DELTA STATE UNIVERSITY: ACADEMIC ANNUAL REPORT Academic Year 2006-07 I. Unit Title: Center for Interdisciplinary Geospatial Information Technologies

School or College: Arts and Sciences

Unit Administrator: Talbot Brooks

II. Educational Program Learning Outcome Assessment Plan

Learner Outcomes identified for the current year.

While an LOA plan is not explicitly required for minors, the following framework for learning objectives has been developed. These objectives and their related assessments are designed to promote information literacy and to teach students problem solving, critical thinking, and written and oral technical communication.

1. Students will learn the theoretical bases of GIS and successfully apply them to GIS and related project work.

2. Students will learn to use GIS as a tool to gain knowledge and information and to solve problems in their primary fields of study.

3. Students will learn the components and capabilities of GIS and implement them beyond computer software and hardware operations.

4. Students will learn the GIS development cycle. 5. Students will learn advanced geospatial techniques including, spatial statistics, computer

programming, database management, and spatial analysis. 6. Students will gain an understanding of how GIS operates in the corporate and public

sectors. 7. Students will gain an understanding of current and future GIS and related technological

developments. 8. Students will gain practical experience in the application of GIS and related technological

expertise. 9. Students will learn communication techniques appropriate to GIS and technical

environments, especially report writing, presentation skills, and interpersonal communication.

Overarching success of students enrolled in this program will be assessed through GIS II and the capstone course. Students must pass these courses with a grade of C or better to earn the minor/certificate. The specific outcome assessment plan is illustrated in Table 3.

Table 1. Outcome assessment for capstone GIS certificate program (GIS 490/590) Specific performance objectives that students are expected to master

Assessment of performance objectives

1. At least 50% of the grade in the course (GIS II) should depend on writing, including prepared essays, speeches, or in-class essay examinations

Complete well-organized research project and summarize that research project in a written report and a coherent oral presentation

2. Identify and gather information for use in a geographic information system (GIS)

Create an indexed table of GIS data resources for use in the course project

3. The syllabus should include a minimum of two substantial writing or speaking tasks beyond in-class essay exams

Complete well-written out-of-class assignments that require the articulation of GIS design, use, and implementation

4. Ability to plan the creation of a geographic information system

Prepare a 15-page proposal to create and implement a geographic information system following NSF proposal format guidelines

5. Ability to create a geographic information system

Implement the proposed GIS in requirement #4, above

6. Use a GIS to perform spatial queries, solve real-world GIS-based problems, and ensure data accuracy

Use the implemented GIS to solve realproblems as demonstrated through an internship

Scoring of each assessment will be based on the following a. Scoring Articulation to General Studies Performance Objectives •Quality of information gathered (depth/breadth of research) to address a research problem •Quality of interpretation and evaluation of evidence •Writing -- appropriate grammar, syntax, punctuation, and use of conventions for citations •Writing -- organization •Writing -- synthesis and evaluation of information

b. Scoring Articulation to Goals and Course Performance Objectives

•Formulation of a geographic problem •Knowledge of spatial and human factors as displayed in literature review, research and

analysis •Knowledge of patterns and characteristics as displayed in literature review, research and

analysis

•Knowledge of location and relationships as displayed in literature review, research and analysis

•Knowledge of geographic principles as displayed in literature review, research and analysis •Cartographic skills •Data gathering skills (e.g., field methods, archival research) For the balance of the program, we plan to primarily assess both program and course objectives through a combination of written and practical examinations conducted in the classroom. Further assessment will be conducted by Center faculty through careful evaluation of final presentations made at the conclusion of the Capstone GIS Course and a combination of surveys and interviews to be conducted at the 2- and 5-year post-graduation mark. The latter will include tracking the placement and salaries of program graduates whenever possible by the Interdisciplinary GIS Center. These results will be made available, absent personally identifying information, in subsequent program evaluations. The Center is a relatively new entity on campus and as of yet, none of its students have reached the 2-year post graduation mark. However, 9 students completed the minor/certificate course of study last year and ALL were gainfully employed prior to their graduation.

III. Division/Department Goals for the Current Year

(This is a report on progress towards goals for the current year. These are operational goals for the unit that are NOT tied directly to student learning outcomes which are reported in the table above. An example might be implementation of a development campaign in conjunction with the DSU Foundation to raise monies for faculty research and travel) 1. Move to the new Center in Kethley and successfully set up all labs and experimental technologies

(eg., the Theater of the Mind). 2. Increase student enrollment to 200 SCH’s during the coming academic year. 3. Capture at least $125,000 of soft-money funding beyond the existing Hearin Foundation grant. 4. Move 2 online courses from the current University of Mississippi based software program to

DSU’s Blackboard system and fund and hire 2 visiting professors to assist with online teaching 5. Begin a broader student recruitment program that targets regional students with high school GPA’s

of at least 3.2 and ACT scores of at least 26.

IV. Data and information for department: (include narrative of programmatic scope; data)

V. Personnel:

Noteworthy activities and accomplishments: (In addition to an overview or mention of

specific achievements/awards, you could also reference appendices that include Faculty Activity Reports)

Center awarded “Special Achievement in GIS” by ESRI in August 2006

Center Director, Talbot Brooks, named by GPS World “One of the 50 Professionals to Watch” in May 2007

New position(s) requested, with justification: Ms. Roshandra Collier’s position as student intern will transition into a GIS Program Manager position. Her duties will include GIS project management and academic unit administration. This change is needed due to increasing enrollment and the number of projects being handled by the Center. Recommended change of status Dr. Jeff Dugay will replace Dr. Carlysle Meek as Assistant Director Dr. Robert Austin will join the faculty as a 1-year visiting professor Mr. Pete Gomez will join the faculty as a 1-year visiting professor Dr. Henk VonReissen will join the faculty as an adjunct professor

VI. Degree Program Addition/Deletions and/or Major Curriculum Changes:

None

An Annual Reporting of Activities

For the

Talbot J. Brooks, Director Center for Interdisciplinary GIT

106 Whitfield Gymnasium Delta State University Cleveland, MS 38732

(662) 846-4520

tbrooks@deltastate.edu

Introduction The generosity of the Hearin Foundation in funding the Center for Interdisciplinary Geospatial Information Technologies at Delta State University is truly appreciated and has made a tremendous difference in our community. This document attempts to capture some of the accomplishments made possible by the Hearin Foundation during the past year. We hope we have made their Board of Directors proud and done justice to the Hearin name. We look forward to your continued support as we work to make this Center a self-sustaining entity within Delta State University. This, the second year of operation for the Center, brought many challenges and successes. Our principle energies remained focused on the continued development of our education, research, community development, and service missions, but significant events such as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the needs of our community required the immediate response of the Center (please see the attached summary of activities during Katrina and a promising proposal to the US Dept. of Labor starting on page 9). Such events pushed our students, faculty, and staff to the limits of their endurance and challenged us to create new and innovative technical approaches to using GIT under extreme conditions. I am proud to report that these challenges were met with professionalism, innovation, and tact in such a manner that our star shines brightly in the community of geospatial professionals. One other significant milestone, worthy of early mention, was the approval and commencement of a $3.2 million dollar renovation to Kethley Hall. A sizeable portion of the renovation will make way for a new home for the Center and will include a classroom capable of 3-D immersive geospatial technologies, a GIS and remote sensing production facility, a conference room, a map gallery, server room, and office space. The new Center is expected to be complete in early 2007. Education Enrollment and credit hour production was up again this year as we taught more than 150 students. Nine students completed the first year of study for our minor/concentration, many gaining jobs in the area. Most notably, Ms. Lauren Bussey was hired by EMC Surveying and Mapping of Greenwood, MS as a GIS Analyst and is now working with the MS Dept. of Environmental Quality and the Center to use GIS to promote health literacy in the MS Delta. An additional 43 students completed the introductory course, a significant improvement over the

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Jackson

StonePearl_River

Harrison

George

Hancock

PerryForrest

GreeneLamarMarion

Last Known Positions of Missing Persons (as reported through MEMA, 4 Sept 05)

# Last Known Location

Counties

Primary Roads

traditional enrollment of 10-12 students and many others completed discipline-specific courses such as Business Geographics and Digital Image Processing. Fall 2005 was the first official offering of our online course lineup for which 27 students enrolled. Similar enrollment was experienced this past Spring semester. This success permitted us to revise the minor and certificate programs such that they may be completed entirely online. This has proven very popular with students who work full time jobs, have families, or live long distances from campus and we now have 3 students who have declared the GIS minor or concentration who have never set foot in the Center. The Center continues to actively seek the participation of undergraduate students in our research and projects. Nearly 20 students worked or participated in “real world” projects through this past year. Among the more notable projects were the creation of an online mapping service for Delta State University (pictured below) and the City of Cleveland, a study of the effects of innovation on the regional economy (paper to be published this coming year), and study of the effects of the proposed Interstate 69 on local traffic patterns. Three of our more promising undergraduate students were sent to Oxford, MS for three days to attend software training and Ms. Roshandra Collier will be attending advanced courses on spatial databases at the ESRI world headquarters in Redlands, CA in mid-July.

An example of the interactive campus mapping service currently under construction at http://gis.deltastate.edu. A complete inventory of campus assets is being developed. Using this service, students will be able to find programs and classrooms, emergency responders will be able to find fire hydrants and risers, and physical plant personnel will know the exact location of gas valves, water meters, etc… A similar interactive mapping project, in partnership with undergraduate students at DSU’s Madison Center, is currently underway to document places of historic significance to the civil rights movement for students and tourists alike. These skills are taught to students enrolling in “Internet GIS and Programming” during Spring semesters.

The application of GIT to agricultural interests remains a focus for the Center. An educational series available for service learning credit was provided to the community about the fundamentals of geospatial information technologies in precision agriculture. Participants were taught basic computer skills, the fundamentals of GPS, the application of remote sensing to agriculture, and how to make maps with GIS. Each participant was granted access to the Center’s computer labs for the Spring semester and were allowed to use our large format printers to make maps of their farms. Enrollment was promising this past year and we look to build this program over the coming years. In response to our activities during Hurricane Katrina, great interest has arisen across the state as to how emergency responders may learn more about GIT. In response to this demand, we put together a 40-hour training course that covers the fundamentals of map reading, how to obtain and use basic GIT data, and how to use GIT to help manage an emergency or disaster. Delta K-9 Search and Rescue is the first unit to participate in this training and will complete the course of study with 19 participants on 15 July. Other units, such as Western Tennessee Search and Rescue, are working with us to schedule their sessions. A full description of this training course may be found at the Center’s Community of Practice for the Application of GIT to Disaster/Emergency Response web site at http://mississippi.deltastate.edu. Our collaboration to strengthen geospatial education in partnership with other Mississippi Universities remains strong. Mr. Brooks was elected vice-chairman of the Institute for Higher Learning’s Geospatial Council this past May and will serve in that capacity for one year. The articulation agreements put in place last year to allow the transfer of credit for geospatial courses from Mississippi Delta and Northwest Community Colleges is now bearing fruit as we have accepted our first students from these school for this Fall semester. The Center is also a partner in proposed grant activities with Alcorn State University and the Mississippi Automated Resource Information System (MARIS, an IHL entity) that seek funding to improve the State’s geospatial infrastructure for Homeland Security. Lastly, we worked with the Geospatial Information and Technology Association to help them develop new means of providing geospatial education and capturing and reporting information about the geospatial industry. One of the more important outcomes of this process was the development of the Geospatial 21 website through KidzOnline at http://www.geospatial21.org. We are sharing this site with other Mississippi universities for use as an outreach tool targeting prospective high school students who want to enter the field and teachers who want to include GIT in their classrooms. The workforce component of this project is still underway as the GIWIS (gee-whiz) website and may be found at http://www.aag.org/giwis/.

Education Grant and Workforce/Community Development Activities South Delta Planning and Development District The Center pursued several grant activities with success. Most notably, we applied for funding to create a short-term (90-day) training program through the South Delta Planning and Development District. The Center was awarded $53,000 and, in turn, worked with the local WIN Job Center to identify possible candidates who were seeking workforce training and jobs.

Five students successfully completed the resulting 18-credit hour course of study to earn a Certificate in Geospatial Information Technologies. In partnership with this award, the Center was able to work with John Deere Agribusiness Services to help them open a new image processing center here in Cleveland, MS. Three of the five participating students were able to gain employment with John Deere as the first employees of this new business and are earning upwards of $12 an hour.

Another program participant, Drew Fioranelli (pictured above in Jasper National Park this past June), was able to secure an internship with Telus in Edmonton, AB, Canada at $17 an hour. Drew will rotate between office work in Edmonton and field work in the Canadian Rockies. He plans to return to Delta State this Fall to complete a BS in Interdisciplinary Studies with the Center. The fifth participant, Mr. Ron Hewlett, demonstrated exemplary performance and was hired as an intern at the Center. Department of Homeland Security Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program: SAFER Membership and equipment for local volunteer fire departments is almost always an issue due to slim budgets in rural Mississippi. As a service to the community, and in partnership with President Hilpert’s “Year of Cleveland”, the Center authored a grant for the recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters for Bolivar County Volunteer Fire District #1 (Assistant Chief Lee Tedder is pictured at right at a training fire in Pace, MS). The department was notified that they were awarded a four-year grant totaling $180,800 this past November. Intergraph Corporation Education Grant Like most technology, GIT is expensive and the hardware and software used is diverse. To offer our students a wider range of classroom and laboratory experiences, the Center pursued an education grant from the Intergraph Corporation (Huntsville, AL). We were awarded a 1-year license for all of their software worth $773,500.

WIRED In November of 2005, the Center was notified through both the MS Institute for Higher Learning and the Geospatial Information and Technology Association (GITA) that the US Dept. of Labor was soliciting grants for the Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) program offered through the Employment and Training Division. Significant synergy – namely Mr. Brooks’ participation in a current DOL award to GITA, the naming of the Geospatial Industry as a Presidential High Job Growth Industry, and the need for a better geospatial workforce in Mississippi – prompted the rapid development of more than 20 partners at the local, state, and national levels and the subsequent authorship of a 2-page whitepaper outlining a potential proposal. This whitepaper was submitted to Governor Barbour’s office (all applications to this grant program were to be submitted by governors) and favorably reviewed by Mr. John Rounsaville. Mr. Rounsaville requested a meeting with Mr. Brooks and James Steil, the director of the Mississippi Automated Resource Information System (Mississippi’s version of the Office of the State Cartographer) in late November and were strongly encouraged us to put together a full proposal for the Governor’s consideration. With their encouragement, we developed the proposal and garnered letters of support from the Association of American Geographers, GITA, Delta Council, and many other organizations vested in the success of GIT in Mississippi. As the Governor’s office was only permitted to forward 3 funding requests to DOL, the competition – particularly in the geospatial arena – was very, very stiff and ours was regrettably not sent on to Washington for consideration. However, we were notified that there is significant interest in our proposed activities and Ms. Wanda Lamb of the MS Department of Employment Security invited us to submit our application to her office for further consideration. Service and Community Collaboration The Center has established many collaborative efforts at Delta State and the Community. Beyond the SAFER grant authorship for Bolivar County Volunteer Fire Department mentioned previously, the center has advanced 3 other proposals on behalf of the community at large for improved mapping services, emergency response, and hazard mitigation. Most recently, the Center authored a proposal to construct a county-wide GIS for Bolivar County that was accepted and is now awaiting a funding source. A trial version of this system demonstrating feasibility is available online at http://gis.deltastate.edu. Our partnership with the agricultural community has strengthened significantly during the past year. A major contributing factor to this is a strong relationship with In Time, Inc. The Center worked with the National Geodetic Survey and the University of Southern Mississippi to establish a Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS) on the roof of Ewing Hall. This CORS station provides GPS signal corrections for use in precision farming and engineering applications. The signal is available 24 hours a day and is now being integrated into precision farming products in development at In Time. Further, we are working with In Time to refine their image processing techniques and are using the Center’s laboratory facilities to help them evaluate remote sensing and image processing software (as an educational institution, we have

access to extremely expensive software at little or no cost, thus providing them with significant savings). The Center also provided informational talks about geospatial information technology through various community organizations during the past year. These included the Cleveland Noon Lions Club, the Cleveland Exchange Club, The Delta Law Enforcement Officers Association, the American Red Cross (Greenville Chapter Annual Meeting), the Cleveland Country Club, the Bolivar County Board of Supervisors, and the Sunflower County Board of Supervisors. Additionally, mapping support was provided for the DSU Alumni Foundation, DSU Police Department, Delta K-9, Bolivar County Emergency Operations Center, the DSU Center for Culture and Learning (we continue to assist several K-12 teachers with GIS projects for their classrooms), the DSU Center for Community Development, and the DSU Dept. of Physical and Life Sciences.

GIS Corps Volunteer Dick Kopatish who responded to the request for mapping support sent out by the Center with a very tired Gov. Haley Barbour at the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency’s Jackson Emergency Operations Center during Hurricane Katrina.

Awards In April of 2006, Talbot Brooks and Subramanian Swaminathan attended the Annual Meeting of the Geospatial Information and Technology Association (GITA) in Tampa, FL. GITA is the premiere professional association for our industry and approximately 3,000 were in attendance. Mr. Brooks was awarded “Best Speaker” and presented with a plaque for his special seminar on the use of Geospatial Information Technology (GIT) for disaster/emergency response. In June of 2006, the Center was notified by that they were this year’s recipient of Environmental Research Systems Inc’s “Special Achievement in GIS” award. ESRI is the largest geospatial software manufacturer in the world and we will be attending their annual conference in San Diego this August to receive the award – more than 15,000 are expected to attend this year’s conference.

Publications, presentations and articles about the Center The Center was invited by the International Association of Emergency Managers to contribute to a special edition of their monthly publication “IAEM Bulletin”. Upon receipt of our article, the invitation was extended to write a 3-part series about GIT for emergency management. The first article “Affordable Geospatial Technologies for Disaster/Emergency Response” was selected as the cover for the July issue and may be found at: http://www.iaem.com/publications/bulletin/documents/200607bulletinonline.pdf. In addition, “Responding to Katrina: A Personal Account” was published in the newsletter of the Association of American Geographers in November, 2005 and may still be found online at: http://www.aag.org/2005_Nov.pdf A technical article, “Predicting Hurricane Katrina’s Storm Surge Using ArcScene” was published in the December 2005 edition of ArcNews, a trade journal for geospatial professionals. This publication has provided the groundwork for subsequent development of flood modeling within GIT and several requests for further information about the procedures used have been received. The original article may be found online at: http://www.esri.com/news/arcuser/1005/stormsurge.html Many were interested in hearing about our experiences during Katrina and Rita. We felt it very important to share the lessons learned and processes experienced with as broad an audience as possible so that should such a disaster occur again, planning and response may be significantly improved. Presentations included:

• Geospatial Information and Technology Association Annual Conference, invited presentation, Tampa, FL

• Urban and Regional Information Systems Association Annual Conference, invited speaker and lunchtime keynote, Kansas City, KS

• National Emergency Number Association Annual Conference, held in partnership with URISA, invited presentation through GISCorps, Nashville, TN

• Memphis Area Geographic Information Council Annual Conference, invited presentation, Memphis, TN

• Louisiana Remote Sensing and GIS Conference, plenary presentation, Baton Rouge, LA • Florida Governor’s Hurricane Conference, invited presentation, Ft. Lauderdale, FL • Mississippi Automated Resource Information System User Meeting, invited presentation,

Jackson, MS

Further, the news media caught on to what transpired with relation to GIT during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and championed our activities as one of the things that went right. More than 60 articles in various newspapers and journals were published and National Public Radio did a special segment with the Center that aired nationally on Weekend Edition with Dan Charles (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5233408 ). The following is a listing of the more prominent news organizations which carried stories about the Center:

• The National Review • Dallas Morning News • The Denver Post • Kansas City Star • Computer World • Federal Computer Weekly • Geospatial Solutions • The Early Bird (DoD morning news report) • Directions Magazine • Life Magazine (in progress) • Delta Business Journal • ArcUser

Beyond hurricanes, the Center has rapidly built a reputation for excellence and was invited to and contributed at several significant events. In January of 2006, the Mr. Brooks was among approximately 100 individuals invited by the US Dept. of Labor (DOL) to participate in the “Geospatial Thought Leaders Roundtable” in Washington, DC. The purpose of this meeting was to help define the geospatial industry (DOL recently identified GIT as a Presidential High Job Growth Industry) and develop a strategy for identifying and classifying industry participants and to create a roadmap for workforce development in this arena. The Center also invited, for the second year in a row, to be one of approximately 30 participants at the GITA Annual Strategic Planning Session in Denver, CO. These annual meetings seek to assess the progress of the geospatial industry and how to better offer guidance and educational services to those involved with the technology. Mr. Brooks also serves as an active member of both the Research and the Education committees of this organization. Personnel In January of this year, Dr. Carlysle Meek joined the Center as a part-time Assistant Director. Dr. Meek, a full professor in the Physics Department, has a long history of representing GIT at Delta State. He has served as the University’s representative to the Mississippi Institute of Higher Learning’s Geospatial Council for the past decade. During the coming year, Dr. Meek will work within Delta State to promote geospatial awareness, help recruit new students, assist with student advising and coordinate the minor/certificate program for the Center. The Center was pleased to welcome Mr. Subramanian Swaminathan (Subu) in December of 2005. Mr. Swaminathan was a former doctoral student for Mr. Brooks at Arizona State

University and brings expertise in relational databases and programming to the Center. He has a MS in Computer Science and is finishing his doctorate in Geography. He is fulfilling the role of Instructor of Geography by teaching introductory courses, coordinating community and technical projects, and is serving as the Webmaster for the Center’s website at http://gis.deltastate.edu.

Hurricane Katrina Introduction The Hurricane Katrina event in Mississippi was the first large-scale natural disaster in the world for which Geospatial Information Technologies (GIT) played a significant role. The Mississippi GIT response was unique because it a) was not an original part of any hazard mitigation plan; b) was implemented using nearly 100% volunteer resources and services; and c) it was present at nearly all operational levels. Delta State’s GIS Center implemented and coordinated the following activities for the time period of 26 August – 9 September 2005: National

1. The translation of hundreds of street addresses to latitude/longitude for the US Coast Guard for helicopter and ground-based rescue.

2. The provision of cartographic, analysis, and printing support for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from 27 August through 8 September when FEMA resources were finally in place within the region

3. The coordination of data sharing among responding agencies at the Federal level, including FEMA, EPA, FL SERT, and many others.

4. Maps created by the GIT response team at MEMA were provided as briefing materials before Congress and the President, as seen on CNN and other major news networks.

