UW Home > Discover UW > Strategies and Initiatives

Coordinated Curriculum in GIS, Remote Sensing and Spatial Analysis for Earth Sciences and Natural Resource Planning

College of Forest Resources & College of Ocean and Fishery Sciences
(Combined University Initiatives Fund/Tools for Transformation Project)

A critical component in support of interdisciplinary education and research in earth sciences is missing at the University of Washington. The absence of a coherent curriculum in spatial analysis of information pertaining to land and ocean processes and resource planning through the science and application of the tools of Geographic Information and Remote Sensing jeopardizes the potential quality of our education and research community.

This project initially establishes a coordinated teaching program for undergraduate and graduate education in spatial analysis for earth sciences and natural resource planning in the College of Ocean and Fishery Sciences and the College of Forest Resources. Additionally, the project addresses the interdisciplinary and collaborative needs of other academic units specifically involved in the application of these technologies. Spatial analysis spans theory, technology, data assimilation, and modeling. The goal of this initiative is to coordinate the use of the available resources towards providing (1) a coherent set of courses in spatial information technology, and applied spatial modeling, and (2) appropriate computer laboratories and teaching facilities for these courses.

The key elements of this initiative are to:

Open lines of communication and bring about coordination of the curriculum of this interdisciplinary field to meet student and faculty needs.
Initiate new coursework in "Spatial Analysis and Ecosystem Modeling."
Complete the new Spatial Analysis Laboratory.
Allocate ongoing funds for computer upgrade and annual software license renewals.
Create and maintain a library of digital spatial data for education and research.
Provide "help-desk" style assistance for student projects and faculty research.
Link student education to research proposals and external funding.

To achieve these goals, the project will:

Support faculty and teaching assistants;
Provide annual software licenses fees, equipment upgrades, and supplies; and
Develop a coordinated curriculum between academic units.

Contacts:	Arthur Nowell Dean, Ocean & Fishery Sciences nowell@ocean.washington.edu
	Kristiina Vogt Dean, College of Forest Resources kvogt@u.washington.edu
Allocation:	$54,302
Date Funded:	March 2000

Tools for Transformation Funded Proposals