VALLEY CENTER - After spending two months analyzing maps, studying topography and cataloging information by locations, Valley Center High School sophomore Abraham Chambers said he sees his city in a whole new light - from above.

Abraham, 16, is one of 60 students enrolled in a new Geographic Information Systems course at Valley Center and Fallbrook high schools that brings high-tech computer hardware and software used for environmental research and urban planning into the classroom. The class aims to educate students about the community and the technology systems used by decision-makers. It was introduced to the campuses this year after the districts secured a two-year, $450,000 career-technical education grant from the state in 2005.

"This has opened my eyes to a whole different realm of what (computerized maps) can be used for," Abraham said Monday, as he built a map of Valley Center with recently released San Diego Land Use and Management Data.

"I've always had a good idea of where north is … but now I have a bird's-eye view," he said.

With the help of Global Positioning System software and the computerized mapping database, provided by a Redlands-based Geographic Information Systems software company - Environmental Systems Research Institute Inc. - students learn how to take satellite images of an area and turn them into their own maps that chart trends and store information on everything from crime data to water sources.

The information they collect can then be used to address issues in the community and solve problems facing local municipalities and agencies, said teacher Jesse Davis.

Some of the projects include locating all the possible helicopter pads for pilots making emergency landings, mapping popular surfing beaches against known shark attacks and identifying all area water sources.

"I can't wait to live in this community once they are done," said Davis, who also works with local American Indian tribes and medical nonprofits as a consultant for Geographic Information. "A lot of the things the students are doing, are things that I have wanted to see for a long time."

The course, which is being paid for this year through the career-technical grant, will continue to be offered in the future through the Regional Occupation Program, said Denise Andrews, Valley Center's adult school coordinator who initially secured the funding. A similar 75-hour course will be offered to adults beginning Friday, as part of Valley Center-Pauma Unified Adult Education School.

They are both run in partnership with Palomar Community College and more than a dozen countywide agencies, including the Fallbrook and Valley Center municipal water districts and the San Diego Association of Governments.

High school students who pass the course with an A or B earn course credits for the introductory Geographic Information Systems course at Palomar. Some of the students may also find that the databases they build this year are put to use by the program's public partners when they submit their findings to agencies, Davis said.

"It's interesting," Valley Center junior Hayley Miller said. "I didn't know there was so much you could do with maps and computers."

Hayley, like many of the students, said she first enrolled in the class for the chance to earn college credits and learn about something she knew nothing about. Now, Hayley said, she knows that the benefits of learning how to use a computer mapping and database program extend far beyond just college credits. There are spatial, analytical and critical thinking skills that she will take with her forever, she said.

"(This class) will put them on the cutting edge of careers in almost any industry," said Denise Andrews, Valley Center's adult school coordinator who originally secured the grant. "It will make them in demand in whatever they do because GIS is touching every industry right now."

- Contact staff writer Shayna Chabner at (760) 740-5416 or schabner@nctimes.com.

Geographic Information Systems lab open house:

• When: Friday, Oct. 12.

• Time: 6 to 8 p.m.

• Where: Valley Center High School, 31322 Cole Grade Road, Room 507.

• What: Tour the lab, get a brief tutorial on the mapping software and find out more about the adult education course.

• For more information or to reserve a computer, call (760) 749-4218.