State

1. GIT mapping activities for decision makers at the Jackson Emergency Operations Center (EOC) included:

a. Assisted with the creation and integration of the missing-persons database and subsequent mapping.

b. Energy: power outage maps, power restoration maps, location of major electric transmission and oil/gas pipelines.

c. Communications: cell phone tower and coverage maps

d. Public Safety: provided more than 250 search and street maps to initial responders during first 24 hour operational period alone. Created indexed street map books for 6 southern counties.

e. Department of Environmental Quality: Provided hazards location map (underground gas storage, location of facilities with HAZMAT inventories….)

f. Public Works: Location of DOH wells, electric substations, and other critical infrastructure for restoration of services

g. Department of Health/Emergency Medical Services: power outages, hospital status, and other life safety concerns.

h. Red Cross, Salvation Army, Mental Health: maps of shelter, food, and water distribution points and capacities

2. Created and Internet accessible mapping website (ESRI) for use in the EOC a. The call for and subsequent organization and placement of GIT related personnel

and assets. This included: i. The assemblage of more than 60 volunteers from across the state and the

nation into six operational divisions ii. Obtained the donation of services and equipment from Leica Geosystems

(5 high-accuracy GPS units with 4 field team members/trainers able to execute rapid-needs GPS missions ) and 50 Garmin units.

iii. Secured the MSU GISMobile (the brain bus) Local

1. Printing and GPS supplies were obtained in Jackson and flown to coastal counties for use by local EOC’s

2. Personnel were sent forward to Stone, Lincoln, and Hancock counties to assist with mapping needs.

3. Street and search maps produced at the Jackson EOC were flown to all affected counties.

Operational Structure These accomplishments were only possible through integration of GIT activities within the operational matrices for MEMA, FEMA, and MCDEMA. GIT activities were structured as follows:

1. Data Development – This group is tasked with enhancing existing geographic databases or creating new data sets. These data are from a variety of sources. This group will provide the GIS data for use by the Mapping/Distribution group.

2. Logistics – Tasked with logistics organization, personnel resource scheduling, project scheduling, Action Request Forms, GIS trailer maintenance needs, ad-hoc needs, etc.

3. Mapping/Distribution – This group is tasked with creating GIS maps in sufficient number, format and size for hardcopy output and serving up on the Internet.

4. Operations Management – Tasked with the management and coordination of all aspects of the response and recovery efforts being supported with GIS products and technology.

5. Search and Recovery – This group is tasked with coordinating mapping information for search and recovery efforts. This includes lat long coordinates for missions, grid maps for search area delineation and SAR progress monitoring.

6. Tech Support – This team provides software and geo-data technical support for anyone in need of answers to technology questions

Key Lessons Learned

1. Education about GIT is desperately needed. Awareness of GIT is and what it can be used for with emergency management was sorely lacking.

2. Geospatial technologies must become an operational division capable of a modular response within MEMA. The rationale is as follows:

a. Two fundamental maps sets were created. One for decision makers among all participating agencies and one for responders from all participating agencies. Layers of management must be minimized to ensure rapid and efficient communication of information in graphical format for dissemination up and down the chain of command and laterally to participating agencies. For example, flood and wind model output needed the immediate attention of the Asst. Director and Director, political leadership, and interagency (FEMA, Guard) leadership whereas street maps were more useful for individual responders.

b. Information must flow to or through geospatial operations for inclusion in constant update maps. Ideally, the EOC should have 2-3 dedicated projectors showing asset status and operationally relevant conditions in map format.

3. The implementation of a standardized reference system. We recommend the use of the US National Grid (USNG). We made the mistake of initially improvising a search and rescue grid and then modifying that grid for local use. Hundreds of copies of each were published. The USNG is a readily available standard that is yet to be adopted by emergency response agencies due to lack of education.

4. Arrangement for standing contracts for large-scale printing of field maps must be made in advance or greater map printing capabilities must be obtained by state and local agencies. We simply could not print maps fast enough to meet demand.

5. Data availability is critical. The following were data shortfalls during Katrina a. FEMA was unable to share critical imagery datasets due to unreasonable

information technology procedures (this is a technical and NOT a national security concern).

b. Lack of a geocodable streets layer that included all forms of roads. This would have allowed rapid translation of street addresses to latitude/longitude for helicopter and associated rescue early on.

c. Lack of complete and up-to-date infrastructure data including, but not limited to: i. Bridges (later obtained from MDOT)

ii. Detailed water, electrical, and gas infrastructure data (beyond major trunk lines)

iii. Accurate EOC, shelter, fire station, hospital, police station, and related layers. The location of many of these assets was not determined in advance.

d. Digital elevation model adequate for use with HAZUS. Both MS-provided and USGS-provided digital elevation model and national elevation datasets were unusable by HAZUS.

e. Development of the 7 framework layers is critical and must be fast-tracked. 6. Personnel must be up to the task at hand. Mississippi has long engaged geospatial

technologies, but in a very one sided fashion. Efforts are largely focused on remote sensing and aerial photography. While these images and personnel are useful, they lack the critical skills needed to manage data in an enterprise (sharing) environment, engage in rapid large-scale map production, and work outside their areas of expertise. An endeavor to train GIS-professionals with expertise in emergency/disaster management is needed.

7. Geospatial technology within MEMA and the State must be de-politicized. While MEMA cannot be the data generator, it must participate in establishing data standards and be a data repository.

8. Information flow must be streamlined. Satellite or comparable methods of sharing information and the use software applications such a Groove (used by FL) must become operational as soon as possible. This requires that all EOC’s engage in GIS and allied information technologies.

Creating a Geospatial Technology Community of Practice for Homeland Security and Emergency Management: A DSU/GITA Proposal to the US

Department of Labor

The Geospatial Technology Community of Practice Project will Develop the Necessary Training and Methods for Homeland Security The Homeland Security community lacks a coordinated approach for application of geospatial information technologies (GIT) resulting in a static work force that is ill-equipped to effectively implement or use the requisite geospatial technology needed for effective planning, mitigation and

response in this high job growth industry. As demonstrated by 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, GIT substantially improves our ability to both prevent and respond to disastrous events and emergencies by creating the necessary common, spatially-based reference for management and response. Thus the provision and dissemination of training and educational materials, best management practices, and development of collaborative bodies is a critical need for workforce development in this arena.

No matter the root cause of an emergency – terrorism, natural occurrences, or unintentional human error – the methods of mitigating, understanding, and responding to threats to our security and disastrous occurrences are based upon where they occur. A

coordinated approach that integrates and makes effective use of GIT at the responder (local) and decision maker (state and federal) levels provides the spatial basis for mitigation, understanding, and response by providing a common operational picture (eg, a map) of location, resources, and conditions. As the military has long used GIT to frame the picture of what is happening in combat so that they may effectively shoot, move, and communicate, so must we in the war against terror and in the battlefield-like conditions of a disaster.

This cannot happen without explicit practices and training to enable the many mutually dependent agencies and organizations charged with protecting our nation’s citizens and infrastructure to efficiently and effectively share vital information and coordinate necessary resources through the use of GIT to help provide a spatially-based common operational framework. The purpose of the Geospatial Information and Technology Association’s (GITA) project is to design and develop a community of practice for the creation and dissemination of educational and training materials for the thousands of emergency responders, agreements for the sharing of data and resources, and the effective use of Geospatial technologies by decision makers to support Homeland Security.

GITA’s Geospatially Enabling Community Collaboration (GECCo) program provides the foundation upon which this project will be built. The GECCo program provides jurisdictions at all levels of government, the private sector, and nongovernmental organizations an understanding of how GIT can help them comply with specific elements of the National Incident Management System, the National Incident Management Plan, and the Incident Command System, thus enabling community stakeholders to more effectively prepare for, prevent, respond to, and recover from domestic threats and incidents, regardless of cause, size, or complexity. To

date, three GECCo Pilot workshops have been conducted in Honolulu, Denver, and western New York State.

Recent Gulf Coast Events Reveal the Critical Need for a Geospatial Technology Community of Practice The Gulf Coast experienced one the greatest natural catastrophes in our nation’s history. The Hurricane Katrina disaster was the first large-scale natural event for which GIT played a significant role. The technology played a vital role in helping rescue teams save hundreds of lives through the translation of street address to latitude and longitude for helicopter rescue, the creation of search and rescue maps, and through a series of map sets that allowed decision makers to gain a more accurate picture of the conditions on the Gulf Coast.

The growing threat of natural disaster in response to climate change and the potential for continued terrorist threats are growing the need for disaster and emergency managers. All disasters are local, have a geographic basis, and require the use of geographically based information for adequate and timely response. One of the most critical lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina was that emergency/disaster responders must be trained in basic map reading and GIT skills (eg., use of GPS) and that geospatial professionals must become versed in the world of disaster/emergency management so that their skills and products may be put to use in a timely manner to save lives and property.

Before Hurricanes Katrina and Rita laid waste to the Gulf Coast by destroying lives, property, businesses, and jobs, to a region of the U.S. that was already in need. Economic hard times had plagued many communities in this region for decades. Government leaders realize that the economy must progress into the 21st century, but there were few immediate solutions. The principal challenge lies within the need to shift from heavy reliance on slow growth industries such as agriculture and transportation and away from government subsidy and shrinking light manufacturing to an innovation-driven knowledge economy. This need to shift has been recognized by jurisdictions at all levels of government and the private sector as indicated through recent

investments in and use of geospatial technology.

Yet efforts across the region remain disconcerted and have not launched the interdependent economies to new heights. For example, significant investments in geospatial technologies have occurred consistently during the past 10 years through efforts such as the Mississippi Space Commerce Initiative, the Enterprise for Innovative Geospatial Solutions, and several workforce development grants. Each effort is able to demonstrate success, particularly in raising awareness about geospatial technology. However, they have not fostered the anticipated explosive growth in this arena because they fail to stimulate the requisite demand to employ an appropriately trained workforce. The sustainable growth may only be accomplished through concerted technical projects with real-world application that create market demand. More simply, we may train the workforce, but if jobs do not exist, they will not be employed. We may develop new products and techniques, but unless there is a client, they will not be implemented or purchased – and if they are, the workforce must be appropriately trained to continue the product development cycle. This project is unique in that it matches two identified high growth industries by

fostering both technical development and collaboration within one (geospatial) with the product and skills needs of the other (Homeland Security).

A brief history of the development of GIT provides insight about why this match is yet to be made. In the early 1960’s Geographic Information Systems (GIS) was introduced as a technology that allowed for analysis of spatial information (i.e., x,y coordinates) linked to attribute information (i.e., name, quantity) in a single application. For example, a point on a map (spatial) would be associated with temperature, wind speed, and rainfall (attribute). This point could be joined with many others to calculate and display regional trends. The power of this technology was rapidly realized and adopted in the academic, utilities, and the private sector, but did not gain widespread implementation until the early 1990’s when more affordable GIS software packages entered the marketplace, and more geospatial data become available. The utility and engineering sectors led this adoption and were followed by large corporations operating in many parts of the economy.

Yet limited state and local government budgets in Gulf Coast states prevented rapid adoption of this technology even though by the late 1980’s GIT was being used for a host of applications: analyzing flood risk and storm damage on property and structures, locating new headquarters or retail outlets (business); tracking and organizing road and sewer repair (municipal); identifying and analyzing environmental damage (environment); identifying crime patterns (crime/emergency services support); cataloging the locations of utility features (government support), and identifying critical infrastructure (emergency management). Conversely, Homeland Security expenditures largely focus on the provision of equipment and manpower (eg, the proverbial bullets and beans) and not skills training such as GIT that may be used as a force multiplier. It is well demonstrated that the aforementioned GIT applications provide a significant return on investment as they are now embedded as fundamental information technology components in a host of industries. Geospatial technology expertise linked with management skills is now an acceptable portal to management: the Chief Information Officer of a corporation or the newly created Geospatial Manager as set forth by President Bush in the Geospatial Line of Business initiative.

GECCo Pilot Project Findings Will Form the Foundation for Developing the Community of Practice In our discussions and working sessions with the local, regional, state, tribal, federal and private sector organizations participating in GECCo Pilots, many needs continue to repeatedly emerge. These needs have been organized into three major focus areas, including: Workforce Development and Training; Collaboration and Coordination; and Standards, Practices, and Procedures.

Workforce Development and Training

• Develop workforce development plans for training local, regional, tribal, and state organizations in the use of geospatial technology to support emergency management and Homeland Security planning.

• Develop a rapid training program and materials that effectively support the end users during an event.

• Develop a simple to use Web site to enable non-technical users the ability access and share emergency management data for planning and responding to events, as well as day-to-day operational related activities.

• Determine state, tribal, regional, and local agency training needs for meeting the National Incident Management System requirements.

Collaboration and Coordination

• Predefine all critical infrastructure data and their locations as necessary to support planning for and responding to an event, based on federally-mandated National Incident Management System and National Response Plan requirements.

• Establish data collection and dissemination responsibilities, prior to an event among multiple local, regional, and state agencies (e.g., flood monitoring, building inspections).

• Establish data sharing agreements among essential public and private organizations.

• Establish advanced contracts for data collection, such as the use of remote sensing technology for incident management.

• Develop predefined list of GIT personnel resources required to support an event.

Standards, Practices, and Procedures

• Create a common georeferenced landbase (e.g., buildings, utilities, street and building addresses) to support emergency management and Homeland Security.

• Develop predefined data and metadata standards to ensure the best possible datasets are used for decision making.

• Establish common emergency map production procedures and capabilities in more than one location that crosses multiple levels of government.

• Develop field mapping procedures for both taking data in the field and collecting it during and after an event.

• Develop interoperability standards to enable the integration and exchange of related emergency management and critical infrastructure protection data.

This Project Leverages a Collaborative Approach for Developing the Geospatial Technology Community of Practice Public and private organizations alike need more impact from geospatial technology. Many have spent hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars without adequate results. Differing agency’s needs, existing systems, inadequate training, diverse practices, and lack of standards as well as rapidly changing technology all make it difficult for many organizations to successfully adopt and properly leverage geospatial technology that is becoming more necessary than ever before.

Principal investigators will conduct and gather benchmarking data and lead a series of focus workshops in key geospatial technology practice areas. They will identify benchmarking participants from the Project Team Partners, as well as other industry groups. The results will be documented and used to develop future collaborative frameworks, learning outcome objectives, and an assessment plan. Every Project Team Partner will have the opportunity to discuss issues and share insights culminating in development of effective “Geospatial Technology Community of Practice for Homeland Security”. While our initial focus is firmly fixed upon Homeland Security, it is our ultimate objective that the collaborative development methods used herein and the resulting Community of Practice may be duplicated for other high-job growth initiatives.

The following graphic depicts the relationship between the various government programs and mandates, emergency responders and GITA’s Geospatial Technology Community of Practice. The Community of

Implement Geospatialas S.T. (Talbot?)

Create GeospatialSpecific Jobs/Roles

Establish Collaboration

GECCo ResultsSeminarsBriefings

AwarenessEducationCollaboration

Local, Regional, &Federal Agencies

EOL’s / EMA’sESF Agency Leads

DecisionMakers

Use of Geospatial in the field

Develop ProfessionalWorkforce

Data/Info Exchange

SeminarsCoursesOn-line training

SkillsTrainingEducationTemplates

Fire & PoliceEmergency Mgnt.UtilitiesNGO’s

Responders

WhyHowWhatWho

Implement Geospatialas S.T. (Talbot?)

Create GeospatialSpecific Jobs/Roles

Establish Collaboration

GECCo ResultsSeminarsBriefings

AwarenessEducationCollaboration

Local, Regional, &Federal Agencies

EOL’s / EMA’sESF Agency Leads

DecisionMakers

Use of Geospatial in the field

Develop ProfessionalWorkforce

Data/Info Exchange

SeminarsCoursesOn-line training

SkillsTrainingEducationTemplates

Fire & PoliceEmergency Mgnt.UtilitiesNGO’s

Responders

WhyHowWhatWho

GeospatialTechnologyCommunityof Practice

NationalDissemination

Practice will develop the necessary training program, educational materials, and practices and procedures required to support emergency responder cross training and education, professional development, information exchange, and collaboration.

We are on the precipice of a unique opportunity to foster significant change in the practice of emergency management, bolster economy among countless communities, and strengthen homeland security in one of this Nation’s most vulnerable areas. This proposal seeks to close the gap through an articulated project that links geospatial education, industry, and implementation of several GECCo Pilots across the U.S. that target Homeland Security and disaster/emergency management. The application of Geospatial technology within Homeland Security and disaster/emergency management are unique because it requires the collaboration of a wide range of governmental agencies and the private sector to produce a comprehensive threat analysis and response as evidenced by 9/11, western wildfires, and major hurricanes such as Katrina.

The following graphic identifies the Who, What, How, and Why of the Geospatial Technology Community of Practice. Through the provision of training modules targeting first responder and

geospatial professionals alike, seminars and training materials will be created for emergency managers and decision makers. This will be done with a particular emphasis on collaboration involving geospatial resources for improved mitigation and response. Creating a seamless network of geospatial enabled communities with capabilities that can be disseminated and integrated and at the national level with such programs as NRP, NIMS, and NIPP.

GovernmentPrograms and

Mandates

National Response PlanNational Incident Management SystemNational Infrastructure Protection PlanState and Local InitiativesOthers…

GITA’s Communityof Practice

EmergencyResponders

Workforce TrainingEducationProfessional DevelopmentInformation/Data ExchangeCollaborationOthers…

Training ProgramEducation MaterialsTemplatesStandard Practices/ProceduresOthers...

Cross Training

GovernmentPrograms and

Mandates

National Response PlanNational Incident Management SystemNational Infrastructure Protection PlanState and Local InitiativesOthers…

GITA’s Communityof Practice

EmergencyResponders

Workforce TrainingEducationProfessional DevelopmentInformation/Data ExchangeCollaborationOthers…

Training ProgramEducation MaterialsTemplatesStandard Practices/ProceduresOthers...

Cross Training

The Project Work Plan Addresses Design and Development of the Geospatial Technology Community of Practice This two (2) year project will focus on creating and implementing a workforce and professional development outreach, training, and education program that educates emergency responders and decision makers about the application of geospatial technology to disasters and emergencies, and for creating a common operational picture. In addition, it will educate the geospatial technology community about disaster and emergency management.

During the first year of funding, we will grow the basic Geospatial Technology Community of Practice by:

1. Conducting a needs assessment to determine the appropriate audience and material required at the responder and decision maker levels.

2. Developing geographic specific collaborative and training plan and educational material through the Geospatial Technology Community of Practice. This will be accomplished by:

a. Conducting GECCo projects with the associated Project Team Partners. Each GECCo will focus on defining the collaborative environment to facilitate data and resource sharing, and the geospatial technology requirement necessary for supporting Homeland Security and disaster/emergency management.

b. Creating educational materials for both first responders and decision makers and provide fundamental skills and training materials. Examples include basic land navigation for emergency responders, incident management with mapping using the National Incident Management System, and the use of GPS devices for search and rescue, damage assessment, and hazard assessment. It is anticipated that the initial training will involve approximately 1,000 emergency responders within the first 12 months of the project.

3. Assessing training and educational material and methods for effectiveness at the end of year one. This will include an assessment of the results from the four (4) GECCo projects. Enhancements or changes to the training and educational material will be made prior to expanding training program.

4. Developing a roadmap for national implementation of the training plan and educational material, ongoing GECCo development, and workforce development in the geospatial technology/emergency management arena that is self sustaining and may be adopted nationally.

5. Expanding the Geospatial Technology Community of Practice to the national level in order to tie the thousands of individual emergency responders to decision makers, stakeholders, and data owners with the objective of creating and implementing standards of practice that incorporate geospatial technology.

The second year of funding will focus on the continued development and verification of standards of practice and the resultant requisite training, as well as the creation of the Meeting Place Portal for the Geospatial Technology Community of Practice, and initiate the deployment of the Community of Practice for Homeland Security and Emergency Management program nationally.

Geospatial Technology Community of Practice Project Team Partners and Supporting Organizations The following includes the project team partners and supporting organizations for the project. Primary partners for the project are identified in bold.

New York � Southern Tier West Regional Planning and

Development Board � NYS Office of Emergency Management � State University of New York at Buffalo � Allegany County � Cattaraugus County � Chautauqua County � NYS Office of Cyber Security � National Grid

Mississippi � Delta State University � Mississippi Civil Defense and Emergency

Management Association � Mississippi Emergency Management Agency � Mississippi Automated Resource Information

System � Bolivar County � Hancock County � Mississippi Development Authority � Entergy

Colorado � City and County of Denver � Utility Notification Center of Colorado � Xcel Energy � Denver Water � University of Denver � State of Colorado Department of Labor � Colorado Division of Emergency Management

Hawaii � Oahu Civil Defense � Workforce Development Partner (To be

confirmed) � University/Community College (To be

determined) � City and County of Honolulu � Hawaiian Electric � Honolulu Board of Water Supply � Pacific Disaster Center

Federal Partners � Department of Labor � Federal Geographic Data Committee � Department of Homeland Security � US Marine Corps. � US Fire Administration

Other Partners � Geospatial Information & Technology

Association � National Association of Emergency Managers � National States Geographic Information

Council � One Call Systems International � Open Geospatial Consortium � National Association of Development

Organizations

Center for Interdisciplinary Geospatial Information Technologies

Delta State University

FY 2004-2005 End Of Year Report

Presented to the Hearin Foundation

25 May 2005

Talbot J. Brooks Director

Current Status This was an exciting and successful inaugural year for the Center for Interdisciplinary Geospatial Technologies at Delta State University. We are extremely grateful to the Hearin Foundation for their patience and support. To summarize, our accomplishments include the following:

1. Education and Training a. Establishment of a Minor and Certificate program in Geospatial Information

Technologies (GIT). This 18 credit hour program involved the creation and approval of 6 new GIT courses at Delta State. It also qualifies as a concentration area for the Bachelor’s of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies (BSIS).

b. A new partnership with the University of Mississippi’s Institute for Advanced Education in Geospatial Sciences (IAEGS) that allows us to be the first educational institution nation-wide to offer 30 online courses in geospatial technologies. These courses were developed through a $9-million grant from NASA and are now being directly marketed by Delta State through national organizations such as the Geospatial Information Technology Association (GITA, http://www.gita.org).

c. The creation of three GIT tracks in existing graduate degree programs: i. Master’s of Commercial Aviation. This program is now under review by

the US Air Force Space Command for inclusion in its officer education program and may potentially capture 2,500 students a year.

ii. Master’s of Business Administration. We estimate that this program will have 5 students matriculate in the first year. It is of particular interest to GITA.

iii. Master’s of Science in Natural Sciences. We expect approval of this program by the end of the summer

d. A rural outsourcing program is in place and a loose partnership was formed with CH2M Hill Engineering Services. CH2M Hill is the third largest engineering firm nation-wide and discussions are underway to use the Center for projects managed out of that firm’s offices in San Francisco and Phoenix. Additional discussions are underway with Scott Larsen (VP Operations) from RBF Engineering for additional work in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. These opportunities will present invaluable practical experience for students engaged in GIT studies.

e. Two students were placed through the Center with In Time in Cleveland, MS. In Time is one of the nation’s leading providers of remote sensing imagery for precision farm management. Our training laboratory was also provided to In Time for 2 3-day periods for training purpose.

