Managing our human environment.

• The Geospatial Research Lab is housed in the Department of Geography & Environment.

• We support the department through research projects, computer lab & GIS infrastructure management.

• Some of the best students in our department are paid interns for the GeoLab gaining experience on myriad projects.

GIS Instruction at Rowan• Recently approved Bachelors of Science in GIS.• GIS part of Geography curriculum since 1980s.• Full curriculum dealing with cartography, data

management, visualization practices, 3D modeling, spatial analysis, remote sensing and web mapping.

• Students are well prepared for the workforce or for graduate studies.

Student Involvement• Without reliable data, GIS is not very powerful.• Our GIS database began with a CAD document

produced by a consultant.• Student efforts have made our DB grow to

include new features and updates to existing data.

• Students participate in all facets of our work, from data collection to project management.

Benefits of Student GIS Workers

• Hands on work experience for students

• Paid internships• Flexible work schedule

for students• Do not need to outsource

work• Cost effective• Exposure to working

environments• Networking opportunities

So what exactly is GIS?

Maps.

More than just maps.

More than static maps.• GIS is a great tool to have for producing paper

maps, but it provides greater utility than that.• GPS is great for data collection, but with

thousands of GPS-enabled mobile devices on campus every day, we need to begin thinking about GPS as more than just an engineering tool.

• GIS, coupled with near-ubiquitous Internet connections, can provide constant updates and immediate feedback.

Interior Spaces Project

Space Finder!

It’s interactive!

http://gis.rowan.edu/projects/finder

Geolocation: will bring up your current locationin relation to the selected room.

Brings up 25Live in a new window.

Quick peek at the room capacity.

Loads today’s events for the selectedspace from 25Live.

Technology Used• User interface is HTML5 and Javascript, using

JQuery and the Google Maps API. Work is underway to switch to the Leaflet mapping API.

• Server side, the data is stored in a PostGIS database.

• Node.js is used to power the instant search.• Floor plans are a map tile cache.

Improving the Space Finder• Interior photos of every space.• Using OpenStreetMap/MapQuest, incorporate

walking directions to spaces on campus.• Students can have their course schedule

visualized on a campus map, with walking directions.

• Public Safety can have a portal that will support emergency response; estimated amount of students in a given building, based on schedule data

Disseminating Campus Information

• Using GIS through a web interface allows for many potential projects that would benefit and interest the greater community:General campus wayfinding: getting there from here!– Campus virtual tours for potential students– Public tours of available art and sculpture– Walking tour of an arboretum– Graffiti and vandalism reporting– Public safety emergency response

GIS helps make large, cumbersome data easy to

understand.

-dvidshub on flickr

-spleeness on flickr

MapMill photo assessmenthttp://sandy.hotosm.org/

“Check Your Home” app

“Check Your Home” app

“Check Your Home” app

PhotoMatchergis.rowan.edu/projects/sandy

Live Map Service

GIS enables you to make informed decisions and ask the

right questions.

Thank you!

Rowan UniversityGeospatial Research Labhttp://gis.rowan.edu/856-256-4861@rowangeolab

John ReiserCampus GIS Specialistreiser@rowan.edu856-256-4817@johnjreiser