Laura Secord’s 1813 trek to warn British forces of an impending attack is a well-known chapter of Canadian history — one that will soon be used to educate on modern technology.

Brock students, faculty and staff will have two opportunities this month to learn more about geographic information systems (GIS) while exploring her journey.

The online ArcGIS workshops will focus on mapping and sharing geospatial data using Secord’s 32-kilometre route as the subject matter.

“We will plot points of interest and share the results,” says Map Library Associate and Geospatial Data Co-ordinator Sharon Janzen, who will facilitate the workshops. “I look forward to showing participants how we can bring new life to Laura Secord’s fateful and historic journey from Queenston to Thorold by using cutting-edge GIS technologies.”

Introduction to ARCGIS, which takes place from 10 a.m. to noon on Friday, July 19,  will explore the ArcGIS online map viewer, accessing various data sources, applying filters, creating pop-ups and more. No experience with ArcGIS is required to attend this interactive, step-by-step workshop.

The ARCGIS Story Maps workshop, which takes place from 10 a.m. to noon on Friday, July 26, will introduce a web-based platform for sharing a variety of content including narratives, videos, images and maps.

“This storytelling tool is a free alternative to other web page development tools,” Janzen says.

Both workshops will use research inspired by the late Alun Hughes, an Associate Professor in Brock’s Department of Geography and Tourism Studies who specialized in cartography and GIS.

Hughes documented five stages of Secord’s famous journey in “Following in Laura’s footsteps,” an article originally published in the newsletter of the Historical Society of St. Catharines in 2012. Participants will have the opportunity to plot each of her stops and consider different ways of visualizing what the landscape would have looked like in 1813.

To learn more about the workshops or register, visit ExperienceBU.