You've heard of GPS--maybe you've put a global positioning system on your Christmas list. And you know about maps--you've plotted a driving route online and maybe even used Google Earth to take a look at your backyard. Then there's GIS--Geographic information systems. Put all the terms together, which  refer to technology used for visualization and analysis of earth's features, and it's not your father's  geography class anymore!

Activities using geospatial technology flourish on campus in disciplines as  diverse as art, chemistry, and English, as well as geography. This issue of SummIt takes a look at the  technology--its career potential, research interests, and classroom applications. Here Mike Longan of the Geography department comments on the GIS and Geospatial Work Group.

How did the GIS and Geospatial Technology Work Group happen to form, and what is its mission?

We are an informal group of faculty from across campus who have interests in using these technologies in both teaching and research. The group formed out of a need to coordinate the development and deployment of these technologies as well  as a desire  to integrate the use of GIS across the curriculum, initially within the geography program, and eventually across campus. While the geography program is the central hub for GIS and Geospatial  technology on campus, other programs could greatly benefit from the use of the technology. We wanted to strengthen our current use of the technology as well as develop ways to help others on campus use GIS to enhance teaching and research.

What are the Group's goals?

In the short-term we are concentrating on making sure that our software and hardware are up to date and working well. One of the problems we face as we try to integrate the technology into our curriculum is  that GIS is only accessible from the GIS lab. We would like for it to be easy for instructors to be  able to use GIS during a class to illustrate a point or to assign a project to students without having to reserve time in the GIS lab. We're exploring whether or not such a scenario is possible now or in  the near future.

What project/effort has the Group been involved in?

One initial project that we completed was to make Google Earth available to anyone on campus through the Application Launcher. This has been very helpful in teaching. For example, during a lecture I can call up Google Earth to show a region that I am talking about. In my urban geography class students used Google Earth to make observations about different patterns of settlement in a way that is  not possible otherwise. I can even use it to help answer impromptu questions. Currently the Group is  working on a centralized GIS data and image library. A data library that included frequently used data  such as a basemap of Chicago streets or elevation data for Northwest Indiana would eliminate the need  for faculty to obtain that data on their own or have duplicate libraries.

Have the collaborative efforts led to interdisciplinary ties between departments or programs?

The working group has strengthened existing interdisciplinary ties between the geography program and other programs. For example, Professor Sponberg in English has used GIS to map the uneven patterns of theater locations in Chicago. Professor Tomasek in Art has integrated  maps into her artwork and is interested in making greater use of GIS.  Professor Schoer in Chemistry is interested in using GIS in water quality research that he is conducting with students. That faculty from English and Art are exploring this technology might seem a  bit surprising, but just as everything has a history, everything also has a geography. There are  spatial aspects to most every discipline on campus.