2. Community Outreach a. The first non-credit hour training program for GIT was held during March of

2005. It focused on the implementation of spatial technologies within agriculture and provided 24 contact hours of instruction. This workshop will be offered 4-5 times a year at different locations within the region. A series of other standing workshops for this summer are planned for e-government, emergency management, and civil engineering/surveying.

b. The Center Director is now a member of the Mississippi Institute for Higher Learning’s Geospatial Information Technologies Council (formerly the Remote Sensing Council). He chairs a sub-committee on core competencies for geospatial education and will work to define and emplace the competencies state- and nation-wide through a cooperative effort with GITA and the US Dept. of Labor.

c. The Center was represented nationally at the annual conference for GITA (provided an invited 4-hour seminar on GIT Project Management) and the American Association of Geographers. A group of local leaders will accompany the Center to the Environmental Systems Research Institute’s annual conference in San Diego, CA this July and then to the metro-Phoenix area for a demonstration of GIT in action in governance and business.

d. The Director was invited to the GITA International Strategic Planning Council meeting and was named to that organization’s national research and education committees.

3. Research, Development, and Technology Transfer a. The Center has started a project with the Bolivar County Department of

Emergency Operations. Our objective is to create a model system for affordable adoption of geospatial technologies for rural counties through the creation of maps indicating streets with correct address ranges, driving directions, fire hydrant locations with flow rates and pressures, and supplementary pre-planning documents for areas of critical interest/risk.

b. The Center was short listed and invited to apply for consultancy on the Arizona E-911 project. Should this project be funded, a team of local emergency managers and students will assist the State of Arizona with the provision of mapping services for emergency management.

c. A loose partnership between Eli Engineering (Cleveland, MS), the Bolivar County Board of Supervisors, and the US Army Corps of Engineers was established to discuss the application of an $800,000 grant to create a geographic information system for Bolivar County, MS.

d. A partnership for technology transfer and GIT outsourcing was established between Desoto County GIS Dept. and the Center. Mr. Sam Russell (Director) and Mr. Matt Crisler (Technical Analyst) have visited the Center and met with students. They are currently reviewing projects in which they would like our participation.

Future Plans The Center has created and adopted a strategic plan (attached) for future direction. In essence, we will continue to strengthen the programs created this year and specifically target enrollment and the capture of additional funds through grants and projects. We will also work to build our facilities through the purchase of needed computer equipment, re-modeling of space through the sponsorship of Delta State, and the recruitment of leading talent in GIT. To meet these objectives, the Center must do the following:

1. Rapidly expand enrollment in Center courses. In doing so, we will provide a broader pool of qualified applicants for local and national geospatial jobs. GIT courses have historically enrolled 8-10 students a semester for each of the past 3 years. Our objective for this Fall semester is 30 students and 150 students by Fall 2007.

2. Substantially increase internship opportunities and job growth in GIT by engaging in sponsored research, technical development, and rural outsourcing projects at both a local and national level that provide fiscal support for student training.

3. Dramatically improve our ability to teach and demonstrate GIT. To do so, we require the purchase of GPS equipment and servers. These equipment needs are critical to the provision of educational offerings and training and are required for the conduct internship projects.

4. Appropriately staff the Center to meet the explosive interest it has generated during the past six months. This involves formalizing two key positions, as outlined in the original grant application, within the Center:

a. Outreach Coordinator. Mr. Leonard Locke will provide full time assistance, as a student, in a non-tenure track role for this area by reaching out to the community to garner interest in GIT to build enrollment in our courses regionally. He will oversee the scheduling and implementation of all not-for-credit training programs and provide representation at regional meetings.

b. Education and Projects Coordinator. This is a non-tenure track appointment with funding for up to 2 years of employment. The successful candidate will be expected to develop and teach up to 3 courses and 3-4 workshops per semester, manage key personnel and technical aspects of geospatial technology projects, perform geospatial information technology research and/or development, and assist the director in seeking external funding for the Center. This is a salaried 12-month position as outlined in the original grant.

5. Capture and remodel space appropriate for our current and future needs. Delta State University is committed to remodeling approximately 10,000 square feet of space in Kethley Hall for the GIS Center to include the creation of the following:

a. Auditorium style GIT classroom with a fully integrated teaching environment capable of immersive learning and demonstration (3-D and Virtual Reality capable). This space will also be used a “Decision Theater” (http://www.asu.edu/news/sci_tech/decisiontheatre_051605.htm similar to that which the Director was associated with at Arizona State for use by local policy and decision makers. Our current teaching lab occupies a windowless second floor room with inadequate air conditioning where temperatures frequently soar over 90 degrees.

b. A projects laboratory. We will implement an 8-10 user projects laboratory to host future grants and projects. Students currently working on the Bolivar County Emergency Operations Project are situated in lobby space in the Center offices with wiring strung across the floor.

c. A server room to host large computing efforts. This space will house rack mounted computing equipment and include raised flooring, climate control, and Internet II connectivity if possible.

d. Five offices for current and future Center staff. e. A large welcome area with a gallery area for “Maps as Art” on display in

partnership with the Delta State Art Department.

About Geospatial Information Technologies in MS Delta State University is a Master’s level research and teaching university located in rural northwestern Mississippi. The geographic information technology (GIT) mission of the University is to provide first rate education, technical training, and technology transfer to the government and business sectors. Mississippi is the national home for GIT – it is the top technology priority for our state. Our native partners include the Mississippi Automated Resource Information System (MARIS), NASA’s Stennis Space Center, the US Air Force’s Space Command, the USDA Agricultural Research Centers at Starkville and Stoneville, Intergraph, many oil and gas pipeline companies, Delta and Pineland, Georgia Pacific, In Time, and NOAA’s National Institute for Undersea Science and Technology. Of special note are the close partnerships we’ve developed with emergency responders, in particular the Bolivar County Office of Emergency Management. These agencies and organizations strongly support geospatial technology training, research, and development at Delta State University and are our partners in all research and technology development. The top priority for the Center for Interdisciplinary Geospatial Information Technologies at Delta State University is the creation of and internship/rural outsourcing program for GIT data processing and development. Using our prior expertise, we have assembled facilities and a team of faculty and staff capable of handling the most complex projects. Our production facilities include 18 dedicated GIT workstations, 3 spatial data servers (~3 TB total on site storage), 2 large format plotters capable of producing mapping products up to 42” in width (archival quality waterproof inks are available), digital imaging/scanning equipment, WAAS enabled and RTK GPS equipment, and large disk storage array systems. We are site licensed for all Microsoft, ESRI, Intergraph, ENVI, and Leica products. In cooperation with the aviation program and In Time, we are able to fly imaging missions using a Cessna L-206 or bring qualified pilots with us nationwide to assist with projects. Our production team is led by Talbot Brooks and comprises more than 25 undergraduate and graduate students trained in cadastral data processing, image rectification, field data collection, spatial database, Internet delivery of geospatial technologies, network construction and analysis, basic computer science, and computer programming. We are able to leverage these resources and our low labor cost to compete with global outsourcing providers for GIT. Our purpose in doing so is to provide practical training for our students and transfer of our knowledge to our clients. After projects have run for three years, they are transferred to our private sector partners for continuation. In this way we lower the entry point cost for parties interested in engaging in GIT projects and create new business and trained employees for the private sector. We will never directly compete with US interests for GIT projects, but rather seek mutually beneficial partnerships that advance the implementation and understanding of this rapidly growing technology nation-wide.

About internships, cooperative education, and rural outsourcing Basic geospatial data collection and processing is currently largely outsourced to India and Far-Eastern countries. While technical proficiency is needed to perform geospatial collection and data processing tasks, this training need not be advanced. Basic mapping of infrastructure, geo-rectification, geocoding, data review, and other repetitive or labor, intensive processes may be accomplished by individuals with 6-12 months of training. The population of the Mississippi Delta is particularly will suited to performing this type of work as a large portion of the currently un-employed workforce has had exposure to geospatial technology through seasonal agricultural work, hunting/fishing guide services, and prior military service. Our program seeks to provide an alternative to international outsourcing by linking introductory training such as Specialist and GIS Certificate programs with practical experience. The primary mode for accomplishing this will be through the creation of a “Rural Out-Sourcing” program. This program will seek governmental and business partners in need of basic geospatial services. Using cooperative research, development, and training agreements, not-for-profit fixed price contracts will be created that allow partners to create paid internships for students and community members. We envision a 3-5 year time window during which an increasing number of partners will engage the Center in basic spatial services. As individual relationships mature into larger time commitments, the Center will seek to privatize the effort by handing off projects to the private sector, or in their absence, through the creation of a new company or other equitable means. It is critical that this program not compete with the U.S. private sector, yet it must remain as responsive and flexible. As such, each partnership training and rural outsource program will exist for a fixed period of time while generally conforming to private industry business standards for pricing and overhead costs. To maintain the educational integrity of this program, each local participant will be required to enroll in a minimum of one geospatial technology oriented class for each six months worked and participate in a mandatory internship course that requires regular reports on lessons/skills learned, contemporary geographic thought, and professional development (eg., public speaking, creation of technical presentations). By engaging the Center for Interdisciplinary Geospatial Information Technologies at Delta State University, our partners are acknowledging the training and education basis of this program and are not using it to foster or gain unfair competitive advantage in any fashion.

2004 2005 2006 2007

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REQUEST FOR A NEW/REVISED COURSE

__ _ NEW __X__ REVISED __X__ UNDERGRADUATE _ _X__ GRADUATE Submitted by Department/Division of Interdisciplinary Center for Geospatial Information Technology COURSE TITLE: Introduction to Geospatial Science and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) DISCIPLINE DESIGNATION ____GIS/CIS__ COURSE NUMBER _202/502 HOURS CREDIT__3_____ PREREQUISITES (if any)_____None_____________________________________________________________ COURSE DESCRIPTION (for Bulletin) Introduction to Geospatial Science and GIS (GIS I). This course provides students with an introduction to the theory and practice of spatial science. Fundamental concepts include geodesy, coordinate systems and projections, basic computer science, the scientific method. Students will gain basic competency in the use of GIS, GPS, remote sensing hardware and software packages and learn to apply these skills in coordination with the scientific method to solve problems/answer questions. This course will meet for 2 hours of lecture and 1 hour of lab each week. NEW RESOURCES REQUIRED (equipment, supplies, library, etc.) No new resources are requested at this time. JUSTIFICATION OF NEED. (1) What evaluation led to this request? (2) How does this course support the mission and goals of the University or program? (3) How does this course relate to other courses in the curriculum? This course is the second course for the Interdisciplinary Certificate/Minor/Concentration in Geographic Information Sciences. The latter program of study is a requisite component of the Hearin Foundation grant to establish geospatial education and training in the Delta region. This course will continue to meet the General Education requirement for lab science as approved in April 2005. SEMESTER THE COURSE IS TO BE EFFECTIVE: _________Fall 06_____________ LAB FEE: ____________$25_____________ METHOD OF INSTRUCTION: _________2 lecture. 1 lab.____________________

APPROVAL SIGNATURES: __________________________________________ ____________________________ Curriculum Committee Chair Date __________________________________________ ____________________________ Department/Division Chair Date __________________________________________ ____________________________ Dean, College/School Date __________________________________________ ____________________________ Teacher Education Council (if applicable) Date __________________________________________ Date Approved by Academic Council

An Implementation Proposal for an

Interdisciplinary Minor and Certificate in Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

CIP code 45.0701

Submitted by:

Interdisciplinary Center for Geographic Information Technologies

Purpose The Hearin Center for Interdisciplinary Geographic Information Technologies proposes and Interdisciplinary Minor and Certificate in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) under CIP code 45.0701. The proposed minor and certificate will meet important educational needs of students seeking specialized training in GIS, those seeking desirable skill sets in support of the newly established BSIS degree program, and working professionals and recent graduates seeking to improve their career standing. Matriculated student will earn both the minor and certificate whereas non-matriculated students will earn only the certificate. This two-year program is structured such that it satisfies the requirements for DSU standards in a minor area of study, meets emerging state and national standards for GIS certificates and certification, and will foster advanced study and application of cutting-edge information technologies in the public, corporate, utility, and agronomic environments. The objective of the program is to provide a comprehensive and professional program that balances information technology and geospatial skills development with critical thinking, problem solving, written communication, social awareness, ethics, and scientific practice. In doing so, this program will bolster the depth and breadth of technical training in the Delta region, foster technology transfer from our research to the public, promote social and scientific awareness, and educate both students and professionals within our area of expertise to advance the Delta’s economic and technological growth. This minor/certificate will show that the student has achieved competency in the concepts and applications of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) through the successful completion of 19 credit hours of focused study and capstone project. The certificate is cross disciplinary and designed: (a) for undergraduates wishing to pursue a GIS-related career; (b) to meet the requirements for educational certification of professionals working in the field; and (c) as a professional development basis for agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management, USDA, agribusinesses, and local government. Many graduates find entry and mid-level employment opportunities because of their knowledge of GIS. The goal of the new certificate is to give students sufficient exposure to the changing field of Geographic Information Science (GIS) to improve their employment opportunities. We intend to make this minor/certificate more than the mastery of technical skills. Each required core course includes both theory and techniques and students must select electives from a set of courses in a cognate area of study. A course fee of $25 per credit hour is suggested to assist with ensuring the financial stability of this program of study given the overhead associated with computer hardware and software.

Introduction In the early 1960’s Geographic Information Systems (GIS) was introduced as a technology that allowed for analysis of spatial information (i.e., x,y coordinates) linked to attribute information (i.e., name, quantity) in a single application. For example, a point on a map (spatial) would be associated with temperature, wind speed, and rainfall (attribute). This point could be joined with many others to calculate and display regional trends. The power of this technology was rapidly realized and adopted in the academic and large public utility sectors, but did not gain widespread implementation until the early 1990’s when several affordable GIS software packages entered the marketplace. The municipal and engineering sectors led this adoption and were followed by large corporations operating in many parts of the economy. By the late 1980’s, GIS was being used for a host of applications: locating new headquarters or retail outlets (business); tracking and organizing road and sewer repair (municipal); identifying and analyzing environmental damage (environment); identifying crime patterns (crime/emergency services support); and cataloging the locations of utility features (government support). These applications are now embedded as fundamental information technology components in a host of industries. GIS expertise linked with management skills, is now an acceptable portal to management: the Chief Information Officer of a corporation. To fill needs for GIS education in the Delta region, the DSU Center for Interdisciplinary Geospatial Information Technology and various academic departments offer undergraduate and graduate-level Information Technology and GIS courses, but these offerings are limited. Further, no formal recognition in the form of either a certificate or minor is available for students seeking specialization in this arena. We seek to establish a 21-hour program of study that will result in the awarding of a combined minor and certificate in geographic information systems studies. Our proposed program is designed to meet the needs of students from a variety of academic and professional backgrounds (interdisciplinary studies, public health/epidemiology, information systems, environmental and agricultural management, and business/marketing to name a few). The objective of the program is to provide a comprehensive and professional program that balances information technology and geospatial skills development with critical thinking, problem solving, written communication, social awareness, ethics, and scientific practice. Our students will be exposed to cutting edge technology, management theory and practice, and several societal dimensions associated with the application of GIS technology. The proposed program is structured for both full time DSU students and working professionals. Courses will be held in the evenings and potentially during weekends, the curriculum will be immediately adaptable to the work environment, and the program of study will allow students to finish within a 2-year time period.

Program Justification Market demand The academic, commercial, and government use of GIS is rapidly expanding. Urban planning, environmental assessment, crime analysis, military operations, geological studies, real estate development, civil and environmental engineering, watershed management, natural resources, wildlife management, transportation, marketing, and emergency preparedness analysis produce and use geographic information systems. We typically observe that the composition of an established GIS course is approximately 40% geography students, 55% students from other disciplines including Planning and Landscape Architecture, Geologic Sciences, Plant Biology, and Biology, Criminal Justice, Business, and Civil Engineering and 5% non-matriculated students enhancing their GIS skills for use in the workplace. The improved training and formal recognition of GIS skills through this minor/certificate program will serve as an identifying factor to current and potential employers. An Internet search for open GIS jobs revealed more than 500 vacant positions in the U.S. More than 20 positions were advertised for greater than 30 days in the Southern region during the week of 23 January 2005. Open positions span a wide variety of disciplines with many requiring a combination of experience and education. Many of the advanced positions, particularly those with high salaries, were for second-round searches (Table 1). Table 1. GIS positions open for more than 30 days during the week of 23 January 2005 for MS, TN, LA, AL, and AR Position Title Hiring Authority Location Mapping Drafter - CAD/GIS/Mapping Think Resources Inc. US-AL-Montgomery

GIS System Specialist Intergraph Public Safety US-AL-

Northern/Huntsville LiDAR/GIS Data Analyst Manpower Professional US-AL-Huntsville

Sr.GIS Analyst Perspective Solutions Group US-LA-New Orleans

Sales, inbound GIS Inc US-TN-Nashville CALL CENTER MANAGER, SALES GIS Inc US-TN-Nashville TECH SUPPORT, ON CALL/PART TIME GIS Inc US-TN-Nashville Programmer Analyst CDI Corporation US-TN-Knoxville Customer Service GIS Inc US-TN-Nashville Call Center Sales (inbound only) GIS Inc US-TN-Nashville Senior Application Developer (DOT NET Platform)

Ramsafe Technologies US-TN-Knoxville

Foreman Osmose US-MS-Statewide Foreman Osmose US-AR-Statewide Aerial Surveyor Manpower Professional US-AL-Huntsville Market Research Analyst Insights Research Group US-TN-Memphis Land Acquisitions Specialist Timberline Corp US-TN-Smithville Assoc Engineer-RF Verizon Wireless US-TN-Nashville

Water Resources Engineer 4 CDM US-LA-New Orleans The state’s GIS user community has expressed interest in this program through the MS Institute for Higher Learning’s Remote Sensing Council, the Mississippi Automated Resource Information System, and local technology-oriented businesses (In Time, Agricultural Information Management, and Delta Precision). These organizations and employers describe their needs for a standardized program that balances technological expertise, problem solving and communication skills, and application experience. GIS education has grown rapidly in the past decade. Organizations and skilled professionals assert that the demand for this program will flourish as GIS-technology expands in many workplaces. Technical trends within the GIS discipline and market, the replacement of AutoCAD with GIS, and the decline of traditional database structures as spatial databases flourish support robust growth in GIS employment. Limited educational opportunities

Currently, some 515 institutions in 54 countries teach GIS. Some 264 institutions offer courses only, 146 offer certificates, 23 offer Associate Degrees, 54 offer undergraduate degrees, 8 offer graduate degrees, and 53 offer distance learning. In distance-learning institutions, 13 offer courses only, 30 offer certificates, 3 offer Associate Degrees, 10 offer undergraduate degrees, and 16 offer postgraduate degrees. Although the USA is the clear leader in GIS education, there is a noticeable shortage of GIS programs in the American South. Table 2 lists regional GIS programs of study. Table 2. Peer and other significant Geography programs offering an advanced degree in GIS

Institution Program Offered

University of Southern MS Certificate in Geographic Information Technology

MS Gulf Coast Community College

AAS Geographic Information Systems Technology (non-transferable)

Austin Peay State University (TN) Concentration in Geographic Information Analysis

Pellissippi State Tech Comm. College (TN) AAS Geographic Information Systems Roane State Community College (TN) Technical Certificate Program Roane State Community College (TN) AAS Geographic Information Systems

LA Technical University Certificate in Geographic Information Science

Program Description

Educational need for well-balanced, advanced education National and international reports concerning GIS educational needs are available, however none specifically address Mississippi and the Southern region. The results of many of these reports are presented in Appendix A, as prepared by Karen Kemp of the Redlands Institute for the University Consortium on GIS. Through careful review and analysis, we find the following extremely significant:

1. GIS education is widespread, but it seldom targets working professionals. 2. GIS education that focuses on communication skills, and resource and total project

management expertise is sorely needed. 3. An educational barrier exists, preventing the advancement of highly skilled technical

professionals from making it to “the next level” in public and private settings. These findings are well-supported by white papers and other information provided by the National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis Core Curriculum Project (www.ncgis.ucsb.edu), the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science education white paper collections (Appendix B “Strawman Report”, www.ucgis.org), and the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association collection of GIS certification documents (www.urisa.org). These sources provide educational suggestions that we will use to develop both learning objectives and the degree curriculum.

Overview This degree is targeted at both full-time students and working professionals; we intend to offer all courses through night and/or weekend courses. Students matriculated in a degree program who successfully complete this program of study will earn both a minor and certificate in GIS. Non-degree seeking students will be permitted to complete the proposed coursework and be awarded the GIS certificate alone. The program will provide sequential, balanced education based in critical thinking, problem solving, written communication, social awareness, technical project development and management, ethics, and GIS related skills. Providing this education requires sequential education. A GIS Steering Committee, composed of the Interdisciplinary GIS Center Director and a faculty representative from each of the University’s four colleges will provide program oversight. The committee chair, elected by a majority of committee members, shall furnish regular reports to the Academic Council with regard to program enrollment and other pertinent information. Participation on the committee will count as “Service” for participating faculty members. All actions taken by the GIS Steering Committee are subject to final approval by the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

GIS Capstone Project/Internship Fall and Spring,1 hour

GIS and Government Fall, 3 Hours

Owen

Internet GIS and Spatial Databases

Fall, 3 Hours Brooks

GIS and Natural Resources

Spring, 3 Hours Owen

Programming GIS with Visual Basic and Python

Spring, 3 Hours Brooks

Enrolling students will complete 4 sequential semesters of coursework totaling 21 credit hours of study (Figure 1a and 1b). Figure 1a. Year 1 instructional sequence for the proposed minor/certificate in GIS. Figure 1b. Year 2 instructional sequence for the proposed minor/certificate in GIS.

Introduction to Spatial Science and GIS Fall, 4 Hours (Lab)

Brooks

Advanced GIS Spring, 3 Hours

Brooks

Remote Sensing Spring, 3 Hours

Owen

Academic Standards The following academic standards will be rigorously enforced:

1. Transfer credit from other universities or programs will be accepted for this program upon review of transcripts by the GIS Committee.

2. All students must complete all required coursework within a time period of 2 years of declaration of this program as a minor area of study. Exceptions to the time period requirement may be granted due to extenuating circumstances as assessed and agreed upon by a majority of the GIS Steering Committee.

