FAIRVIEW PARK, Ohio - When your place of work is named the Innovation Center, a high level of creativity is commonplace. Fairview High School Digital Media Teacher Chris Kaminski and Technology Coordinator Matt Dunlap recently showed off their "MacGyver"-like skills with the creation of an augmented reality terrain map.

"We were at a conference when we saw one of these," Kaminski said. "We decided to investigate on how to make our own."

With the help of Fairview High students Will Norton and Zack VanZante, the innovative outfit began a mission to build an augmented reality terrain map, which digitally teaches students about rain and its effect on watersheds.

"The project was a challenge, and for me challenges are the best things in life," said Fairview High School senior VanZante, 17. "It was an amazing experience and project to complete for the tech team."

"It's pretty cool how you can also put your hand over top of it, hold it there for a few seconds and that shows it raining," Kaminski said. "The longer you hold it, the more it rains, the more it affects floodplains."

The augmented reality terrain map required the use of repurposed and donated items that included an Xbox Kinect sensor, PC computer and old projector. Also, the teachers and students built a wood box filled with sand.

Kaminski said the entire project cost the district $200. However, the real-world experience for the students was invaluable requiring their imagination without any real instructions or manuals.

"We kind of built it from the ground up," Kaminski said. "We had failures along the way, which we worked through. For us in the Innovation Center, this was more about trying to solve problems and build things that have purpose.

"Now we passed it on to the elementary school and they can use it to instruct and visually show terrain, watershed, elevation and how water is displaced through terrain."

Considering Hurricane Harvey, the augmented reality terrain map will be useful for teachers explaining the devastation in Texas.

"I think it's perfect timing," Kaminski said.