|
The Extension Connection |
|
|
Visit the ISU Extension homepage. Send a message: Nondiscrimination statement and information disclosures Last update: October 2003 |
A quarterly publication of Iowa State University Extension GIS is integral resource and data management tool Iowa decision-makers – from those in rural municipalities
to those at state universities – have ready access to geographic
information systems (GIS) and related technology, thanks in part to an
Iowa State University facility and an ISU Extension coordinator. GIS, a computer-based tool for mapping and analyzing things that exist
and events that happen on earth, offers an efficient way to collect data
and share expertise between numerous entities in the state. The Iowa Geographic
Information Council (IGIC) and its state coordinator, Alan Jensen, ISU
Extension community development specialist, are facilitating that sharing. “In this position I have the opportunity to help organizations and
local governments develop and build their capacity to make Iowa communities
better places to live and work,” Jensen said. “Extension’s
presence in every county helps ensure that all Iowans know about IGIC
and the availability of GIS.” Micah Cutler, GIS administrator in Harrison County, works with county
land records that have been converted to the digital environment, which
promotes better, more accurate record keeping. “We can provide more accuracy and much more information than in
the days of the hard copy map with its penciled-in changes,” Cutler
said. “We can provide biking maps for bike race planners, maps of
lakes for conservationists and accurately measure acreage of terraced
land for farmers. We can confidently assign rural 911 addresses with the
click of a mouse, a task that we used to contract out because it was so
time consuming and an inaccurate art before GIS.” Iowa State University also is home to the GIS Support and Research facility
that provides GIS education and outreach to the ISU community and the
state of Iowa, as well as a high level GIS research support laboratory
for students, faculty and staff. “The research facility and IGIC make it possible for diverse agencies
to pool resources for projects that benefit many,” Jensen said. “In
a recent project 60 agencies funded a statewide aerial data collection
project, providing information for counties regardless of budget constraints.” Visit the IGIC Web site to learn more about using Iowa’s GIS. |