3. Failure to successfully complete the capstone course and as agreed upon by a majority of the GIS Steering Committee will result in failure to complete this program of study. Permission to repeat the internship and final presentation is at the discretion of the instructor of record and must gain final approval by the GIS Steering Committee.

4. Failure to complete a course/module with a grade of B- or better will place a student in academic probation. If a student placed on academic probation receives less than B- in any subsequent course, the student must appear before the Steering Committee and make a case to be retained. The Steering Committee, by majority, will make a recommendation regarding retention of the student. The student shall be notified, in writing, of the Steering Committee’s recommendation within 5 working days of the conclusion of meeting.

Learning Objectives and Outcome Assessment While an LOA plan is not explicitly required for minors, the following framework for learning objectives has been developed. These objectives and their related assessments are designed to promote information literacy and to teach students problem solving, critical thinking, and written and oral technical communication.

10. Students will learn the theoretical bases of GIS and successfully apply them to GIS and related project work.

11. Students will learn to use GIS as a tool to gain knowledge and information and to solve problems in their primary fields of study.

12. Students will learn the components and capabilities of GIS and implement them beyond computer software and hardware operations.

13. Students will learn the GIS development cycle. 14. Students will learn advanced geospatial techniques including, spatial statistics, computer

programming, database management, and spatial analysis. 15. Students will gain an understanding of how GIS operates in the corporate and public

sectors. 16. Students will gain an understanding of current and future GIS and related technological

developments. 17. Students will gain practical experience in the application of GIS and related technological

expertise.

18. Students will learn communication techniques appropriate to GIS and technical environments, especially report writing, presentation skills, and interpersonal communication.

Overarching success of students enrolled in this program will be assessed through the capstone course. Students must pass this course with a grade of C or better to earn the minor/certificate. The specific outcome assessment plan for this course is illustrated in Table 3. Table 3. Outcome assessment for capstone GIS certificate program (GIS 490/590) Specific performance objectives that students are expected to master

Assessment of performance objectives

1. At least 50% of the grade in the course should depend on writing, including prepared essays, speeches, or in-class essay examinations

Complete well-organized research project and summarize that research project in a written report and a coherent oral presentation

2. Identify and gather information for use in a geographic information system (GIS)

Create an indexed table of GIS data resources for use in the course project

3. The syllabus should include a minimum of two substantial writing or speaking tasks beyond in-class essay exams

Complete well-written out-of-class assignments that require the articulation of GIS design, use, and implementation

4. Ability to plan the creation of a geographic information system

Prepare a 15-page proposal to create and implement a geographic information system following NSF proposal format guidelines

5. Ability to create a geographic information system

Implement the proposed GIS in requirement #4, above

6. Use a GIS to perform spatial queries, solve real-world GIS-based problems, and ensure data accuracy

Use the implemented GIS to solve municipality-related problems

Scoring of each assessment will be based on the following a. Scoring Articulation to General Studies Performance Objectives •Quality of information gathered (depth/breadth of research) to address a research problem •Quality of interpretation and evaluation of evidence •Writing -- appropriate grammar, syntax, punctuation, and use of conventions for citations •Writing -- organization •Writing -- synthesis and evaluation of information

b. Scoring Articulation to Goals and Course Performance Objectives

•Formulation of a geographic problem •Knowledge of spatial and human factors as displayed in literature review, research and

analysis •Knowledge of patterns and characteristics as displayed in literature review, research and

analysis •Knowledge of location and relationships as displayed in literature review, research and

analysis •Knowledge of geographic principles as displayed in literature review, research and analysis •Cartographic skills •Data gathering skills (e.g., field methods, archival research) For the balance of the program, we plan to primarily assess both program and course objectives through a combination of written and practical examinations conducted in the classroom. Further assessment will be conducted by the GIS Steering Committee through careful evaluation of final presentations made at the conclusion of the Capstone GIS Course and a combination of surveys and interviews to be conducted at the 2- and 5-year post-graduation mark. The latter will include tracking the placement and salaries of program graduates whenever possible by the Interdisciplinary GIS Center. These results will be made available, absent personally identifying information, in subsequent program evaluations. Accreditation There are currently no accreditation standards or bodies specifically for undergraduate or graduate GIS degree programs, only guidelines from organizations such as the University Consortium on GIS and the National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis. Such groups are actively working on recommended core curriculum projects for future accreditation and professional certification. The GIS Center has expended significant effort in folding these recommended curricula into this program and will actively work to promote this curriculum for adoption as a state-wide standard. When regional accreditation standards for GIS exist, they will be reflected in our program and accreditation status will be sought as soon as possible.

Curriculum Students will complete a course of study within 24 months of declaring this program as their minor. Courses would be offered during evening and weekend hours so that the program would not conflict with professional work schedules. Key program advantages are: (a) course offering will be structured to allow students complete to the program in a timely fashion; (b) learning outcomes can be easily managed; (c) course enrollment and university tuition are known in advance; and (d) program is designed to create cohorts of students, which fosters a sense of community and may increase the number of students who complete the program. This program is structured in three phases (Figure 1):

1. Intensive study of fundamental GIS concepts and techniques 2. Intensive study of advanced GIS and GIS-career related techniques 3. Completion of practical experience through a geospatial technologies project

The goal of the Year 1 series of instruction is to provide students with a well-rounded introduction to the concepts, techniques, implementation, and ethics required of a GIS professional. Much of this information is sequential in nature: knowledge of the fundamentals of geodesy and cartography, basic software familiarity, and introductory computer concepts must be presented before advanced skills may be introduced. Therefore first year courses are offered sequentially and starting with GIS I in the fall and GIS II and Remote Sensing in the Spring. During the second year of instruction, students are introduced to advanced concepts in spatial technologies and are provided with the opportunity to specialize in topical areas. Student must also complete 2 semesters of the 1 credit-hour course “Capstone GIS Project/Internship” during which students will gain practical experience in the creation, management, and presentation of a GIS project. In meeting DSU credit hour requirements, strict attention is given to the number of contact and external hours required. External assignments will be designed such that they complement and can accommodate the duties of a working professional. For example, a GIS Project may either provide assigned material or provide flexibility allows working students to use relevant GIS projects from their workplace. In either case, the student gains educational experience and satisfies credit hour requirements and the employer benefits from technology transfer and a more experienced employee. Through discussions with prospective students and their employers, we argue that complementing external assignments with student job responsibilities will engage and strengthen relationships between our program and the community.

GIS 151/551: Introduction to Spatial Science and Geographic Information Systems Texts: Integrated Geospatial Technologies by Thurston, Poiker and Moore. Wiley, NY, 2003 Geographic Information Systems by Michael DeMers, Wiley, NY 2004. Objective: The objective of this course is to prepare students with a sound theoretical understanding of the principles of the scientific method as it relates to spatial technologies and in preparation for more advanced studies in remote sensing, geographic information systems, and global positioning systems. Students will be required to learn and implement the scientific method, basic physics and algebraic theory and skills, think critically about geographic information, prepare written reports that effectively communicate knowledge gained through this course, and demonstrate basic software proficiency with the ESRI and Leica Geosystems suite of products. Summary: This lecture portion of this course starts by introducing students to the fundamentals of mapping and locating the position of objects on the surface of the earth and their subsequent representation in map format. With this core knowledge in hand, students are then provided a survey of computerized geography and its allied fields. This includes GIS, remote sensing, and GPS technologies. This theoretical introduction provides the basis for the accompanying laboratory section and subsequent coursework. Each topic will be accompanied by at 1-2 laboratory exercises that reinforce the lecture in an applied and practical manner that requires the use of the scientific method.

1. Introductory concepts (trigonometry and basic algebra) a. Finding our way: reference systems

i. Geographic coordinate systems ii. State Plane

iii. UTM iv. Local – include lingo for township, range, section, plattes, as-built…

b. Making the sphere flat: projections i. Rational for map projections (conformity, etc…)

ii. Azimuthal, conic, orthographic, cylindrical, tangent, secant… c. A little Einstein: Geodesy

i. Perihelion, aphelion, procession and related concepts ii. Geoid models

iii. Effects of geodesy on positional measurements d. How not to get lost: Navigation

i. Compasses, magnetic vs true north, and declination ii. How GPS works

iii. Grid vs. Ground coordinates 2. Reading and making maps (critical thinking)

a. Take the easy route: USGS Topographic maps b. Lies, damned lies, and maps: Map interpretation c. The wheel of color: Basic cartography

3. Introduction to GIS (critical thinking and written communication) a. Cholera and cannons: Brief history of GIS

b. It’s all 0’s and 1’s to me: Basics of computer science and GIS i. Computer science basics

ii. Directory structures iii. Basics of operating systems iv. How programs work

c. Connecting the dots: Fundamental geometries d. Just a pinch: Precision vs accuracy e. Where the bucks are: Application of GIS today

4. Introduction to Remote Sensing (critical thinking and written communication) a. Maxwell and the Rainbow: Introduction to the EM Spectrum b. Why’s the sky blue?: EM Properties of objects (reflectance, absorption, and

reflectance) c. Pink bushes and black lakes: Understanding RS images/map (false color…) d. Big Brother is watching: Understanding resolution, its relationship to file size e. Trees and branches: Basics of image compression

5. Spatial technologies and the scientific method a. Quilts and fractals: Investigating patterns in nature b. The greenhouse effect: Using the scientific method and spatial technologies to

explore global climate change c. For your health: Prevalence of major diseases among demographic groups

(presentation of case studies and lab exercise)

GIS 360/560: Advanced Geographic Information Systems Prerequisite: GIS 350/550 Text: Geographic Information Systems and Science by Longley, Goodchild, Maguire, and Rhind. Wiley, NY 2003. Supplemental Materials

1. Rigaux, Scholl and Voisard (2001). Spatial Databases: With Application to GIS. Morgan Kaufmann. ISBN 1558605886

2. Korte (2000). The GIS Book. OnWord Press (pub). ISBN 0766828204. 3. Clarke, Keith. (2002). Getting Started With Geographic Information Systems, Fourth

Edition, Prentice Hall (pub). ISBN 0130460273 Objective: Students will gain advanced concepts about GIS techniques and the underlying spatial data structures used by geographic information systems (GIS). Introductory materials for this course will stress conceptual and practical understanding of computer science as it applies two topical areas: raster vs. vector data formats and single-user vs multi-user GIS environments. This knowledge will support subsequent instruction in advanced spatial analysis and manipulation techniques. Student understanding of theory will be pressed into action through a series of practical assignments that emphasize both concepts and technical skills required to manipulate and analyze spatial datasets. Secondary objectives include:

1. Understanding how GIS is used in the commercial and private sector. 2. Proficiency in basic and advanced GIS techniques using ArcGIS 3. Basic design strategies for creating and managing a complete geographic information

system. Summary: This course is divided into four modules, each lasting approximately 3 ½ weeks. Each module is composed of both practical exercises and lecture materials and culminates in a combination written/practical exam that will test student mastery of both theory and application.

1. GIS for infrastructure management a. Components of GIS b. Concepts in systems integration and spatial databases c. Manipulating data formats, projections and coordinate systems d. Creating and managing topology e. Designing and working with networks, linear referencing and dynamic

segmentation 2. GIS for environmental management

a. Integrating spatial technologies b. Concepts in three dimensional GIS c. Working with DEM’s and drapes

d. Using GIS to present scenarios 3. Spatial technologies in agribusiness and the MS Delta

a. Precision agriculture b. Basic surveying

i. Limits of GIS Professionals and the Model Law ii. Reconciling GPS equipment with GIS

c. Spatial statistics i. Tobler’s First Law of Geography and spatial autocorrelation revisited

ii. Creating and managing Triangular Irregular Networks – an example using elevation

iii. Creating and managing surfaces using Inverse Distance Weighted methods and normal kriiging – an example using weather data for crop modeling

iv. Concepts in precision application of herbicides and pesticides – use of confidence intervals and multi-layer statistics

4. Modeling our world with GIS a. Introduction to modeling b. Model creation and validation c. Using GIS to build and assess a growth model for Cleveland, MS

GIS 370/570: Remote Sensing Prerequisite: GIS 350/550 Text: Remote Sensing of the Environment by John R. Jensen, 2000. Prentice Hall (pub) Objectives: Remote sensing has proven one of the most important technological advancements of the twentieth century. It promises to be equally important in the twenty-first as well. Remote sensing holds scores of applications, for fields such as geography, geology, archeology, history, urban planning, and etc. Remote sensing technologies have become increasingly utilized in virtually every sphere, from the public, private, to the national security realm as well. This course will seek to provide students an understanding of the fundamental concepts and principles behind remote sensing. Summary: While reviewing the historical evolution of remotely sensed imagery, the course will impart knowledge of key satellite and aircraft based platforms and sensors. The physical principles underlying the design and application of remote sensing devices will be presented and demonstrated. Through practical exercises, this class will provide the student with experience in the interpretation, manipulation, and processing of remote sensed imagery, using Multispec, ERDAS Imagine and other image processing software. Specific topics include:

1. Introductions and Syllabus/What is Remote sensing? History and concepts (I) 2. Concepts of Remote sensing (II): The Electromagnetic Spectrum, Transmission,

Absorbance, and Reflection 3. Normalized Difference of Vegetation Index and associated measurements 4. Photogrammetry: Aerial Photography/Image interpretation 5. The EM Spectrum revisited/Remote sensing platforms: Landsat (MSS, TM, ETM),

SPOT, ASTER, etc. 6. Applications and interpretations of remote sensing: Case studies

a. Land management b. Precision agriculture c. Homeland security

7. Image processing (IP): contrast stretches and image enhancement 8. IP: classification, components analysis 9. Integrating geospatial technologies: GIS, Remote sensing and image registration 10. LIDAR and microwave measurements 11. Soils and Geomorphology 12. The Future of Remote Sensing : AVIRIS - Hyperspectral and beyond

GIS 480/580: Programming GIS with Visual Basic and Python Prerequisite: GIS 350/550 Text: To be determined Objective: This course is intended as an in-depth look at the programming within Geographic Information Systems. The focus will be on GIS programming and methodology, utilizing practical GIS software skills and basic scientific computing skills. A laboratory component to the course will utilize ArcGIS, ArcObjects, and Visual Basic to demonstrate the concepts presented in lecture.

Summary: Students will learn the fundamentals of object oriented programming. These fundamentals will then be applied to modification of the ESRI’s suite of products to create customized application using Visual Basic, Python, and the ArcObjects library for delivery to dumb terminals, over the Internet, and for use in data processing. Integration of programmed GIS products through introduction to the COM model and allied languages such as .NET and asp and standards such as vrml will be discussed. Specific lecture topics include:

1. Fundamentals of programs, algorithms, pseudocode 2. Modifying the user interface, Getting Help, UML Diagrams 3. OO programming and COM, VBA and VB 4. Problem solving with ArcObjects 5. Advanced topics in COM and Visual Basic 6. Application Framework, Documents and Templates 7. Extending ArcGIS applications, Framework dialog box objects 8. Custom Page Layout, Map element 9. Map Layer, Style Gallery 10. Feature renderer, Colors and Symbols 11. Display objects, Tracker objects 12. Map output, Printers 13. ArcCatalog, Metadata

GIS 481/581: GIS for the Internet and Spatial Databases Prerequisite: GIS 350/550 Texts:

1. Internet GIS: Distributed Geographic Information Services for the Internet and Wireless Network. by Peng and Tsou. John Wiley and Sons (pub).

2. Spatial Databases: A Tour by Shekhar and Chawla (2003). Prentice Hall, NY. Objective: The purpose of this course is to provide students with an understanding of how Internet GIS and spatial databases work and to help them develop the skills requisite for success in this field. Summary: Introduction to data communications concepts, establishing web server, using ArcIMS, and developing customized Internet map web sites. The following advanced topics will be covered: precision farming, mobile GPS/GIS integration used in technologies such as OnStar, Computer Aided Dispatching for Emergency Services, Internet security, and wireless, distributed GIS data networking. Students will be required to create a web site similar to those used by MapQuest, the Arizona Tourism and Sports Authority, and ESRI’s Geography Network. Specific topics include:

1. Internet GIS, and distributed GIServices 2. Multi-user spatial databases 3. Introduction to SQL Server 4. Creating and managing a multi-user spatial database on SQL Server 5. Networking fundaments of Internet GIS 6. Client/server computing and distributed-component frameworks 7. Technology evolutions of Web mapping 8. Framework of distributed geographic information services 9. Standards for distributed GIServices 10. Geographic markup language (GML) 11. Commercial Web mapping programs 12. Mobile GIS 13. Quality of service and security issues in distributed GIS 14. Distributed GIS in data warehousing and data sharing 15. Internet GIS applications in intelligent transportation systems

GIS 482/582: GIS and the Community Prerequisite: GIS 350/550 Text: ArcGIS and the Digital City, a hands on approach for local government. William Huxhold and others. 2004. ESRI Press Objective: This course focuses on the utilization of Geographic Information Systems for socio-economic applications and issues. The student will acquire skills in using both tabular and spatial data for problem analysis within a GIS platform, with the latest version of ESRI ArcGIS (9.0) software. Students are expected to gain an understanding about the use of GIS and allied technologies in governance, healthcare, crime, and resource management. Summary: Concepts taught as part of this course will be reinforced with practical, hands-on exercises using cutting-edge GIS software. Specific topics include:

1. Introduction 2. Population surveys and project 3. City Governments 4. Urban Renewal 5. Regional Planning 6. State Use of Socio-econ. GIS 7. Global Socio-econ. Issues 8. Pollutants/Hazardous Waste 9. Water issues 10. Public Health/Disease 11. Crime/Drugs 12. Community Participation GIS

GIS 490/590: Capstone GIS Project/Internship

Prerequisite: GIS 350/550 Text: Preparing and Delivering Effective Technical Presentations (Artech House Technology Management and Professional Development Library) by David Adamy. Artech House (pub). Objective: The success of cooperative educational institutions that partner with industry and government for the training of future employees and the transfer of technology is well demonstrated by institutions such as the Rochester Institute of Technology, CalTech, MIT, and others. Cooperative education programs provide employers with prospective employees trained in the latest techniques and educational institutions with motivated students and financial backing. In completing this course, student will gain practical knowledge about the use of GIS in an area of their interest. Assessment will be based primarily upon feedback from program cooperators and the final presentation of their project. Summary: All students will be required to complete 160 hours (40 hours classroom based, 120 external assignment) of GIS-related practical experience, at the end of which they will make a formal presentation. Weekly written reports and the final presentation will be used to determine the final course grade. Internship experience may be gained through any one of the following:

1. Current employment. We anticipate that many of our students will be employed within an industry that uses GIS. Students will be required to develop a work plan that includes their newly acquired advanced skills for project development within their current workplace.

2. Placement with partner organizations. Several organizations and businesses have been approached regarding the potential placement of interns and apprentices within their businesses as part-time paid employees. Initial responses have been very supportive and we are confident that with partners such as In Time, AIM, Cleveland City Government and others, students not yet employed in the GIS arena will be placed in positions that provide critical on-the-job training.

3. Placement within existing research projects at DSU. Within the Dept. of Geography alone, there are several GIS-based research endeavors that are capable of incorporating student interns and apprentices.

Specific lecture topics will be presented during this course’s weekly meeting and include:

1. GIS Project management. a. Management concepts: GIS lifecycle with emphasis on needs assessments,

systems design, and validation/pilot projects b. How to respond to a request for proposals c. How to write a solicitation for proposals

2. The Cartographer’s Craft. A discussion of computerized-cartography tips and techniques. Includes the demonstration of Photoshop, Illustrator, and Freehand and

introductory hands-on lessons. Students will create a 3-5 minute presentation based upon these techniques.

3. It’s a 3-D World. Discussion and demonstration of transforming GIS projects into 3 dimensional displays. Includes the demonstration of ArcScene, MicroDEM, Bryce, and the GeoWall. Hands on lessons using ArcScene and the construction of Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) based images. Students will create a 3-5 minute presentation based upon these techniques.

4. GIS Goes Hollywood. Discussion and demonstration of techniques used to create GIS- based movies and animations. Includes hands-on introductions to Flash, Dreamweaver, Quick Time Virtual Reality, and ArcScene 3-D animation studio. Students will create a 3-5 minute presentation based upon these techniques.

5. Gadgets, Gizmos, and Threads. Discussion and hands on training in the use of LCD projectors, map board creation, digital white boards, and other presentation devices. Discussion of attire and speaking and presentation techniques.

Benefits to the University This minor/certificate program would have many direct and indirect benefits for DSU including:

1. Support economic growth in Mississippi through the provision of technically trained managers and entrepreneurs and promote the transfer of technology developed by DSU to the community.

2. Develop professionals within the community poised to contribute to major DSU projects including the Digital Music Institute

3. Foster the development of cohorts of networked geo-spatial experts 4. Develop institutional/community relationships leading to potential sponsored research

and development projects. 5. Improve the visibility and public image of DSU within the academic and professional

communities.

