

We discussed infrared imaging and postprocessing for multispectral mapping as another useful tool in an environmental sciences program. We also discussed Public Laboratory spectrometers and that they may be useful as well.

I noted there may be opportunities for partnership between Belize Open Source and Muffles Junior College. See: http://belizeopensource.org/.

This is part of a Belize mapping initiative that I've been pursuing for some time, with interactions with Jeff Warren and Stewart Long to start a grassroots mapping program in Belize to engage schools, develop capabilities and make an initial set of maps (first ones of the Belize Open Source property, August Pine Ridge school classrooms and surrounding community, and other ones associated with the first participating schools).

Muffles was an ideal place to start. We did two hands-on training and mapping session at Muffles. I provided them with a complete KAP mapping kit consisting of a Delta Levitation kite, hoop and line, Canon A1200 camera and juice bottle rig with rigging accessories.

This leaves a sustainable mapping capability in place at Muffles which can serve the Environmental Science program. The Public Laboratory image processing tools could also be of interest to their Computer Science program.

The initial map is here and below: