 |
 |
Alumnus Isaac Brewer talks to students about
the DAVE_G project; the project allows users
to interact with a GIS through spoken words,
hand gestures, and eye movements. This will
allow emergency managers to view affected
areas more quickly.
Research in Geographic Information Sciences at Penn State includes topics concerning GIS, cartography, quantitative methods, representation, qualitative methods, remote sensing, visualization, spatial cognition, and education.
GeoVISTA, (the Geographic Visualization Science, Technology, and Applications Center) is devoted to fundamental and applied scientific research on the visualization of geo-referenced information, development of geographic visualization (GVis) technologies, and the application of both in science, industry, decision-making, and education. The Center directs particular attention to research that links GVis with other components of geographic information science and thus to the integration of many perspectives on geographic representation. Involved Geography Department Members: Director Dr. Alan MacEachren; Associate Director Dr. Mark Gahegan; Faculty Associates in Geography: Dr. Cindy Brewer, Dr. Gouray Cai, Dr. Deryck Holdsworth, and Dr. Donna Peuquet; Research Faculty: James Macgill; and Research Staff: Steve Crawford, Jin Chen, and Scott Pezanowski. There are also nine additional faculty associates in other departments at Penn State.
Offered through Penn State Online, the GIS certificate program (CPGIS) and master of GIS degree program (MGIS) allow students to obtain GIS skills in a Web-based distance-learning format. The programs are designed to meet the needs and busy schedules of full-time professionals. Students can earn the Certificate of Achievement in GIS by successfully completing four courses. Most courses are offered four times a year, starting in January, April, July, and October. Most courses are ten weeks in length, involving approximately 100 hours of student activity (depending on prior computing and GIS experience). Upon acceptance to the program, students can earn a masters degree by successfully completing a 35-credit curriculum. Involved Geography department members: Director David DiBiase, Todd Bacastow, Beth King, Jim Detwiler, and Jim Sloan.
The Peter R. Gould Center for Geography Education and Outreach (formerly the Deasy GeoGraphics Laboratory) is an academic support unit of the Department of Geography, the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, and the Pennsylvania State University. We support the university's mission of instruction, research, and service by designing and producing custom maps and other information graphics for print media, including Penn State campus maps. Involved Geography department members: Deryck Holdsworth, John Murphy, and Erin Greb.
In addition to Penn State University's Maps Library at Paterno Library, the Department of Geography maintains an extensive map library, including an excellent collection of topographic maps.