APPENDIX A Summarized GIS educational needs assessments, as compiled by Karen Kemp of the

Redlands Institute for the University Consortium on GIS

1990 Oklahoma State University Conducted by: Thomas Wikle Population surveyed: GIS users in private enterprises, government and university teaching Survey method: questionnaire Number of respondents: 120 of 175 Purpose of survey: What skills are needed = what courses are important for future GIS practitioners Summary of conclusions: - Three courses critical - computer cartography (~80%), database management (~75%), map reading (~65%) - Other high ranking courses (50-60%) - statistics, aerial photography interpretation computer programming, remote sensing - Moderate rankings (29-40%) - physical geography, image processing, natural resource management, manual cartography, surveying 1993 Oklahoma State University Conducted by: Thomas Wikle Population surveyed: GIS users in private enterprises, government and university teaching Survey method: questionnaire Number of respondents: 180 of 300 Purpose of survey: What skills are needed = what courses are important for future GIS practitioners Summary of conclusions: Percents below are proportion of respondents who ranked the course extremely important or important: - Map reading (~90%), database management (~90%), spatial analysis (~85%), computer cartography (~80%), technical writing (~80%), statistics (~80%). photogrammetry (~75%), remote sensing (~70%), computer programming (~70%), image processing, GPS (~70%) Percents below are proportion of respondents who ranked the course not necessary: - Geomorphology (40%), civil engineering (42%), geodesy ((32%), calculus (32%)

- 83% said it is important to have expertise with an industry standard GIS package - 80% said internships are important or extremely important

1989 A survey of skills needs for GIS Conducted by: J. Willis and R.D. Nutter Population surveyed: officers in public sector agencies Survey method: questionnaire Number of respondents: 139 or 327 Purpose of survey: to gather factual evidence to inform the development of the UK Association for Geographic Information's (AGI) training and education policy Summary of conclusions: - given a list of specified skills, respondents selected those most important to improving their organization's ability to make progress with GIS. - highest ranking skills were: ability to interface GIS with other IS; more current awareness; technical appreciation of what GIS can offer; the ability to implement a GIS strategy; applications using GIS software; the ability to evaluate GIS products. - low ranking were: the development of algorithms 1992-3 Geomatics Human Resources Study Conducted by: Canadian Institute of Geomatics Population surveyed: experts from various Geomatics-related disciplines, government, university and industry Survey method: Delphi surveys Number of respondents: 15 of 21 experts Purpose of survey: "collect data on the relevance of a set of predefined tasks, grouped within the four functions defining the professional and technical field of activities described in the evolutionary functional model of Geomatics" Summary of conclusions: A list of 69 tasks grouped according to the four functions of: - Collection - all measuring methodologies and techniques used to collect new spatial data or to convert existing data - Treatment - operations related to the processing of raw data in order to make them compatible with a data model or structure, includes spatial analysis - Representation/Dissemination - presentation and dissemination of analyzed data and information in a format which is understandable for users - Management - all operations related to the use of the various components of an information system administration, namely human resources, procedures, equipment and data

1998 MAPPS survey Conducted by: Management Association for Private Photogrammetric Surveyors Population surveyed: MAPPS members, owners or top management Survey method: questionnaire Number of respondents: 31 of 116 Purpose of survey: to determine specific training needs and requirements Summary of conclusions: -Immediate training needs are digital ortho, softcopy triangulation, image processing and softcopy compilation are immediate training needs -Vendor co-sponsored training preferred (as opposed to vendor sponsored) -5-day training sessions preferred over longer sessions (i.e. 6-week) Sessions should be offered twice a year, Dec-March -10 students per class. -Costs: $1,000-$1,500 tuition 1990-1 National Spatial Analysis Training Needs Assessment (DRAFT ONLY) Conducted by: Environmental Protection Agency Population surveyed EPA staff at headquarters and regional offices Survey method: interviews Number of respondents: 300 interviews, 100 mail-in Purpose of survey: "to develop an understanding of EPA's current expertise and utilization of spatial analysis tools", results to be used to identify and make recommendations for current and future GIS training needs Summary of conclusions: Issues of concern by role: - Managers - general understanding of capabilities, exposure to real applications, applicability to decision-making, realistic resource requirements, cost/benefits, training techniques and mechanisms - End Users - fundamental geographic concepts; successful applications; spatial data sources, quality, availability and accessibility; general capabilities of GIS; resource requirements; spatial analysis - Spatial Analysts - spatial data sources, quality; QA/QC; spatial analysis, project management; related applications - Includes curriculum recommendations.

1995 ANZLIC National Training Needs Analysis Conducted by: Australia New Zealand Land Information Council Population surveyed: public sector agencies and AURISA membership in LIS Survey method: questionnaire Number of respondents: 834 of 2660 Purpose of survey: training needs analysis for Land Information users and managers to develop a skills profile, identify knowledge gaps and make training recommendations Summary of conclusions: Occupational groups in LIS - Basic Level Operator (Data Processors, Front Counter Personnel, Occasional Users) - Foundation Collectors & Presenters (Surveyors, Cartographers, Geographers, Data Managers) - Strategic Infrastructure Personnel (Marketers, Policy Developers, System Designers) - Collectors (own discipline) & Integrators (Statisticians, Scientists, Botanists, Valuers, etc) - Dispatch Managers & Integrators (Police and Emergency Services) Skills / Knowledge Categories -Data Management -Data Presentation -System Management -Policy and Marketing -Business, Management, Planning & Organizational -Communication -Computing for Land Information Management -Training 1998 GIS/LIS Salary/Skills Survey Conducted by: Minnesota GIS/LIS Consortium Population surveyed: members of the Minnesota GIS community Survey method: questionnaire Number of respondents: 453 of 2264 Purpose of survey: determine existing skills sets, salary levels, educational backgrounds, job classifications and trends in hardware and software Summary of conclusions: - gathered information from GIS professionals on what should be in a core GIS curriculum but results not available Dec 98. - lots of information on employment situation and on current job classifications with

information about current job tasks - GIS Manager - BS/MS, project and management skills, communication, mathematics/statistics, budgeting, thorough understanding of GIS concepts but not necessarily hands-on skills - GIS Coordinator - MS, very proficient in ArcView, understanding of other software, communication, programming, mapping and graphic presentation - GIS Technician - BS Geography or Natural Resources, hands on GIS, esp. data editing and conversion, programming, communication, graphics - GIS Programmer - BS Geography or CS, very proficient in Arc/Info, ArcView and other software, programming, understand databases, work in multiple environments, communication, graphics - GIS Consultant - MS, very proficient in GIS, databases, multiple environments, good communication, graphics, programming

Introduction to Geographic Information Systems and Science

Talbot Brooks, Director Center for Interdisciplinary Geospatial Information Technologies Delta State University 106 Whitfield Gymnasium Cleveland, MS 38733 tbrooks@deltastate.edu http://gis.deltastate.edu http://mississippi.deltastate.edu Course Summary: The purpose of this course is to provide students with an introduction to GIS as both a science and technology. Topics will include the history and basic aspects of GIS, including map and data file structure, conversions, and synthesis within computerized environments. Emphasis will be divided into two components: lecture and lab. Lecture is fundamentally based in GIScience concepts, terms, and theory, whereas lab focuses on GISystems as a practical investigative tool. About this course: By nature, we are spatially oriented creatures. We navigate our world using symmetrically organized senses to perceive and interpret the world around us. Geographic Information Technologies (GIT) are computerized tools that extend our spatial perception of our world and, when employed in concert with the scientific method, allow us to gain better understanding. This course will explore these technologies through fundamental lectures which explain how they work “under the hood” and allow you, the student, to apply them to problem solving using scientific principles. This approach is valuable not only in furthering your understanding of how things are organized and functioning on a spatial-temporal basis, but lucrative as well. The U.S. Dept. of Labor and the President recognize the value of GIT, having elevated this burgeoning field to the status of “High Job Growth Industry”. Many employers agree and having this tool set as part of your arsenal when seeking a job will translate directly to opportunity and potentially to increased income. It is up to you, the student, to take full advantage of the opportunity set before you by your instructors. With this in mind, we are not requiring expensive textbooks, but rather recommending sources of information below. It is your responsibility to seek out additional information, to work through the struggles of learning the software needed to solve lab-style problems (an informal lab meeting time will be available), and to broaden and firm your understanding of the concepts and techniques presented throughout this semester. To this end, a spatial library and computer

laboratory are provided for your use during normal business hours. We do notice who avails themselves of these resources and strongly consider this as a factor in determining final grades. In other words, those who seek to excel will be amply rewarded whereas those who simply seek credit for a required course will likely find this course unrewarding and, at times, a bit of a struggle. You have earned the right to be here based on previous performance and competition with your peers. We have gathered the very best resources in the world for your use (really – you’ll be very hard pressed to find better). Use them and let your excellence shine for all to see! Course Objectives: Students completing this course will be able to successfully:

4. Students will learn the fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems and Science, to include the ability to

a. Define and describe the functionality of GIS. b. Describe a basic history of GIS. c. Demonstrate the difference between spatial and aspatial data and indicate how the

two may be linked d. Define and describe the difference between nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio

data types. e. Understand fundamental data collection methods. f. Understand projection and coordinate systems and describe the basic principles of

geodesy. g. Understand the creation and usage of fundamental digital map types h. Demonstrate and understand the architecture of basic GIS data models i. Demonstrate the steps involved in performing basic geographic analysis using

computerized tools j. Demonstrate fundamental skills required for the use of GIS software

5. Students will demonstrate the use of GIS as a tool in assisting critical thinking and problem solving.

6. Students will write about the application of GIS to solve a problem or explore an issue using the scientific method.

Recommended texts Software (I strongly urge you to purchase this book): GIS Tutorial by Gorr and Kurland (ESRI Press) Theory (either of these will do, but if you take good notes, you’ll be in good shape): Geographic Information Systems and Science by Paul A. Longley, Michael F. Goodchild, David J. Maguire, and David W. Rhind (John Wiley and Sons) Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems by Michael N. DeMers (John Wiley and Sons)

Grading and attendance policy A fair amount of money exchanged hands in order for you to attend this class and the people (whether your parents, the bank through student loans, or yourself) who paid that money set forth a contractual obligation to see that we deliver on our end of the bargain. In accordance with this transaction, Delta State University sets forth a strict attendance policy to which we adhere. Be seen, be heard, and be understood and you will excel. Be a name on our roster with which we cannot associate with any of the aforementioned activities at your own peril. Your grade will be based upon 10 assignments each worth 25 points, a mid-term and final examination each worth 250 points, a final presentation worth 250 points, and a participation grade worth 250 points. Each examination will require software use (a practical portion) – be prepared to accomplish basics tasks according to the “Software Skills Check” sections listed with the course assignments. This represents a total of 1250 points available through standard practices. An additional 250 points may be earned by joining and participating in either the Geospatial Information Technology Association (funds will be available for you to travel and present at their annual conference in March 2007 in San Antonio Texas if your work is accepted by peer review) or the Memphis Area Geographic Information Council (again, funds will be made available for you to travel to their user group meetings if your work is acceptable). Missed or late assignments and exams will not be accepted unless at least 24 hour prior notice is given or evidence of extremely extenuating circumstances are presented. You will be expected to write in a coherent and grammatically acceptable manner. Please proof-read your assignments for if I have to do so, I will vent my frustration in red ink. All assignments must be typewritten with 1” margins using 12-point Times New Roman font. No exceptions! As citizens of our academic community, your character is assumed to be in good standing. Do not degrade it through plagiarism or other forms of academic dishonesty. Much of what has been written on the topic of GIT was either written by us or those that we know. Copy and paste from the Internet or someone else’s paper at your own risk as the consequences will involve a swift visit to the Dean and a very high likelihood of your removal from this University.

Schedule of Topics

Date Topic An Introduction to Geospatial Information Technology

22-Aug What is GIS and an introduction to ArcGIS 24-Aug The history of GIS 29-Aug Thinking spatially and spatial representation

Applications of Geospatial Information Technologies To Modern Living 31-Aug Feeding the World: GIT in Agriculture, Henk Reissen, In Time Inc.

Getting There With GIT, James Brown, MS Dept. of Transportation 5-Sep Governing Our Future, Sam Russell, DeSoto County

The Future Of Our Planet, Craiggin Knox, MS Dept. of Environmental Quality Science and GIT: Solving Problems

7-Sep The Scientific Method 12-Sep Precision, Accuracy, and Data Types 14-Sep Spatial Models and the Hypothesis 19-Sep Errors and Scientific Methodology

Understanding the Root of Error: Data and GIT Methods 21-Sep Fundamentals of Spatial Data Structures

Raster Data Models 26-Sep Vector Data Basics: The Spaghetti Model

Vector Topology Model 28-Sep Spatial Databases

3-Oct MID-TERM EXAM

Methods and Analysis

10-Oct Projections and Coordinate Systems I 12-Oct Projections and Coordinate Systems II 17-Oct Fundamentals of Map Reading I 19-Oct Fundamentals of Map Reading II 24-Oct Fundamentals of GPS

Basic GPS Use 26-Oct Remote Sensing Basics 31-Oct Image Types and Sensors 2-Nov Geoprocessing I 7-Nov Geoprocessing II 9-Nov Basic Spatial Analysis and Interpolation

14-Nov Model Building and Testing Managing Data

16-Nov Data Sources – understanding metadata 21-Nov Creating Databases II 23-Nov Thanksgiving Holiday 28-Nov Advanced Data Editing 30-Nov Project/catch-up time

5-Dec FINAL EXAM

Assignments and the project The following is a list of assignments and their due dates Assignment #1, due 29 August. As discussed in class, we may choose to represent features using different fundamental geometries. For example, a house may be represented using either a point or a line. For the purpose of this exercise, we want to understand the distribution of both race and gender within Cleveland, MS. How do you think races and genders are distributed within Cleveland, MS? What geographic layers of information would be needed and how would you choose to represent them? How would your choice of representation allow us to conduct an analysis to support your ideas? Please craft your answer such that it is at least 750 words and double spaced. Software skills check: You should be able to load data, navigate a basic map, make minor changes to symbology, and find out information about map features. You should be able to explain, in simple terms, Assignment #2, due 5 September. Please write a short (750 words) paper, double spaced, about what you perceive to be current issue in the Delta that could be investigated/resolved using spatial technologies. Your topic should be about an interest or concern that you have – you’ll be working this problem for the remainder of the semester and it will form the basis of your class project. Be sure to include information about the problem, its current status, reference sources (eg, where you’re getting your information about the problem and where you can go to learn more), and any spatial information that is available or may be needed to conduct your inquiry. Software skills check: You should be able to perform queries based on location and attributes, create a chloropleth map, and make more advanced changes to map symbology. Assignment #3, due 19 September. Please write a project proposal that expands the thinking you set forth in assignment #2. Your work should be organized around the following sections:

1. An introduction that relates the fundamentals of the problem and its current status to the reader. Be sure to include why this problem is significant and merits investigation. Your introduction should leave the reader with a sense that the problem is well defined and that you are knowledgeable enough in the matter to conduct the investigation. You should explicitly state your hypothesis at the end of the introduction.

2. Materials and Methods. This section should define your approach. Provide the reader with a description of the data and methods to be used. This should include both the technical approach (eg, what you are going to do within ArcGIS or how you are going to capture data) and the reasoning processes behind the methodology and how you will avoid or test for error.

3. Discussion. Propose some methods that you will use to analyze and understand the information captured and the hypothesis tested.

Software skills check: You should be able to edit and/or create new map data using a spatial database. Assignment #4, due 28 September. Please provide a detailed diagram describing the structure of your project’s data (see examples provided in class) Software skills check: You should be able to manipulate spatial and attribute based joins and relates. Assignment #5, due 24 October. Please check out a GPS unit and use it to create a map of your choosing for the metro-Cleveland area. Integrate the data you collect with the GPS with existing project data using correct projection and coordinate system information. Software skills check: You should be able to create a feature data set with the correct x,y,m, and z extents and a standard projection and coordinate system and then populate this feature data set with feature classes. Assignment #6, due 24 October. GPS scavenger hunt! Assignment #7, due 9 November. Please craft the results and discussion section for your project. This section should be at least 750 words (double spaced) and use appropriate thought and insight about what you have found. Software skills check: You should be able to conduct a basic spatial analysis of point features using the Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) approach to generate raster data layers. Assignment #8, due 21 November. Please submit all cartographic products related to your final project. Software skills check: You should be able to manipulate raster data sets (change extents, change classification schemes, etc..) and geocode address-based data Assignment #9, due 28 November. Please submit a first draft of your PowerPoint project presentation. Software skills check: You should be able to produce compound map layouts (eg, a map with an inset) Assignment #10, due 30 November. To be determined Software skills check: be ready for the final practical exam using your software skills. FINAL PROJECT DUE 5 December. This project is pretty well described through the assignments given above. We will discuss the project during class to cover anything left out here.

A Strategic Plan

For the

Delta State University Center for Interdisciplinary Geospatial Information Technologies Preamble Geography is at the core of “Geographic Information Technology” and GIS (Geographic Information Systems). To better understand geographic information technologies and the role of this Center, it is best to first explore the question “What is Geography?” Through this introduction, we hope to impart the reader with a sense of the breadth and depth of geography and, subsequently, the scope and application of geographic information technologies. Geography is not the grade school perception of memorizing state capitals nor is it, as a discipline, the design and color of national flags, the location of major landmarks, or the collection of maps. It is not solely the study of space or place, or what one may see in nightly National Geographic Society television shows. However, to define geography by inclusion rather than exclusion is far more elusive a task. The wordsmith’s at Webster’s cast the net far and wide in a noble effort, but still manage to come up with no less than four descriptions:

1 : a science that deals with the description, distribution, and interaction of the diverse physical, biological, and cultural features of the earth's surface 2 : the geographic features of an area 3 : a treatise on geography 4 : a delineation or systematic arrangement of constituent elements

T.W. Freeman interprets the problem from an evolutionary perspective by integrating several papers prepared for the American Association of Geographers that address the “Unity of Geography”. The underlying premise for this excursion is that geography has evolved from primarily a physical to a more intellectually based exploration of our world; a move from exploring our world’s “spaces and places” to a cognitive relation of “space to place”. Similar treatises undertaken are equally verbose, offering complex explanatory diagrams (Geography’s Perspective, p. 29), and launch intimate descriptions of the numerous sub-disciplines in an attempt to answer the question “Just what the heck is geography?” The most consistent theme advanced by geographer’s in defining their science is that they describe relating space and place through a “lens” to gain understanding. This perspective is constant among geographers, whether exploring landscape weathering processes or engaging in the study of indigenous peoples. Central to this concept is that the “lens” is portable. The most pertinent outcome of this approach is the synthesis of new ideas, often arising from the notions and data of others. The number of places and spaces and the angles at which this lens may be held proscribes a need for in-depth knowledge about the topic viewed. Within the professional organization of geographers, specialization exits not only to unite like-minded individuals sharing common

research agendas, but to create and maintain a cohesive structure that relates the specialist back to the wider discipline. This is not without irony. Areas of specialization are often better defined and understood than the discipline as a whole. Perhaps the easiest explanation to accept is that geography, by design, is fundamentally complex. It is an amalgamation of ideas – concepts – thoughts - about how place relates to space under a diverse set of conditions. This amalgamation leads to theories that become fundamental operating principles for understanding out world. The concept is not new. Physical, natural, and life scientists have long expressed their understanding of the world through numerical models resulting in computer-based simulations. For them, this world of zeros and ones provides and intellectual test-bed upon which new thoughts and ideas may be evaluated. New concepts and ideas are then experimented upon and validated in the “real world”. To a basic extent, many of us unwittingly already engage in this activity. We live and act in three dimensional space and engage in basic geographic thinking and modeling on a daily basis. Arranging furniture in a house, walking to the bathroom in the middle of the night with the lights out, and driving the shortest route to work with stops to get food and gas along the way, are basic forms of geographic models. GIS, GPS, and remote sensing are computerized versions of this sort of spatially-based modeling, allowing for increased depth and breadth. For example, GIS may be used to incorporate the location of streets, where people live, and where they work for the formulation of simple traffic flow model. Using computerized geography, we are able to improve upon our conceptual modeling of space and place by providing us with visualization tools, the ability to quickly perform operations, and organize spatial data into comprehensible formats. Computerized geography thus becomes the ultimate interdisciplinary tool as it is estimated that 80% of all scientific experimentation and associated data has a spatial basis. In this sense, geographic information technologies become the apparatus by which we position and explore the relationships and contents captured by the “lens” of geography. The Delta State University Center for Interdisciplinary Geospatial Information Technologies The mission of the Center is to provide geospatial services, accessible education and training, and institutional knowledge for geospatial information technologies to the widest possible audience, and particularly, the mid-Delta region. It is our goal to become a self-supporting unit of the University while maintaining cost-effective services for our constituents. The Center is organized around three core areas: Education and Training, Business and Community Development, and Institutional Knowledge. Education and Training The Center provides degrees in geospatial technologies, for-credit courses, and professional training. We currently or plan to offer the following programs of study:

Degree programs: Minor and certificate in Geospatial Information Technologies. This is 2-year, 18 credit-hour program of study that meets the requirements for a minor area of study in spatial technologies. Matriculated students will earn both the certificate and minor whereas non-matriculated students may earn only the certificate. Students are provided with basic and then advanced skills in remote sensing, GIS, and GPS using cutting edge technologies in our state-of-the-art teaching laboratory. The course of study is as follows: Fall semester, year 1

GIS 200/201/500 Introduction to spatial science and geographic information systems (4 hours with lab) – this course is pre-requisite for all subsequent GIS classes

Spring semester, year 1 GIS 310/510Advanced Geographic Information Systems (3 hours) REM 310/311 Remote Sensing (3 hours) Fall semester, year 2 Required: GIS 490/590 GIS Capstone (1 hour) Choose either: GIS 320/520GIS and Community (3 hours) GIS 480/580 Internet GIS and Spatial Databases (3 hours) Spring semester, year 2 Required: GIS 490/590 GIS Capstone (1 hour) Choose either: GIS 470/570 Programming GIS with VBA and Python (3 hours) GIS 330/530 Spatial solutions to natural resource issues (3 hours) Planned for the 2005-06 academic year are a GIS concentration for the BSIS degree program and a professional master’s degree program. Training and professional development: Interested students may also seek to enroll in one of our not-for-credit training courses. These courses are offered as part of the Specialist In Spatial Technologies program. Each specialist series involves 16-40 hours of training for a particular area of interest, Training is provided online, on-campus, or at requested off-campus locations and provides students with a balanced mix of theoretical knowledge, hands-on skills training, and ethical application of spatial technologies within the field at hand.

I. Agricultural Specialist In Spatial Technologies, This 24 hour, 3-day, 24 block of instruction will provide students with both introductory and advanced techniques for using GIS, remote sensing, and. GPS technologies. A special 4-hour block of instruction will focus on when and why to apply these technologies and how they can

best be used to improve the bottom line and engage students in a practical field-based problem.

II. Emergency Management Specialist in Spatial Technologies, This 24 hour, 3-day , 24 block of instruction provides Emergency dispatch, response, 2nd management personal with a detailed look at how GIS, remote sensing, and GPs may be used to improve incident management and safety.

III. Other programs under development are: a. e-Government. b. Planning c. Engineering d. Information technology

Online Training The Center offers 30 online courses in GIS, remote sensing, and allied technologies. Students enrolling in online training will be assigned to a professor of record who will field questions and administer an in-person final exam to students residing within 150 miles of Delta State University. For students beyond this geographic extent, an instructor of record will still be assigned to answer questions, but a partnership will be established with a local community college for administration of the final examination. The following courses are available for credit and will provide the backbone for our professional master’s degree program once established (Table 1). Students seeking online training, but not for academic credit, may also register for our courses at reduced fees or directly through the University of Mississippi. A final option will allow our partners (see next section) to customize our online courses for their employees, permitting them to “brand” the training solution with their corporate or government logo as requested. Community and Business Development Business and community development must focus on:

1. Development of a skilled labor force. The requisite technical knowledge and support must be present if local and external geospatial markets are to be developed. All educational programs are designed to support this mission.

2. Attracting new dollars to the Delta region. While the development and implementation of geospatial services is needed in the Delta, it is secondary to the attraction of new funds from markets external to the regional economy. This is the primary goal of the GIS minor/certificate program and online coursework.

