WKU Geography Faculty,
Students Promote GIS At Meeting
August 25, 2003
Bowling Green, Ky. - The latest trends in Geographic Information Systems were discussed Aug. 18-21 at the 10th annual Kentucky GIS Conference in Louisville.
"Geographic information science is profoundly changing the way we map and analyze human activity," said Dr. David Keeling, head of the Department of Geography and Geology, "and Western is leading the way by incorporating this new technology into all aspects of the curriculum."
Sponsored by the Governor's Office of Geographic Information and the Kentucky Geographic Information Advisory Council, the meeting provided an opportunity for GIS users in academia, government and private industry to exchange ideas and learn about the latest trends in GIS.
WKU Department of Geography and Geology faculty members Kevin Cary and Dr. Katie Algeo attended the meeting. Cary presented a talk titled "GIS in Emergency Management: A Case Study of the Long Bay Fire in South Carolina."
Faculty and students participated in a panel discussion on hosting a GIS Day show. Geoscience graduate student Jenna Harbaugh and geography major Tim Rink, both of Bowling Green, presented their research titled "GIS Analysis of the USDA Conservation Reserve Program of South Central Kentucky," a paper co-authored with WKU biology professor Dr. Ouida Meier.
After the conference a member of the Kentucky Association of Mapping Professionals asked if Cary could give the KAMP members a tour of Western's GIS facility as well as host a KAMP meeting.
At the conference, several attendees noted that Western Kentucky University has become the most aggressive GIS program in Kentucky.
"GIS is reshaping society in the 21st century in as profound a way as nuclear physics and splitting the atom did in the 1940s and 1950s," Dr. Keeling said. "GIS is being used not only to map physical and cultural phenomena on the earth's surface, but also to guide missiles in warfare, to track individual movement, to estimate and anticipate changes in agricultural production, and to analyze global climate patterns, among many other uses."
Faculty and students interested in learning more about the GIS Certificate program (www.wku.edu/gis) and about GIS applications in business, science, health and other areas should contact Kevin Cary, Western's GIS Manager, at kevin.cary@wku.edu or (270) 745-2981.
For information about the Kentucky GIS conference and the Kentucky Office of Geographic Information, visit the official website at http://ogis.state.ky.us/.
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