IRAPP Presents GIS Workshop for Faculty and Staff

On Wednesday October 4^th, 2006 members of the IRAPP faculty, in conjunction with the Kentucky Center for Geospatial Education, Research, and Outreach (KCGERO) and MSU’s Center for Teaching and Learning, presented a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) workshop specifically designed for the faculty and staff of Morehead State University. The event was well-attended by 15 faculty/staff members from various MSU departments.

For faculty, GIS can greatly enhance research or offer a powerful teaching tool in a variety of areas. Free Internet GIS Web sites help students visualize geographic relationships, such as the link between education and poverty in the U.S.   Some sample research applications include:

• Geology – detailed mapping of earthquake-shaping and hurricane surge inundation regions.
• Biology – illustrating concentrations of various species of plant and animal life.
• History – mapping historical voting and census data to examine transformations in American social and political history.

Staff and administrators can use GIS to facilitate many tasks such as:

• Admissions – maps can be made to identify where desirable students are located to help with student recruitment efforts.
• Fund Raising – GIS can help locate alumni who live in high-income neighborhoods.

For more information about GIS or upcoming GIS workshops, send email to t.hare@moreheadstate.edu

Kevin Calhoun and Dr. Timothy Hare present a hands-on discussion of GIS.

Dr.Daikwan Han discusses demographic profiling.