3. Integration and cross-fertilization of spatial technologies within the region. While agriculture has already widely adopted geospatial technologies throughout the Delta, it is a niche market due to specialization. By working geospatial technologies into a broader spectrum of workplaces, the degree of specialization and resultant costs should decrease as the regional knowledge base grows. Further, the sharing of spatial information, particularly through government support, will increase efficiency and assist interested parties in engaging GIS, remote sensing, and GPS. While all educational aspects support this role, the Specialist in Spatial

Technologies takes careful aim at initial market segments ripe for geospatial technologies.

Attracting new dollars to the Delta: Rural out-sourcing Basic geospatial data processing is currently largely outsourced to India and Far-Eastern countries. While technical proficiency is needed to perform geospatial data processing tasks, this training need not be advanced. Geo-rectification, geocoding, data review, and other repetitive or labor, intensive processes may be accomplished by individuals with 6-12 months of training. The population of the Mississippi Delta is particularly will suited to performing this type of work as a large portion of the currently un-employed workforce has had exposure to geospatial technology through seasonal agricultural work, hunting/fishing guide services, and prior military service. Our program seeks to provide an alternative to international outsourcing by linking introductory training such as Specialist and GIS Certificate programs with practical experience. The primary mode for accomplishing this will be through the creation of a “Rural Out-Sourcing” program. This program will seek governmental and business partners in need of basic geospatial services. Using cooperative research, development, and training agreements, not-for-profit fixed price contracts will be created that allow partners to create paid internships for students and community members. We envision a 3-5 year time window during which an increasing number of partners will engage the Center in basic spatial services. As individual relationships mature into larger time commitments, the Center will seek to privatize the effort through the creation of a new company or other equitable means. It is critical that this program not compete with the U.S. private sector, yet it must remain as responsive and flexible. As such, each partnership training and rural outsource program will exist for a fixed period of time while generally conforming to private industry business standards for pricing and overhead costs. To maintain the educational integrity of this program, each local participant will be required to enroll in a minimum of one geospatial technology oriented class for each six months worked and participate in a mandatory internship course that requires regular reports on lessons/skills learned, contemporary geographic thought, and professional development (eg., public speaking, creation of technical presentations). Institutional Knowledge The application of geospatial information technologies overlaps many disciplines and contains many unwritten rules and methods. For example, most anyone can create a map by using a GPS device to capture spatial data. However, when does that mapping effort become a survey that must be performed under the guidance of a registered land surveyor? Likewise, knowing who possesses which data sets, what dissemination and distribution rights are permitted, and how the data may be obtained are often unwritten and disbursed throughout a myriad of agencies and businesses. We seek to become a repository for such institutional knowledge. In doing so, we hope to become a regional focal point for “one-stop shopping” regarding the practice and application of

geospatial information technologies. This will help increase networking within the industry and help the Center gain national visibility. We will build this knowledge base through the creation of longer-term positions and careful documentation. When a critical mass of knowledge is reached, it will be containerized and made available to the general public through a web site. Visits to the web site will be tracked and again, once a critical mass is reached, we will establish a fee-based subscription service to include a regular newsletter and other member services. It is likely that this service will be created in partnership with the Geospatial Information and Technology Association, a national organization known for such services.

The Robert M. Hearin Interdisciplinary Center for Geospatial Information Technology at Delta State University Executive Summary:

The use of Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) is transforming the dominate industry

of the Mississippi Delta. Agriculture employs one third of the population and contributes over five billion dollars to the state’s economy through the production, manufacturing, and retail sectors. In 2002, the Delta produced 84% of the cotton, 82% of the soybeans, 70% of the corn, and virtually all of the rice in the state. This economic powerhouse is now in the midst of a revolution which is occurring at a rapid pace without educational support in the Delta. Specifically, the precision agriculture field is entering a new era of productivity through the use of GIS to help manage crop production costs. GIS is a high technology field requiring well trained, knowledgeable workers and access to training on a continuous basis. Producers are finding workers qualified in the GIS field in short supply and GIS training in the Delta almost non-existent.

In addition to agriculture, other fields such as forestry, surveying and mapping, real estate, and insurance are experiencing a similar renaissance due to the increased use of GIS technology. There is a great need for education and training to supply the workforce for all of these Delta industries. In partnership with the Robert M. Hearin Foundation, Delta State University (DSU) will establish the Robert M. Hearin Interdisciplinary Geospatial Center to: 1) develop an interdisciplinary minor in GIS for traditional DSU students that will prepare them for the large variety of careers available in the GIS field; and, 2) develop the local work force through credit and non-credit certificate programs beginning with a series of pilot programs targeting the agricultural field. These pilot certificate programs will address three parts of the precision agricultural field: consultants, operators, and producers. The aim is to help them further their knowledge and skills with GIS and make them more productive and effective. The Center will develop other certificate programs based on the agricultural model to train workers in industries that utilize GIS. Ultimately, these certificate programs will be available to a wider audience through on-line delivery. The main focus of both the interdisciplinary minor and the certificate programs will be to further the knowledge and use of GIS and help create jobs in the Delta and surrounding regions.

Funding is requested from the Robert M. Hearin Foundation to establish the Robert M. Hearin Interdisciplinary Geospatial Center and provide operational expenses for three years. Delta State has invested approximately forty thousand dollars in a GIS computer laboratory and has begun offering a few GIS courses. This partnership with the Robert M. Hearin Foundation will enable DSU to fully implement the goal of GIS training and education for the workforce of the Delta and region.

The Robert M. Hearin Interdisciplinary Center for Geospatial Information Technology at Delta State University

Overview

There is a revolution occurring in production agriculture in the United States. That revolution is occurring in the Mississippi Delta through the introduction of a new crop input management technology that targets a reduction of input/chemical costs through the provision of prescription maps that enable the spatially variable application of agricultural chemicals to a farmer’s field during the growing season. At the heart of this new technology are Geographic Information Systems (GIS). GIS are computer software packages that combine the visual qualities of a map with the robust analytical capabilities of a database to examine phenomena in a spatial context. GIS technology is used by companies providing this service and is also used by farmers and their farm managers and consultants. Agriculture is just the tip of the iceberg with respect to the industries that can benefit from this new technology. A recent analysis by the Spatial Information Technology Center (SITC) of Johnstown, New York provided the following information on GIS applications: Industries with the Greatest Promise for GIS Professionals

1. Insurance 2. Surveying and Mapping 3. Construction and Engineering 4. Environmental Systems 5. Real Estate 6. Transportation 7. Public Safety 8. Precision Farming 9. Broadcast Meteorology 10. Forest and Range Management.

GIS is the standard in business for many parts of the US. The Mississippi Delta has not embraced this technology to its full potential. Local companies that have made a GIS investment have been frustrated with an under-qualified workforce from which to draw employees. In many cases, local companies are unable to hire local residents because they are unable to find the skill sets required in the GIS field. Proposed Project

Through a partnership with the Robert M. Hearin Foundation and regional businesses, Delta State University will address the need for a qualified workforce in the GIS field by establishing the Robert M. Hearin Interdisciplinary Geospatial Center. The university has already made a significant investment in computers and software to create the physical presence of a GIS lab and some courses in GIS are currently offered. Delta State will move this lab from the science building to a more central location on campus making it more assessable to the campus and community. By partnering with the Robert M. Hearin Foundation,Delta State University will create an interdisciplinary Center which will greatly expand the services now available. The primary goals will be to create an interdisciplinary minor in GIS for traditional DSU students to prepare them for the large variety of careers available in the GIS field, and to develop the local work force through credit and non-credit certificate programs that will initially serve the agricultural field. Certificate programs for other industries will be developed based on the agricultural model. The main focus of both the interdisciplinary minor and the certificate programs will be to further the knowledge and use of GIS and help create jobs in the Delta and surrounding regions. The Bolivar County Chamber of Commerce will assist the Center in furthering the knowledge of GIS and InTime, a local GIS company, will aid in the development of the pilot certificate programs for agriculture. Partnerships with other related business throughout the Mississippi Delta will be developed. As stated above, an interdisciplinary minor in GIS for traditional DSU students will be created. This curriculum will be broad based in focus and will help prepare students from all disciplines for careers in GIS. Emphasis will be on general GIS skills and applications that will allow students completing the minor to move easily into more specialized fields. DSU will work with community partners such as the Chamber of Commerce, InTime, and Eley Engineering, to help move these students into internships and, ultimately, jobs. The second goal of this proposal is to create a series of certificate programs that will address the needs of the workforce in the Delta region. Initially, through a partnership with InTime, DSU will create non-credit certificate programs to prepare workers in the precision agricultural field. Specifically, these pilot certificate programs will target agricultural consultants, operators, and producers with the aim of helping them further their knowledge and skills with GIS. Other certificate programs will be developed for fields such as forestry, surveying and mapping, and real estate based on this agricultural model. DSU will seek to create these programs so that they meet Work Force Investment Act approval in order to offer participants access to funds that will help pay for their training. InTime will assist in creating an Advisory Board that will work closely with the Project Director to ensure that the programs are meeting the needs of the work force and WIA. Last, DSU will expand its services throughout the Delta and the state by offering on-line delivery of these certificate programs. Online courses are growing in popularity because they give participants the ability to schedule their course work around their job demands. For Delta workers who want to increase their knowledge and for companies that want to continue to educate their work force, on-line certificate courses offer the perfect mix of flexibility and content. The Center will create on-line delivery of both credit and non-credit certificate programs. The on-line credit courses will allow for the creation of longer term and more in-depth courses that can further augment training for workers in the Delta and region. On-line

delivery will allow for the expansion of the certificate programs to other locations within the state and region. In summary, Delta State University is proposing to establish a Hearin Interdisciplinary Center for Geospatial Information Technology that will:

1. Establish an interdisciplinary minor in GIS for DSU students. 2. Train end users in GIS applications through credit and non-credit certificate programs

beginning with the precision agriculture field. 3. Create GIS certificate programs which will be offered on-line. 4. Provide real world internships for students. 5. Create the opportunity for higher paying jobs in the GIS field and contribute to the

economic development of the Mississippi Delta. Primary Goals and Objectives: Year One Objectives:

• Hire a Project Director and create a faculty position for an Instructor of GIS • Establish non-credit pilot certificate programs for the precision agriculture field in

consultation with InTime • Develop interdisciplinary minor curriculum • Develop University-level courses in GIS and related technologies to support the

interdisciplinary minor • Establish partnerships with local businesses for student internships

Year Two Objectives:

• Establish additional non-credit certificate programs for other industries (forestry, surveying and mapping, insurance)

• Explore the creation of credit certificate programs for end users and the potential of on-line delivery of all certificate programs

• Continue the interdisciplinary minor curriculum established in year one • Expand student internship program

Year Three Objectives and beyond:

• Provide career education in GIS • Continue education and training of end-user community, as well as current

students and employed professionals • Create on-line certificate programs • Continue student internship program

Project Personnel Biographical sketches for project personnel are located in the appendix.

Project Supervisor: Collier Parker currently serves as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. He has worked at Delta State University for twenty years and has eleven years of administrative experience. Dean Parker will ensure that the major goals of the grant are met. As Dean of the largest college on campus, he will be able to work with colleagues and other Deans to coordinate the needs of the interdisciplinary minor. The Project Director will work closely with Dean Parker in developing the certificate programs and on-line courses. Project Director: Delta State will seek a creative and dynamic individual who will be responsible for developing and promoting all aspects of the Robert M. Hearin Interdisciplinary Geospatial Center. The Director will have a teaching background and extensive training in GIS and on-line course delivery systems. The Director will work closely with the Dean of Arts and Sciences to promote GIS in the Delta and surrounding region. This individual will develop partnerships with local industries to further advance the goals of the Center. Additional duties will include developing and teaching the certificate programs and creating the on-line delivery of these programs. Educational Coordinator: Ms. Joby Prince currently serves as Instructor of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Director of GIS Lab Services at Delta State University. Ms. Prince teaches all GIS courses at the University as well as their associated labs and is an ESRI Authorized Trainer. Ms. Prince will be responsible for developing the interdisciplinary minor curriculum and teaching these courses. Additionally, she will assist the Director with the certificate programs. Prior to her position at DSU, Ms. Prince attended Oklahoma State University (Stillwater, OK) where she participated in independent grant-funded research in the areas of GIS and remote sensing of various agriculture interests including herbicide injury, species discrimination, and field management. Ms. Prince obtained a certification in GIS from the Department of Geography while at OSU. Certification requires proficiency not only in both natural resource management and socio-economic GIS applications, but also in spatial statistics and analysis, computer programming, and database management. She is a member of both Gamma Sigma Delta (National Agriculture Honor Society) and Gamma Theta Upsilon (National Geography Honor Society). Ms. Prince’s prior professional experience includes a position with SST Development Group (Stillwater, OK), a major manufacturer of custom GIS software for agriculture, as well as a position with Mid-South Ag Data (Sumner, MS) as the Coordinator of GIS/Remote Sensing Integration. Proposed Budget Year 1

Staff Hearin DSU Other Total

Project Supervisor: Collier Parker, Dean

College of Arts and Sciences

$0 $5,000 $0 $5,000

Project Director: (to be hired)

$48,000 $0 $0 $48,000

Educational Coordinator: Joby M. Prince

$42,500 $0 $0 $42,500

Secretarial Overtime $5,000 $0 $0 $5,000

Student (Full-time summer, half-

time semester at $10/hr) $10,000 $4,000 $0 $14,000

Subtotal $105,500 $9,000 $0 $114,500

Fringe (27%) $25,785 $1,350 $0 $27,135

Student Fringe (10%) $1,000 $400 $0 $1,400

Staff Total $132,285 $10,750 $0 $143,035

Computer Lab $10,000 $39,478 $0 $49,478

Course materials development $10,000 $0 $0 $10,000

Intern salaries (9) $63,000 $0 $27,000 $90,000

Imagery and training materials $0 $0 $30,000 $30,000

Continuing education $16,000 $10,000 $5,000 $31,000

Travel $12,500 $0 $0 $12,500

Indirect Costs (42.7%) $56,486 $0 $0 $56,486

Year 1 Total $300,271 $60,228 $62,000 $422,499

Proposed Budget Year 2

Staff Hearin DSU Other Total

Project Supervisor: Collier Parker, Dean

College of Arts and Sciences

$0 $5,000 $0 $5,000

Project Director: (to be hired)

$48,000 $0 $0 $48,000

Educational Coordinator: Joby M. Prince

$42,500 $0 $0 $42,500

Secretarial Overtime $5,000 $0 $0 $5,000

Student (Full-time summer, half-

time semester at $10/hr) $10,000 $4,000 $0 $14,000

Subtotal $105,500 $9,000 $0 $114,500

Fringe (27%) $25,785 $1,350 $0 $27,135

Student Fringe (10%) $1,000 $400 $0 $1,400

Staff Total $132,285 $10,750 $0 $143,035

Computer Lab $10,000 $0 $0 $10,000

Course materials development $10,000 $0 $0 $10,000

Intern salaries (8) $63,000 $0 $27,000 $90,000

Imagery and training materials $0 $0 $30,000 $30,000

Continuing education $16,000 $10,000 $5,000 $31,000

Travel $12,500 $0 $0 $12,500

Indirect Costs (42.7%) $56,486 $0 $0 $56,486

Year 2 Total $300,271 $20,750 $62,000 $383,021

Proposed Budget Year 3

Staff Hearin DSU Other Total

Project Supervisor: Collier Parker, Dean

College of Arts and Sciences

$0 $5,000 $0 $5,000

Project Director: (to be hired)

$48,000 $0 $0 $48,000

Educational Coordinator: Joby M. Prince

$42,500 $0 $0 $42,500

Secretarial Overtime $5,000 $0 $0 $5,000

Student (Full-time summer, half-

time semester at $10/hr) $10,000 $4,000 $0 $14,000

Subtotal $105,500 $9,000 $0 $117,500

Fringe (27%) $25,785 $1,350 $0 $27,135

Student Fringe (10%) $1,000 $400 $0 $1,400

Staff Total $132,285 $10,750 $0 $143,035

Computer Lab $10,000 $0 $0 $10,000

Course materials development $10,000 $0 $0 $10,000

Intern salaries (8) $63,000 $0 $27,000 $90,000

Imagery and training materials $0 $0 $30,000 $30,000

Continuing education $16,000 $10,000 $5,000 $30,000

Travel $12,500 $0 $0 $12,500

Indirect Costs (42.7%) $56,486 $0 $0 $56,486

Year 3 Total $300,271 $20,750 $62,000 $383,021

3Year Grand Total $900,813 $101,728 $186,000 $1,188,541

Budget Justification Year 1 Senior Personnel.

Dean Parker will supervise the overall project and ensure that grant goals are met. A Project Director will be hired to act as liaison between DSU, InTime, the Bolivar Chamber of Commerce, and other partners. This individual will be charged with developing and organizing the GIS certificate programs with assistance from other members of the staff. The annual salary for this position will be paid by the grant. Ms. Prince, the educational coordinator, will be charged with developing and teaching the interdisciplinary minor GIS courses and will assist the Director in organizing the GIS workshops. Her annual salary will be paid by the grant

Other Expenses

Secretarial Overtime: Funding for secretarial services associated with the grant. Student Worker: Funding for a DSU undergraduate student who will be involved in all aspects of the Project. Fringes: Calculated at 27% for the senior personnel. Student Fringes: Calculated at 10% for the student worker.

Computer Lab: Upgrade of GIS laboratory to include consoles and chairs.

Course Materials: All supplies and materials for the Academic Year component and certificate programs. Intern Salaries: Funding for intern pay at $7.00 per hour; employers will contribute $3.00 per hour making the internships attractive for top students. Imagery and Training materials: Remotely sensed images contributed by business partners. Continuing Education: Funds for training of Project Staff, company personnel, and Chamber personnel in new technological application of GIS is requested.

Travel: Local travel of staff and travel of all participants to continuing education sites is requested. Travel funds will be used to present the results of their project at professional meetings. Indirect Costs: Calculated at 42.7% of the personnel total.

Budget Justification Year 2 Senior Personnel.

Dean Parker will supervise the overall project and ensure that grant goals are met. A Project Director will be hired to act as liaison between DSU, InTime, the Bolivar Chamber of Commerce, and other partners. This individual will be charged with developing and organizing the GIS certificate programs with assistance from other members of the staff. The annual salary for this position will be paid by the grant. Ms. Prince, the educational coordinator, will be charged with developing and teaching the interdisciplinary minor GIS courses and will assist the Director in organizing the GIS workshops. Her annual salary will be paid by the grant

Other Expenses

Secretarial Overtime: Funding for secretarial services associated with the grant. Student Worker: Funding for a DSU undergraduate student who will be involved in all aspects of the Project. Fringes: Calculated at 27% for the senior personnel. Student Fringes: Calculated at 10% for the student worker.

Computer Lab: Upgrade of GIS laboratory to include consoles and chairs.

Course Materials: All supplies and materials for the Academic Year component and certificate programs. Intern Salaries: Funding for intern pay at $7.00 per hour; employers will contribute $3.00 per hour making the internships attractive for top students. Imagery and Training materials: Remotely sensed images contributed by business partners. Continuing Education: Funds for training of Project Staff, company personnel, and Chamber personnel in new technological application of GIS is requested.

Travel: Local travel of staff and travel of all participants to continuing education sites is requested. Travel funds will be used to present the results of their project at professional meetings. Indirect Costs: Calculated at 42.7% of the personnel total.

Budget Justification Year 3 Senior Personnel.

Dean Parker will supervise the overall project and ensure that grant goals are met. A Project Director will be hired to act as liaison between DSU, InTime, the Bolivar Chamber of Commerce, and other partners. This individual will be charged with developing and organizing the GIS certificate programs with assistance from other members of the staff. The annual salary for this position will be paid by the grant. Ms. Prince, the educational coordinator, will be charged with developing and teaching the interdisciplinary minor GIS courses and will assist the Director in organizing the GIS workshops. Her annual salary will be paid by the grant

Other Expenses

Secretarial Overtime: Funding for secretarial services associated with the grant. Student Worker: Funding for a DSU undergraduate student who will be involved in all aspects of the Project. Fringes: Calculated at 27% for the senior personnel. Student Fringes: Calculated at 10% for the student worker.

Computer Lab: Upgrade of GIS laboratory to include consoles and chairs.

Course Materials: All supplies and materials for the Academic Year component and certificate programs. Intern Salaries: Funding for intern pay at $7.00 per hour; employers will contribute $3.00 per hour making the internships attractive for top students. Imagery and Training materials: Remotely sensed images contributed by business partners. Continuing Education: Funds for training of Project Staff, company personnel, and Chamber personnel in new technological application of GIS is requested.

Travel: Local travel of staff and travel of all participants to continuing education sites is requested. Travel funds will be used to present the results of their project at professional meetings. Indirect Costs: Calculated at 42.7% of the personnel total.

Response to Request for Additional Information by the Hearin Foundation Regarding

Renewal Funding for the Center for Interdisciplinary Geospatial Information Technologies

At

Delta State University

INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................ 86

History: Originating Goals and Objectives............................................................................... 86 Partnership with InTime ....................................................................................................... 88 Sunflower County 911 Commission ...................................................................................... 88 Enrollment trends.................................................................................................................. 89

FUTURE PLANS ......................................................................................................................... 90 Outreach and awareness plan.................................................................................................... 91 Enrollment and Education Plan ................................................................................................ 92

Strengthening Enrollment In For-credit Programs .............................................................. 92 Academic Certification for Current and Future GIS Professionals ..................................... 93 Online Training..................................................................................................................... 95 Continuing Education and Training Certificates ................................................................. 95

Building Technology Infrastructure and the Workforce........................................................... 96 Workforce Development and Training.................................................................................. 96 Collaboration and Coordination .......................................................................................... 97 Standards, Practices, and Procedures.................................................................................. 97

Partnership with Government and Business ............................................................................. 97 About internships, cooperative education, and rural outsourcing ....................................... 98

Research and Development....................................................................................................... 99 REVISED BUDGET .................................................................................................................. 100

Proposed Year 1 Budget (2007).............................................................................................. 101 Proposed Year 2 Budget (2008).............................................................................................. 102 Proposed Year 3 Budget (2009).............................................................................................. 103

BUDGET JUSTIFICATION ...................................................................................................... 104 Staff......................................................................................................................................... 104 Computer Labs........................................................................................................................ 105 Education ................................................................................................................................ 105 Travel ...................................................................................................................................... 106 Equipment and Supplies ......................................................................................................... 106 Indirect Costs .......................................................................................................................... 107

APPENDIX A: AWARDS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS ....................................................... 108 Major Awards ......................................................................................................................... 108 Publications............................................................................................................................. 108 Accomplishments in Education .............................................................................................. 109 Professional Leadership .......................................................................................................... 109 Service..................................................................................................................................... 110 Grants and Contracts............................................................................................................... 110

APPENDIX B: NEW GIS CENTER FLOOR PLAN ................................................................ 111

INTRODUCTION History: Originating Goals and Objectives The Center for Interdisciplinary Geospatial Information Technologies was founded using funds awarded to Delta State University by the Hearin Foundation in late 2004. The overarching goals and objectives for the Center were set in the approved proposal. These objectives have been met and surpassed as indicated below. A more complete listing of our successes may be found in Appendix A and as was included in our original submission requesting a renewal of funding.

