Meeting of Geographic Information Scientists
Features University Research Projects

• Optimal Police Enforcement Allocation. | (Download 443K PPT file - right click on multiple button mouse or hold down on single button mouse and "Save Link As") This model seeks to determine the best allocation of police resources among adjacent neighborhoods either to minimize crime overall, to minimize the difference in the number of crimes between neighborhoods or both. The analysis is funded by a U.S. Department of Justice grant. (Department of Industrial Engineering, State University of New York at Buffalo)

• Spatial Similarity Searching. | (Link to online PPT presentation) This research focuses on the development of a spatial-similarity search engine, to permit finding configurations of objects in space that are similar to a given configuration. The models developed have applications in defense and civilian operations. Funding sources have been the Air Force Research Laboratory, the National Imagery and Mapping Agency, the National Science Foundation, and Lockheed-Martin MD&S. (Department of Computer Science, University of Maine)

• Urban Risks - Urban Solutions. Densely populated urban areas are susceptible to disasters, crime, and pollution and other health risks. This research seeks to understand how geographic information science can help urban policy makers identify and address problems. Case studies include asthma, disaster planning, and "brownfield" site remediation. Funding has been provided by several federal and state agencies, including FEMA, DOE, EPA, and New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection, State Police, and Office of State Planning. (Department of Urban Planning and Policy Development, Rutgers University)

• Lake Superior Decision Support Systems. | (Download 3Mb PPT file - right click on multiple button mouse or hold down on single button mouse and "Save Link As") The Lake Superior Decision Support Project objective is to help resolve issues of data accessibility and interpretation in land use planning in the Lake Superior Basin. The project is funded by the USEPA Region 5 Coastal Environmental Management Grant Program through the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. (Natural Resources Research Institute, University of Minnesota — Duluth).

• Gigalopolis. | (Download 10Mb PPT file - right click on multiple button mouse or hold down on single button mouse and "Save Link As") Project Gigalopolis refines current urban growth models and extends them to a new scale, looking toward predictions on regional, continental and eventually global scales. USGS, the State of California, and the National Science Foundation have provided funding. (University of California, Santa Barbara)

In announcing the list, outgoing UCGIS president Gregory Elmes, from the Department of Geography at West Virginia University, said, "I am especially pleased that these six projects were selected for presentation. They provide an excellent indication not only of the utility of geographic information science in solving serious problems of public policy but also of the breadth and scope of our members’ research and analysis capabilities."

The presentations were made as part of UCGIS’s annual winter meeting in the nation’s capital. Other events on the agenda included a presentation to the membership by selected federal agencies of their geoscience information requirements, and an evening reception during which other members showcase their research capabilities and programs. All programs were held at the Capitol Hill Club, 300 First St. SE, Washington, D.C.

UCGIS is a non-profit consortium of universities and other research institutions committed to advancing understanding of geographic processes and spatial relationships through improved theory, methods, technology and data.

For more information contact:

Susan McDonald Jampoler

Executive Director, UCGIS

43351 Spinks Ferry Road

Leesburg, VA 20176

(703) 779-7980