VIRGINIA TECH EXTENSION,
FORESTRY DEPARTMENT PARTNER
WITH VIRGINIA SPACE GRANT CONSORTIUM
IN GEOSPATIAL PROGRAM
BLACKSBURG,
September 3, 2003 - Virginia Tech
and the Virginia Space Grant Consortium
have established the Geospatial
Extension Program in the College
of Natural Resources at Virginia
Tech's Blacksburg campus. The
program will facilitate educational
programs and workforce training
to help deal with the serious
shortfall of professionals and
trained specialists who can utilize
geospatial technologies at the
local, regional, and state levels.
"The key goal is to expand opportunities
for citizens and organizations
across the Commonwealth to apply
geospatial tools such as geographic
information systems (GIS), global
positioning systems (GPS), and
remote sensing data, analysis
and interpretation to help with
local needs," says Steve Umberger,
director of the Virginia Cooperative
Extension. The program will also
work with educational outreach
programs for pre-college teachers
and students through 4-H and VSGC
educational programs.
The
worldwide market for geospatial
technologies, which is currently
estimated at $5 billion, is projected
to have annual revenues of $30
billion by 2005, according to
a NASA 2001 report.
Geospatial tools such as GIS allow
users to precisely define any
location on the face of the earth
and then to add layers of information
to describe what is at that location.
It is a way to combine data from
many sources about a specific
area and to display it in a map
format.
Agricultural
uses of GIS include property boundaries,
crop and soil analysis, precision
farming, and management. City
and state planners use GIS to
decide where to put new roads
and developments and how they
will affect the environment.
GIS is used for management of
coastal resources, homeland security,
and law enforcement. Ultimately,
GIS technology provides a basis
for better understanding and improved
stewardship of natural resources
and public services. It also provides
important decision making tools
to enhance the economy and quality
of life.
The
new program is funded through
a NASA grant through the Virginia
Space Grant Consortium based in
Hampton. Virginia Tech and the
George Mason University-led VAx-MAGIC
initiative are also providing
substantial resources. Supported
by NASA's Stennis Space Center,
VAx-MAGIC works to provide tools
and training that apply NASA data
to specific problems.
John
McGee has been hired as the geospatial
Extension specialist at Virginia
Tech to serve as a statewide resource
for Extension agents, state agencies,
local governments, and other end
users. He will be organizing workshops
to help them learn how to apply
geospatial technologies and data
to solve local problems. McGee
says, "The Extension agents will
be our key link to local community
needs."
"The
program is part of a NASA National
Space Grant Program initiative
that has established programs
in ten other states besides Virginia,"
explains Mary Sandy, Virginia
Space Grant Consortium director.
"Other supporters include the
Virginia Community College System,
Virginia Sea Grant, and the Virginia
Geographic Information Network."
Virginia
Tech partnering organizations
include the university's Department
of Forestry in the College of
Natural Resources, and the College
of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
NASA Langley Research Center,
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
and NASA Stennis Space Center
are participating on the project's
Advisory Committee. "All of the
partners," says Sandy, "share
the vision of how geospatial data
and tools can improve resource
management and yield economic
and social benefits."
McGee,
who holds a Ph.D. from the University
of Massachusetts in regional planning,
has worked with several Extension
and outreach projects in the United
States as well as internationally.
He served as the assistant coordinator
with the Virginia Geographic Information
Network, the lead public agency
in the Commonwealth for spatial
data and GIS. McGee has held a
faculty position at Eastern Kentucky
University, organized geospatial
workshops for local professionals,
and most recently taught at the
International School in Addis
Ababa, Ethiopia.
Paige
Baldassaro, the program's geospatial
applications developer, previously
worked at The Institute for Scientific
Research, Inc., in Wheeling, West
Virginia. She is experienced in
integrating virtual reality and
high-resolution geospatial data
and using hyperspectral remote
sensing data to identify pollution
pathways. Baldassaro holds master
degrees in geology and geography
from Virginia Tech.
Part
of NASA's National Space Grant
College and Fellowship Program,
the Virginia Space Grant Consortium
is a coalition of Virginia universities,
NASA centers, state agencies,
and other organizations with an
interest in science and technology
education and research. For additional
information, contact the Virginia
Geospatial Extension Program at
jmcg@vt.edu or visit the program's
Web site at www.cnr.vt.edu/gep.
For more information on the Virginia
Space Grant Consortium, visit
http://www.vsgc.odu.edu/