6. Establish an interdisciplinary minor in Geographic Information Technologies (GIT) for DSU students.

a. The minor program was established in Spring 2005 b. GIT was approved as a concentration area for the Bachelor’s of Science in

Interdisciplinary Studies in Spring 2005 with students entering in Fall 2005 (BSIS students must choose 2 or 3 concentration areas and GIT has programs that fit both options).

7. Train end-users in GIS applications through credit and non-credit certificate programs beginning with the precision agriculture field.

a. Non-credit precision agriculture training programs were established in Spring 2005 and are taught on a regular basis.

b. For-credit training programs in GIT that specialize in precision agriculture were established in Spring 2005 and 6 students have completed the 18 hour program of study. All are now working in the field and 5 of the six have remained in the Delta.

8. Create GIS certificate programs which will be offered on-line. a. The Center now offers 29 online courses in partnership with the University of

Mississippi. All classes may be used to satisfy the requirement of the minor, certificate, and training programs.

9. Provide real world internships for students. a. The Center employs 5-11 students each semester (depending on workload) to

conduct community-based projects. To date, more than 20 students have participated and using these positions as stepping stones to permanent employment with Delta companies such as InTime, YMD, John Deere, USDA Extension Service, and Sunflower County 911.

b. Seven Center students who have completed our local internship program have gone on to complete external internships. Our external intern partners include Telus Geomatics, GITA, ESRI, and the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency. We are working locally to create new jobs that will help our communities retain these now highly trained geospatial professionals upon graduation.

10. Create the opportunity for higher paying jobs in the GIS field and contribute to the economic development of the Mississippi Delta.

a. The Center has worked with local businesses and governments to help introduce GIT to the workplace.

b. The Center has worked with local businesses and governments to create new business and job opportunities in the Mississippi Delta. Seven new jobs have been created as a result of Center activities and many more are in development.

These goals and objectives were somewhat difficult to accomplish as several barriers to the introduction and implementation of GIT exist in this region. The most formidable of which are: a lack of awareness of what GIT is and what benefits are associated with its use; a lack of underlying technology infrastructure and education; and financial barriers to the implementation of GIT – even though it’s use provides significant return on investment. To combat these we:

1. Seek to educate our community and students about GIT through: a. Aggressive recruiting of students for academic and training programs, including

visits to K-12 schools b. Projects that give high visibility to GIT c. Use of the local media as an outlet for information about importance of GIT and

Center activities 2. Work with the University and local partners to create better basic technology

infrastructure including: a. The establishment of a public access high resolution GPS system b. Partnership with the Mississippi Delta Technology Council and other community

groups to help build programs such as the Certified Technology Community c. Integration with existing technology programs at the University and the

community to better their capabilities 3. Partner with local businesses and governments to accomplish projects in a cost effective

way by leveraging a. Technical and technology infrastructure to lower partner costs during

development and implementation phases b. Hearin Foundation-sponsored intern workforce to provide experienced project

workers and entry-level employees c. Educational discounts to help off-set the significant hardware and software costs

associated with beginning the provision of GIT-based services d. Knowledge and skills to understand challenges in the community and implement

practical solutions Further, we find that people throughout the region and state want to know why and how these technologies work. Simply showing that precision farming through the use of spatial technologies increases yields and saves money does not suffice. Prospective users want to know how and why before investing. Put another way, the culture of the Mississippi Delta is one of polite skepticism. More than any national award, grant activity, or significant publication, they deserve and expect results-oriented education and services. Toward that end, the Center is proud to point to our enrollment trends, partnerships, and projects as indicators that these barriers are eroding and that we are having a significant impact on the improvement of the regional economy. The following three items highlight these local efforts to transform our community:

Partnership with InTime InTime is a locally-based remote sensing company that specializes in the collection of imagery for use in precision farming. While InTime has successfully signed many larger growers in the Delta, they have difficulty in capturing small and medium sized farms as clients. Once we became aware of this, we set out to talk to local growers to find out why this segment of the market was not using precision agriculture, despite the obvious benefits. The results revealed that while most growers were aware of precision farming, many could not afford the start-up costs associated with purchasing the needed GPS equipment and variable rate spray rigs. To address this problem, the Center contacted the State’s Geodetic Advisor, Mr. Kurt Shinkle. Mr. Shinkle advised us that the Center could participate with the University of Southern Mississippi and the National Geodetic Survey in the Continuously Operating Reference Station and Height Modernization programs. This would allow for the installation of a public access GPS base station and thereby halving the cost of GPS for interested growers. Working with Dr. Henk vonReissen at InTime, a method of connecting to the CORS GPS stations has been resolved and successfully tested in the Delta. We are now working with USM and NGS to expand the number of available stations with installation currently underway in Greenville, MS at the Greenville Higher Education Center and are preparing for installation at Batesville Fire Station #2 and the LeFlore County Courthouse. As an aside, we are pleased to note that InTime has hired 4 of our students as of this writing for lab processing and technical and research support services. Sunflower County 911 Commission Both the US Congress and the Mississippi Legislature have set in motion proposed legislation endorsing standards set by the National Emergency Number Association for reporting the location of wireless (cell-phone based) callers to 911. Phase II of this standard requires that 911 systems actively locate and display the caller’s location to within 10 meters of their real position. Further, this position must update as the caller moves. Emergency services in the Delta are significantly behind the technology curve in responding to this problem and are faced with tremendous implementation costs. When the Sunflower County 911 Commission sought to tackle the problem with Bell South, they were told that they would be charged $30,000 for the construction of the required base map. Mr. Lane Kimbrell, the Sunflower County 911 Commission Administrator, approached DSU seeking a cost effective solution. Using Hearin Foundation-sponsored internship positions and Center expertise, we were able to produce the requested base map and successfully install it in partnership with BellSouth and Positron. Further, our solution implemented a grid map overlay corresponding to a paper street atlas. Now when emergency calls are dispatched, not only is the location of the caller known, but their position may be effectively conveyed to responding emergency services personnel by communicating the appropriate street atlas page number and grid square.

Sunflower County 911 Commission and Mr. Kimbrell are extremely pleased with the project results and are in the process of hiring a newly created part-time GIS position within the 911 Office. Further, we have since been contacted by Mr. Tommy Malone from Leake County, Mrs. Mildred Churchill from Union County, Mr. Bill Quinton in Bolivar County, and Mr. Roscoe Gambill in LeFlore County for assistance with their 911 mapping projects. As this list continues to grow, we will work to expand their understanding and provision of GIT services to include the areas of parcel and tax mapping, the creation of location-based asset inventories (an accurate inventory and accounting of municipal infrastructure is required by the Government Accounting Standards Board Statement 34 – GIS assists this task greatly), and economic planning activities. Enrollment trends GIS credit courses were taught at DSU prior to the formation of the Center with minimal success. As a regional masters-level university, our primary enrollment draw is from the surrounding communities. It is reasonable to state that course enrollment, particularly in elective courses, reflects the interest of the community in any given topic. The graph below indicates enrollment in GIS courses at the Center and includes our estimated enrollment (based on pre-enrollment numbers) for Spring 2007.

Figure 1. Enrollment in Center Courses

Number of DSU Students Enrolling Center Courses

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On a yearly basis, the total number of students choosing to take GIT coursework has increased from an average of 20 per year prior to Center formation to 27 in 2004, 57 in 2005, and is projected to top 135 this academic year. Our facilities limited our enrollment this year and the

DSU administration has responded to this need. Nearly $392,000 was spent by Delta State to create a new, 5,000 square foot Center with classroom space and workstations for 20 students (our current room capacity is only 10), a dedicated production lab for 10 to be used by interns, a map gallery, faculty offices, and a dedicated server room. A drawing of the new Center is included in Appendix B. Similar trends are being experienced in our not-for-credit offerings. The Center offers low-cost and free training to the community in GIT for agriculture, map-reading, the use of GIT for emergency services, and teacher training. We are now providing one-on-one educational services for select businesses and government workers seeking to better understand our technology. This approach seems to work best for some applications, particularly agriculture, as the diversity of entry-level knowledge ranges from knowing little about GIT to a deep practical and theoretical knowledge. By using the one-on-one approach we are able to better address needs in an intimate environment and build customers for local businesses like InTime one quality client at a time. Of interesting note, we recently provided some in-depth one-on-one training to Mr. Alan Key, a large land owner in Sunflower County. As it turns out, Mr. Key is the great-grandson of Francis Scott Key, composer of the National Anthem and the session was mutually educational. We provided him with a digital terrain model of his property and are working with him to integrate InTime’s services into his farming practices. FUTURE PLANS While these examples and others (see Appendix A) clearly demonstrate our abilities, we realize that this program is in its infancy and if clear goals and support are not set for the future, our efforts will be lost. What follows clearly identifies and articulates the objectives and needs of the Center for its eventual complete adoption as a hard-money funded academic unit at Delta State. Our efforts will focus on continued economic development of the Delta region and each item below specifically supports that mission. Our specific objectives are to:

1. Expand our community’s understanding of GIT through outreach and awareness programs. Particular emphasis will be placed on the use of GIT for precision agriculture, emergency services and disaster planning, community planning and management, and economic development.

2. Build and solidify for-credit and training program enrollment in support of DSU and IHL priorities by strengthening online and distance learning opportunities, providing a firm base for the baccalaureate (BSIS) program, and growing small-group and individual training opportunities.

3. Building technology infrastructure and workforce through existing partnerships with local economic development agencies such as our local One Stop, companies such as Bell South, and other new partnerships.

4. Partner with government and business to successfully implement local and regional GIT projects that help them better plan for the future, improve customer service, increase the efficiency of government, and add value to the community.

5. Conduct research and development activities that help local businesses and government expand their range of services and capabilities, increase their client base, make better decisions, and understand the marketplace/constituents.

Technology-driven economic development must focus on all five of these areas. In simple terms, it must satisfy supply and demand requirements. On one side of the equation we must provide a trained workforce capable of successfully filling geospatial jobs. At the same time, we must work to build the geospatial marketplace so that new jobs may be created for our students. The need for geospatial technologies in Mississippi is very clear, however we must work from both sides for successful implementation and economic growth. Failure to do so in a timely fashion, particularly in economically depressed areas, will result in wider chasms that must eventually be crossed at greater expense. Investment in geospatial technologies in the Delta is a solid investment in its future economic health. Outreach and awareness plan

If community, governance, and business are unaware of the potential uses and applications of geospatial technologies, they cannot be used to support better planning, decision making, and communication. Likewise, they may not be applied to needed areas and prospective students will remain unaware of one of the most lucrative and beneficial coursework and career opportunities available to them at Delta State. The Center is working with the Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) of Mississippi to develop a pilot program of outreach for geospatial technologies for high schools in both their tech-prep and academic classes. Even state-level leaders in the Mississippi Department of Education are under-informed about the potential of geospatial technology education, and this new program is designed to demonstrate the potentials of such education. The tech-prep and industrial education areas of state education are currently in a transition stage, and the Center hopes to use this initiative to insure that geospatial education is included in future training modules offered by public schools in the state. Our specific objectives in this arena include:

1. Identify and deliver an introductory GIT awareness session to the following groups in the Mississippi Delta on a bi-annual basis:

a. Agricultural trade show b. Board of Supervisors c. Chamber of Commerce d. Rotary Club e. Lions Club f. Exchange Club g. Town/City Council h. County emergency management agency

2. Create and distribute an information packet and deliver and introductory awareness session to the following education and workforce training groups in the Mississippi Delta on a yearly basis:

a. High school juniors and seniors b. High school guidance counselors c. WIN Job Centers

d. Planning and development districts 3. Continue and grow our high school outreach program. We were recently awarded a grant

from the Legislature through the Enterprise for Innovative Geospatial Solution (EIGS) that will provide a new computer and geospatial software to Cleveland area high schools participating in a joint Bolivar County Chamber of Commerce – DSU GIT Center project aimed at economic development. Specifically, area high school students will develop an interactive map that promotes area businesses and attractions. The Center, leveraging funds from the Hearin Foundation, is offering academically qualified students from local school districts scholarship support if they elect to take geospatial coursework during their senior year of high school and participate in this project. There are currently 5 students enrolled in the introductory GIT course and an additional 7 have expressed interest in participating. This project serves many purposes (awareness, recruiting, outreach, and business development) and will be replicated in other communities throughout the Delta using a combination of distance learning techniques (online courses, webinars, and teleconference). Our objective is to repeat this process in the following communities with baseline tourism in need of an extra boost:

a. Clarksdale in 2007-2008 b. Belzoni in 2008-2009 c. Greenwood in 2009-2010

4. Create and maintain an online introductory awareness program that may be completed free of charge and that highlights local applications of GIT.

Enrollment and Education Plan The pedagogy of the Center rests on a balanced approach to software skills training, theory, ethics, and cooperative education. The availability of Hearin Foundation-funded internships at the Center has proven invaluable in the recruitment and retention of high quality students. The Center arguably employs three of Delta State’s top students. These students are engaged in local projects and are likely to remain in the area after graduation. The provision of Hearin Foundation funding to continue this cooperative education program is critical to future success. In a broader scope, our priorities are to use GIT courses and programs to better prepare students for entrance to the Mississippi job market, provide training for existing workers in need of GIT skills development, improve the overall academic excellence of the University, and provide a unique education program that provides a balanced approach to software training, theory, practical experience, and ethics. Strengthening Enrollment In For-credit Programs The demands of today’s workforce insist that graduating students possess a broad range of skills and knowledge. While entry- and mid-level jobs still require some degree of specialization, most positions require 2-3 fundamental core competencies as businesses attempt to do more with less. The Bachelor’s of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies (BSIS) degree program is an ideal fit for this urgent workforce need. The provision of GIT as one of the fundamental areas of study for this degree program is ideal as this technology has application to a wide swath of industries and particularly to those with strong presence in the Delta: agriculture, healthcare, transportation,

municipal governance, light manufacturing, and tourism. Our plan is to use the BSIS/GIT program at DSU as an enticing option for quality students who might not otherwise consider remaining in the area. Our specific objectives, beyond overall GIT course enrollment increases, is to recruit a) 10 new BSIS/GIT students in 2007; b) 20 new BSIS/GIT students in 2008; and c) 30 new BSIS/GIT students in 2009. Academic Certification for Current and Future GIS Professionals The creation of a certification program in GIT, as required in our founding proposal, was accomplished at the end of Spring 2005. However, a fundamental problem remains with our certification: few understand what it means as it is often confused with lesser certificate programs. Nearly every educational institute across the nation offers some sort of GIT training resulting in a certificate. Some are awarded after as little as 20 hours of software training while others require 18 credit hours or more of academic credit. None offer a program similar to that at DSU. The GIT Certificate at DSU meets the very highest of standard as it was developed through close ties and information gained from industry, the University Consortium on GIS, findings from the National Science Foundation regarding education in Science, Math, Engineering, and Technology, the Association of American Geographers, the US Department of Labor, and the National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis. Through our role in IHL’s Geospatial Council, are working to build a consensus about what constitutes a certificate in GIT, implement the resulting standard, and publicize the results to both Mississippi businesses and economic development agencies. Based upon emerging accreditation standards from both academic and professional organizations, we know that our program meets the educational requirements for professional certification in GIS (GISP). During the renewal period we will seek to recruit from the workforce and external to the current student population at DSU a) 10 new students in 2007; b) 25 new students in 2008; and c) 50 new students in 2009. The table on the following page outlines our current GIT Certificate Program. This program of study satisfies the minimum educational requirements for professional certification as established by the GIS Certification Institute.

Online Training Online courses are growing in popularity because they give participants the ability to schedule their course work around their job demands. For Delta workers who want to increase their knowledge and for companies that want to continue to educate their work force, on-line courses offer the perfect mix of flexibility and content. It is now possible to earn the GIS certificate in the preceding page entirely online. Our online course offerings are growing in popularity – 27 students have enrolled for GIS I online this Spring alone. However, based on student feedback, the current delivery method and some content must be adjusted. We currently use a mixed approach of materials developed from a NASA grant to the University of Mississippi, DSU online course systems, our web site, and e-mail. During the renewal period, we will blend all online courses into a single system. This represents a significant technical undertaking and will be done in partnership with DSU’s Office of Information Technology as they overhaul the online course delivery system. We anticipate that all required BSIS concentration, certificate, and minor courses will be transitioned to the new system by the end of the 2007-2008 academic year and that the remaining classes will be completed by the end of 2009. Continuing Education and Training Certificates As our outreach and awareness programs have begun to take hold, interest from the public regarding the availability of non-credit hour training has risen somewhat dramatically. We find that those seeking training are either private citizens desiring detailed industry-specific knowledge about the application of GIT or teachers seeking to incorporate GIT into their classrooms. To date, our training programs focused primarily upon precision agriculture, offering 2-3 programs each year. Most recently, and in light of lessons learned from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, we have found a tremendous need for fundamental map reading and land navigation skills courses among the emergency responder community. Interest in the application of GIT to government agencies and small to medium sized businesses is also on the rise. During the past year, we have begun a partnership with the Extended Education program at Delta State. As we create new training programs, we work through them to ensure that interested students may earn continuing education credit for their efforts. This is particularly important for teachers, and as more recently discovered, for crop consultants seeking to maintain their certification. Students may now earn 1 continuing education credit for every 10 hours of training received through the Center. In response to these needs, we want to improve and expand our training offerings to include:

1. We will keep the existing “Fundamentals of GIT for Agriculture” program in place as it is growing in popularity and add “Specialist in GIT for Agriculture” to the mix. This 40 hour program of study puts students through the rigors of collecting field data using GPS, basic map production, application of remote sensing to agriculture, and basic principles of precision farming. Both programs complement local precision agriculture business development and extension service opportunities.

2. We will add two new programs that support emergency responders.

a. “Fundamentals of GIT for Emergency Responders”. This program, like the “Fundamentals of GIT for Agriculture”, will offer a series of 4 4-hour seminars. Each seminar addresses one of the following topical areas: map-reading and interpretation, land navigation using a map and compass, land navigation using a GPS, and integration of GIT into the National Incident Command System.

b. “Specialist in GIT for Emergency Responders” will serve as an in-depth follow-on course. We have taught this course twice as a pilot series with tremendous success. We are now ready to take it to the next level by offering it through our regular rotation of training courses.

3. We will add “Fundamentals of GIT for Municipal Government” as a series of 4 4-hour seminars. Topics for this program include asset tracking and management using GIT, cadastral mapping, planning and zoning, and economic development.

Building Technology Infrastructure and the Workforce Public and private organizations alike need more impact from geospatial technology. Many have made significant financial investments without adequate results. Differing agency’s needs, existing systems, inadequate training, diverse practices, and lack of standards as well as rapidly changing technology all make it difficult for many organizations to successfully adopt and properly leverage geospatial technology that is becoming more necessary than ever before – a role that is ideally suited to this Center. We are on the precipice of a unique opportunity to foster significant change in Delta economics by using GIT as a means to bolster the implementation and use of technology. Our plan for this focus area seeks to close the gap by articulating projects that link geospatial education, business/industry, and governance through the creation of Community of Practice. Our approach is unique because of its integrative nature and that we seek to produce actual physical, usable products for our community that positively affect the regional economy through the facilitation of infrastructure and workforce development based in real-world projects. The following graphic identifies the Who, What, How, and Why of the Geospatial Technology Community of Practice. Through the provision of the training and education programs outlined above, we are able to target stakeholders and decision-makers alike and undertake key strategic projects within the Delta. These projects emphasize collaboration among community partners and involve the use of geospatial technologies for improved planning, management, and economic development. The net result will be the creation of a seamless network of geospatially enabled communities with capabilities that can be disseminated and integrated and at the state and national levels, the primary benefit of which will be the creation of jobs and a demonstration that “Mississippi can do it”.

Workforce Development and Training

1. Identify both existing and new positions within the community that could benefit from

geospatial technologies and develop specific implementation and use plans that incorporate our existing training opportunities. Our target is to create at least 25 new high-tech jobs and at least 3 new businesses during the next three years.

2. Continue to develop workforce development plans for training local, regional, tribal, and state organizations in the use of geospatial technology in partnership with WIA, SDPDD, DES and similar agencies.

3. Develop a rapid training program and materials that effectively support the end users in governance and small business.

4. Develop a simple to use Web site to enable non-technical users the ability access and share geospatial data for planning and development and support day-to-day operational related activities.

5. Determine state, tribal, regional, and local agency training needs for meeting emerging standards for governance (eg., Government Accounting Standards Board Statement #34 support).

Collaboration and Coordination

1. Conduct a needs assessment to evaluate which geospatial products can be rapidly implemented at specific locations.

2. Establish data collection and dissemination responsibilities among multiple local, regional, and state agencies (e.g., flood monitoring, building inspections).

3. Establish data sharing agreements among essential public and private organizations. 4. Establish advanced contracts for data collection, such as the use of remote sensing

technology for incident management. 5. Develop predefined list of GIT personnel resources that may be used as a virtual help

center. Standards, Practices, and Procedures

1. Create a common georeferenced landbase (e.g., buildings, utilities, street and building addresses) to serve as a region-wide base map.

2. Develop predefined data and metadata standards to ensure the best possible datasets are used for decision making.

3. Establish common map production procedures and capabilities in more than one location that crosses multiple levels of government.

4. Develop field mapping procedures for both taking data in the field and collecting it during and after changes to the local environment.

5. Develop interoperability standards to enable the integration and exchange of related management and infrastructure data.

