When computer visualization has been discussed in association with field experiences, it has often been thought of as a replacement for going into the field or as a means to take students on 'field trips' that were not physically possible. Computer visualization, however, may be much more important in terms of augmenting traditional field experiences rather than replacing them. Visualization techniques and hardware allow students to more effectively prepare for their field experience. The emphasis can be placed more effectively on helping students understand maps, by allowing them to separate the content of the map from learning map interpretation skills. Although students need to learn both components, they are not required to learn the two in tandem - where the impacts of a mistake in one component carry over to the other.

Using a low-cost stereo projection system such as the GeoWall (www.geowall.org), material can be created to better prepare students for what they are going to see in the field and to incorporate the field experience into a larger picture. Interactive, three-dimensional maps, stereo photography, stereo Landsat imagery and stereo video allow students to explore the regional setting and local details of a field area before departing for fieldwork, and allow classes to more effectively discuss aspects of the field experience after returning from the field.