Partnership with Government and Business

As previously emphasized, a top priority for the Center for Interdisciplinary Geospatial Information Technologies at Delta State University is the creation of an internship/rural outsourcing program for GIT data processing and development. Using our prior expertise, we have assembled facilities and a team of faculty and staff capable of handling complex projects. Our production facilities include 10 dedicated GIT workstations, 3 spatial data servers (~3 TB total on site storage), 2 large format plotters capable of producing mapping products up to 42” in

width (archival quality waterproof inks are available), digital imaging/scanning equipment, WAAS enabled and RTK GPS equipment, and large disk storage array systems. We are site licensed for all Microsoft, ESRI, Intergraph, ENVI, and Leica products. In cooperation with the aviation program and InTime, we are able to fly imaging missions using a Cessna L-206 or bring qualified pilots with us nationwide to assist with projects. Our production team is led by Talbot Brooks and comprises more than 25 undergraduate and graduate students trained in cadastral data processing, image rectification, field data collection, spatial database, Internet delivery of geospatial technologies, network construction and analysis, basic computer science, and computer programming. We are able to leverage these resources and student labor to significantly lower the entry-point cost required for governments and businesses the engage geospatial technologies. Our purpose in doing so is to provide practical training for our students and transfer of our knowledge to our clients. After projects have run for a maximum of three years, they are transferred to our private sector partners (InTime, nVision, and others in the state) for continuation. In this way we lower the entry point cost for parties interested in engaging in GIT projects and create new opportunities for business and trained employees for the workforce. We will never directly compete with local or regional interests for GIT projects, but rather seek mutually beneficial partnerships that advance the implementation and understanding of this rapidly growing technology nation-wide. About internships, cooperative education, and rural outsourcing Basic geospatial data collection and processing is currently largely outsourced to India and Far-Eastern countries. This places US businesses at a competitive disadvantage and while still failing to lower the entry-point cost enough to engage the broader marketplace. While technical proficiency is needed to perform geospatial collection and data processing tasks, this training need not be advanced. Basic mapping of infrastructure, geo-rectification, geocoding, data review, and other repetitive or labor, intensive processes may be accomplished by individuals with 6-12 months of training. The population of the Mississippi Delta is particularly well suited to performing this type of work as a large portion of the currently un-employed workforce has had exposure to geospatial technology through seasonal agricultural work, hunting/fishing guide services, and/or prior military service. Our program seeks to provide an alternative to international outsourcing by linking introductory training such as Specialist and GIS Certificate programs with practical experience. The primary mode for accomplishing this will be through the creation of a “Rural Out-Sourcing” program. This program will seek governmental and business partners in need of basic geospatial services. Using cooperative research, development, and training agreements, not-for-profit fixed price contracts will be created that allow partners to create paid internships for students and community members. We envision a 3-5 year time window during which an increasing number of partners will engage the Center in basic spatial services. As individual relationships mature into larger time commitments, the Center will seek to privatize the effort by handing off projects to the private sector, or in their absence, through the creation of a new company or other equitable means.

It is critical that this program not compete with the U.S. private sector, yet it must remain as responsive and flexible. As such, each partnership training and rural outsource program will exist for a fixed period of time. To maintain the longer-term educational integrity of this program, each local participant will be required to enroll in a minimum of one geospatial technology oriented class for each six months worked and participate in a mandatory internship course that requires regular reports on lessons/skills learned, contemporary geographic thought, and professional development (eg., public speaking, creation of technical presentations). By engaging the Center for Interdisciplinary Geospatial Information Technologies at Delta State University, our partners are acknowledging the training and education basis of this program and are not using it to foster or gain unfair competitive advantage in any fashion while advancing the implementation of GIT and creating new, higher paying jobs. The success of the 911 and other aforementioned projects clearly demonstrate that this approach will work. Research and Development Research and development at the Center is focused in two areas: use of GIT to better understand our problems and community and improvement of geospatial technologies. The Center is working through individual, yet inter-related, research problems in each area of study. Much of this work stems from experiences gained during Hurricane Katrina. Our research mission moving forward is to seek grant and sponsored project opportunities that will facilitate the continuation of this important work.

1. The Mississippi Delta is a geographic area prone to a wider scope of natural hazards than found in most other areas. Tornados and severe thunderstorms are fairly regular events whilst the occurrence of ice storms, hurricanes (Rita was still a Category 3 Hurricane when she moved overhead – this area experienced far more damage from her than from Katrina), wide-spread and severe flooding, and earthquakes (the northern reaches of the Delta reside nearly on top of the New Madrid Fault). Understanding the nature of these hazards and where our communities are vulnerable is critical for future prevention of loss. To this end, the Center is working with Bolivar County, McCool Management Services, and the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency to use GIS for the construction of a hazard mitigation plan. While we hope that our communities never suffer the tremendous economic blow associated with natural disaster, it is our most sincere hope that our planning and mitigation work will significantly soften the blow. This project is in an early stage and we are using interns to collect data about the location of critical infrastructure and economic elements.

2. In a related manner, the application of GIT to any resulting significant disaster will require the response of hundreds of individual from across the nation. The ability to create and disseminate accurate maps and spatially-based products that may be used in a consistent fashion is a critical need. It is through this line of investigation that we are working out means to automatically generate gridded maps (US National Grid Atlas for Sunflower County example shown when we met in Jackson), create interoperable mapping standards and symbols, and create effective training about the use of maps by emergency responders and decision makers.

The results of our work are being gradually shared with local geospatial businesses for their implementation. It is our hope that they will adopt methods and practices developed through this line of investigation for application in other areas to improve their efficiency and effectiveness. For example, the creation of a US National Grid map layer creates a series of very precisely sized squares. We’ve determined that these squares may be used as a rapid method of rectifying (processing) digital imagery for farms – a method that may be of commercial value to a company such as InTime.

REVISED BUDGET The total amount requested from the Hearin Foundation for the 2007-2009 time period is $836,308. This represents an approximate $85,000 reduction in total funding compared with the 2004-2007 period of performance due to increased investment by Delta State. Delta State’s contribution to this project, including the $392,000 expended to create a permanent home for the Center in Kethley Hall, will have increased from an investment of $101,728 during the initial period of performance to $1,065,145 during this period of performance. The following pages provide our proposed budget for the August 2007-August 2009 time period.

Proposed Year 1 Budget (2007) Hearin DSU Other Total

StaffProject Supervisor 0 5000 0 $5,000

Center Director $42,000 $35,000 $0 $77,000

Assistant Director $10,000 $53,000 $0 $63,000

Education and Technical Projects Coordinator $23,000 $24,000 $0 $47,000

Lab Instructor (Grad student) $0 Student) $10,000 $0 $0 $10,000

Subtotal $85,000 $112,000 $0 $197,000Fringe (27%) $20,250 $30,240 $0 $50,490Staff Total $105,250 $142,240 $0 $247,490

Computer Lab Hardware $77,000 $15,000 $109,000 $201,000

Software $0 $8,000 $755,000 $763,000

Data $10,000 $0 $30,000 $40,000

Computer support $0 $10,000 $0 $10,000

Education

K-12 Awareness and $10,000 $5,000 $2,500 $17,500 Recruitment Materials

Course/Training $7,500 $7,500 $0 $15,000 Materials Development

Reference materials $7,500 $0 $0 $7,500

Intern salaries (8) $40,000 $15,000 $0 $55,000

Scholarship $10,000 $2,500 $0 $12,500

External Training and $15,000 $0 $0 $15,000 Continuing Education

Professional Development $7,500 $0 $0 $7,500

Travel $15,000 $0 $0 $15,000

Equipment and Supplies

Printing support $2,000 $1,000 $0 $3,000

Communications $500 $2,000 $0 $2,500

Shipping/mail $0 $500 $0 $500

Indirect Costs (10%) $30,725 $0 $0 $30,725

Kethley Renovation $0 $392,000 $0 $0

Total $337,975 $600,740 $896,500 $1,835,215

Proposed Year 2 Budget (2008)

Hearin DSU Other TotalStaffProject Supervisor 0 0 $0

Center Director $40,000 $38,000 $0 $78,000

Assistant Director $10,000 $53,500 $0 $63,500

Education and Technical Projects Coordinator $20,500 $27,000 $0 $47,500

Lab Instructor (Grad student) Student) $10,000 $0 $0 $10,000

Subtotal $80,500 $118,500 $0 $199,000Fringe (27%) $19,035 $31,995 $0 $51,030Staff Total $99,535 $150,495 $0 $250,030

Computer Lab Hardware $15,000 $15,000 $30,000

Software $0 $8,000 $755,000 $763,000

Data $0 $0 $30,000 $30,000

Computer support $0 $10,000 $0 $10,000

Education

K-12 Awareness and $20,000 $5,000 $2,500 $27,500 Recruitment Materials

Course/Training $7,500 $7,500 $0 $15,000 Materials Development

Reference materials $2,000 $1,000 $0 $3,000

Intern salaries (8) $40,000 $15,000 $0 $55,000

Scholarship $10,000 $5,000 $2,500 $17,500

External Training and $15,000 $0 $0 $15,000 Continuing Education

Professional Development $7,500 $0 $0 $7,500

Travel $15,000 $0 $0 $15,000

Equipment and Supplies

Printing support $1,000 $2,000 $0 $3,000

Communications $500 $2,000 $0 $2,500

Shipping/mail $0 $500 $0 $500

Indirect Costs (10%) $23,304 $0 $23,304

Total $256,339 $221,495 $790,000 $1,267,834

Proposed Year 3 Budget (2009)

Hearin DSU Other TotalStaffProject Supervisor $0 $5,000 $0 $5,000

Center Director $34,000 $45,000 $0 $79,000

Assistant Director $10,000 $54,000 $0 $64,000

Education and Technical Projects Coordinator $14,500 $34,000 $0 $48,500

Lab Instructor (Grad student) $10,000 $0 Student) $0

Subtotal $68,500 $133,000 $0 $201,500Fringe (27%) $18,495 $35,910 $0 $54,405Staff Total $86,995 $168,910 $0 $255,905

Computer Lab Hardware $15,000 $15,000 $30,000

Software $0 $8,000 $755,000 $763,000

Data $0 $0 $30,000 $30,000

Computer support $0 $10,000 $0 $10,000

Education

K-12 Awareness and $20,000 $5,000 $2,500 $27,500 Recruitment Materials

Course/Training $7,500 $7,500 $0 $15,000 Materials Development

Reference materials $2,000 $1,000 $0 $3,000

Intern salaries (8) $40,000 $15,000 $0 $55,000

Scholarship $10,000 $7,500 $5,000 $22,500

External Training and $15,000 $0 $0 $15,000 Continuing Education

Professional Development $7,500 $0 $0 $7,500

Travel $15,000 $0 $0 $15,000

Equipment and Supplies

Printing support $500 $2,500 $0 $3,000

Communications $500 $2,000 $0 $2,500

Shipping/mail $0 $500 $0 $500

Indirect Costs (10%) $22,000 $0 $0 $22,000

Total $241,995 $242,910 $792,500 $1,277,405

BUDGET JUSTIFICATION Staff Project Supervisor. Dean Collier Parker serves as the project supervisor and reviews all educational and grant related matters for the Center on a regular basis. Five percent of his time is allocated to Center business and this cost is covered by DSU. Center Director. Talbot Brooks serves as the Center Director and is employed by DSU as a regular faculty member. His salary will be paid in part by Delta State. The requested salary is commensurate with the base salary for a mid-level professor normalized to a 12-month salary. It is also equivalent to the base pay for a department chairperson. The requested amount reflects a ~1.2% increase each year so as to keep pace with rising costs of living and comparable base merit pay raises within the state pay system. His duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to, teaching 2 courses each semester, designing all Center programs, directing Center faculty, staff, and student employees, all grant writing and research responsibilities, supervision of technical projects, provision of advanced GIT solutions, instruction of 3 technical workshops/seminars each year, developing partnerships and projects for the Center, and overall Center administration. The Center Director will also provide the majority of informational presentations to governance, business, and community groups. Assistant Director. Carlysle Meek is currently employed as the Assistant Director for the Center using discretionary funds allocated to the Center through indirect cost recovery not associated with this grant application. He is also a full time Professor of Physics. His responsibilities at the Center include student recruitment (he is an academic advisor for DSU) and outreach to the K-12 system (he spent many years as a public school teacher prior to joining DSU and is in large part responsible for Center enrollment trends). His base salary will continue to be paid in full by Delta State. Education and Technical Projects Coordinator. Subramanian Swaminathan is full time instructor at the Center and teaches 4 course each semester. He is responsible for programming, database administration and other technical geospatial projects in collaboration with our academic and social communities. He will teach at least 1 online course and not less than 2 on-campus based courses each semester. His salary will be paid in part by Delta State and is commensurate with that of an assistant professor. The requested amount reflects a ~1.2% increase each year so as to keep pace with rising costs of living and comparable base merit pay raises within the state pay system. GIS Lab Instructor/Technician. We are requesting funding to hire a graduate student GIS Lab Instructor/Technician for help with teaching the computer lab portion of GIT education and for use on demonstration projects. This salary will be paid by the Hearin Foundation at a rate of

$10,000 per year (1/2 time during the academic year). This student may also conduct community awareness presentations and brief technical workshops. Computer Labs Hardware. The Center will move into new quarters during the Summer of 2007. Computers purchased in the Summer of 2004 will reach the end of their life expectancy for geospatial purposes at that time. DSU will seek other external funding through our Master Lease Agreement to cover the cost of replacement for new computers in the teaching and production labs ($109,000). We are requesting funding for the replacement of staff workstations ($12,000), the addition of 6 workstations in the production/demonstration lab ($35,000), and the addition of a large format printer/scanner combination required for project use and large format (map-sized) printing for students ($30,000). During subsequent years we are requesting matching funds ($15,000) to help offset the costs for normal replacement cycling of equipment. Software. DSU participates with all IHL Geospatial entities in Mississippi in a collaborative bargaining agreement for ESRI, Leica, and Microsoft software. Our cost for $1.5M in software is $8,000. Further, the Center has been awarded a software grant from the Intergraph Corporation for the use of their geospatial software suite – a value of $755,000. This grant will be automatically renewed annually as long as the Center continues the production of education modules utilizing this software suite. We request no support from the Hearin Foundation for software. Data. We are requesting funding to purchase updated raw and processed orthophotography for use in teaching and demonstration projects during 2007/2008. InTime Inc. has agreed to supplement these data with multi-spectral imagery valued at $30,000. We are requesting $10,000 from the Hearin Foundation for the purchase data. Education K-12 Awareness and Recruitment Materials. We have identified the need for a visually engaging video and about careers in the geospatial industry and informational brochures about these technologies (2007). These materials will be included in recruiting materials and highlighted by DSU Recruiters as they visit high schools in the region. In subsequent years, we request funding to create and distribute similar materials, but targeting municipal government (2008) and emergency responders (2009). DSU will pay a minimum of $5,000 per year towards these costs and is requesting additional funding from the Hearin Foundation. Course Training/Materials Development. While we have collaborated with the University of Mississippi for the initial development of our online course materials, they must be modified and become a more integrated part of DSU’s curriculum. This includes the development of a lab manual, supplemental geospatial computer lab computer exercises, and materials for outreach-type training. DSU will share the cost of this activity ($7,500 each) through their technical writing staff and publications center.

Reference Materials. DSU’s library and the Center lack suitable geospatial reference materials and journal subscriptions. We are requesting funds ($7,500) to establish this collection and our library will assume subscription costs during the lifetime of this grant. Intern salaries. Experiential learning is the most effective way to teach geospatial technologies. This approach was used in the initial grant application and has been highly successful. Two companies have assumed a role in this process and promise continued support through the provision of external intern positions (Telus Geomatics and InTime). We are requesting funding ($40,000) to continue this approach and DSU will provide support through the provision of 2 work-study student positions at the Center ($15,000). Scholarship. We are requesting the creation of a scholarship program for geospatial education at DSU. The Center will actively seek matching funds during the lifetime of this grant. Matching funds will be used to establish a longer-term geospatial scholarship fund once Hearin Funds are exhausted. External Training and Continuing Education. It is necessary to provide access to intense, short-term training programs that are often offered by geospatial software vendors at off-site locations. For example, a tax assessor may wish to integrate geospatial technologies into their work. To complete a 2-year program of study resulting in a Geospatial Certificate is not time-effective for rapid implementation whereas a 1-2 week 9-5 block of instruction that specifically targets their job is more beneficial. We are requesting funds to help support such educational opportunities and will offer to pay tuition using Hearin Funds if the employer will cover travel costs ($15,000 per year). Professional Development. Geospatial technology is a rapidly changing field and it is necessary for Center Staff to regularly attend off-site training opportunities so as to maintain currency ($7,500). Travel We request continued funding to support travel within the region to promote geospatial technologies, offer training, and conduct demonstration projects. Funding is also requested to support the travel of staff to professional conferences and meetings as part of participating in the larger geospatial community ($15,000). Equipment and Supplies Printing support. The operation of printers for geospatial courses requires ink, paper, and maintenance. We are requesting funds to help offset student costs when printing maps and to assist the Center with printing costs ($2,000). DSU will contribute $1,000 per year in support of printing. With sufficient enrollment, the Center will implement additional course fees to replace Hearing support. Communications. The operation of the Internet and GPS equipment requires specialized data communications networks. While such infrastructure will be in place once the new Center opens

in the Spring of 2007, we are requesting funds to help supplement the addition of data communications equipment ($500 per year) for items like the CORS GPS base station and similar devices used by our students and community. Shipping/mail. DSU will pay for all costs associated with mailing and shipping (map tubes etc). Indirect Costs Delta State University, similar to most universities across the country, has an indirect cost plan for the purpose of allocating its overhead costs to the various grants and contracts it administers. Delta State’s plan was approved by the federal department of Health & Human Services in September of 2003. The University uses the indirect rate calculated in the plan to bill grants and contracts for the cost of conducting research and service projects. The overhead costs associated with administering grants and contracts at a university can be significant. Such costs as the executive management of the institution, accounting, payroll, purchasing, property control, human resources, information technology, telecommunications, general institutional expenses, public safety, custodial, maintenance, transportation, heat and lights are included in the overhead rate. However, recognizing that funds are limited at the Hearin Foundation, Delta State is willing to reduce its current approved rate of 42% of salaries and wages to 10% of the total direct costs for the next three year cycle of this grant.

APPENDIX A: AWARDS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS Major Awards Special Achievement in GIS. This award was presented to the Center at the 2006 Environmental Systems Research Institute Annual User Conference in San Diego, CA this August. Approximately 103,000 organizations were nominated for this award globally and the Center was one of only 173 chosen to receive this special recognition. Speaker Award. This award was presented to Director Talbot Brooks by the Geospatial and Information Technology Association for his presentation at Annual Conference 29 in Tampa Bay, FL. This conference was attended by ~3,200 GIT professionals representing 54 countries and consisted of hundreds of presentations. Special Commendation. The American Red Cross presented this award to the Center in November of 2005 for their work during Hurricane Katrina at the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency’s Jackson Emergency Operation Center. Publications Meetings and Conferences. Communication about activities and experiences are an important part of the academic community. Due to its activities during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, we were invited to speak about the role of GIT during disasters and share our lessons learned at 4 national and 6 regional conferences. We were recently invited to attend and present at the prestigious 2007 European Defense Geospatial Intelligence Conference. Publications. The Center has authored numerous papers during the past 20 months including an invited article about flood mapping for ArcUser and a special 3-paper series for the International Association of Emergency Managers. The citations are as follow: Brooks TJ (2006). Getting on the Same Page. Bulletin of the International Association of

Emergency Managers, 23 (6) p. 6 Brooks TJ (2006). Affordable Geospatial Technologies for Disaster/Emergency Response.

Bulletin of the International Association of Emergency Managers, 23 (7) pp. 1,10 Brooks TJ (2006). Use of GIT During the Response Phase of Hurricane Katrina. Bulletin of the

International Association of Emergency Managers, 23 (9) pp. 17-22 Brooks TJ (2005). Responding to Katrina: A Personal Account. Bulletin of the Association of

American Geographers, 40 (10) p. 10 Brooks TJ (2005). Predicting Katrina’s Storm Surge Using ArcScene. ArcUser, October-

December Issue

Brooks TJ and T Terry (2005). A New Kind of Map Could Help Emergency Response. Interview with Dan Charles, National Public Radio as aired on “Weekend Edition”.

Accomplishments in Education Accelerated GIT Program. With support from the South Delta Planning and Development District, the Center created and implemented a 90-day, 18 credit hour certificate program in Geospatial Information Technologies (GIT). This program is the first of its kind nationally and graduated 5 students this summer, all of which have gained successful employment through internship opportunities established by the Center. Concentration and Minor in GIT. In the spirit of the interdisciplinary role of the Center, both a minor and a concentration were established in the Spring of 2005. The concentration is of particular importance as it is one of the cornerstones of Delta State’s new Bachelor’s of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies degree program. Graduate degree tracks. The Center has worked with the College of Business to create GIT-specific tracks in the existing MBA and MCA (Master’s of Commercial Aviation) degree programs. Two students will complete the MBA track this December and our first student is entering the MCA program this Fall. The latter is particularly important as it will provide specialized training for ag pilots interested in precision farming. Agricultural and Emergency Services GIT Certificate. These non-credit training programs were established during the 2005-06 period. Nine students have completed the Agricultural Certificate program and 19 will complete the Emergency Services program this month. Coursework. The Center has rolled out 6 ground-based and 30 online courses. Many of the latter are special interest courses that may not be found elsewhere in the South. As such, many of the more than 200 students taught since the Center’s inception are from distant locations for which training would otherwise be unavailable. Professional Leadership Geospatial and Information Technology Association. The Center was invited to and participated in the 2005 and 2006 Strategic Planning Meetings and has been named to GITA’s Education and Research Committees. US Dept. of Labor Geospatial Thought Leaders. The Center was invited to and participated in the DOL’s Presidential High Job Growth Initiative meetings in Washington, DC this past January and played a significant role in crafting official the definition of the geospatial industry. IHL Geospatial Council. The Center assumed Delta State’s role at the IHL Geospatial Council and was voted into the vice-chair position for the 2006 academic year.

Service The Center led or participated in many service related activities which used GIT to better our community. These activities included establishing and managing the GIT response for the first 10 days of Hurricane Katrina, the installation of a community GPS base station at Delta State, and the education of teachers about how to use GIT in their classrooms at the K-12 level. Grants and Contracts Intergraph Education Grant. The Center secured a grant for Intergraph Corporation’s GIT software suite. The value of this grant is $773,500. South Delta Planning and Development District. The Center secured and executed a short-term emergency workforce training program grant through the SDPDD for $53,000. DHS SAFER Grant. Working in partnership with our community, the Center secured a grant for Bolivar County Volunteer Fire District #1 for $183,000 for the purchase of equipment and the recruitment and training of new volunteers. This activity was conducted as part of President Hilpert’s “Year of Cleveland” and in response to the need for more volunteers as experienced during Katrina and Rita. Hazard Mitigation Planning in Bolivar County, MS. The Center was recently awarded $14,700 to assist Bolivar County in developing a hazard mitigation plan. Union County, MS 911 Commission. The Center was recently awarded a contract for $5,000 to create a 911-base map for Union County and provide basic map reading training. Leake County, MS 911 Commission. The Center was recently awarded a contract for $12,500 to create a 911-base map for Leake County, provide basic map reading training, and create and teach a 6-month GIS training program. LeFlore County, MS 911 Commission. The Center was recently awarded a contract for $5,000 to create a 911-base map for Union County and provide basic map reading training.

APPENDIX B: NEW GIS CENTER FLOOR PLAN