Please direct all correspondence regarding UCGIS at the University of Pittsburgh, to Stephen Hirtle, School of Information Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, 135 North Bellefield, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260.

Geographic Information Science is seen as a strongly multidisciplinary topic at the University of Pittsburgh with active research programs on various aspects of GIS appearing in the Department of Anthropology, Department of Geology and Planetary Science, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, School of Information Sciences, and Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. There are additional supporting activities in the Department of Computer Science and the School of Education. The Environmental Policy Studies program of the University Center for Social and Urban Research supports a wide range of environmental research activities related to GIS. Students often cross-register for GIS-related classes among these departments and programs. Multidisciplinary workshops and conferences, such as the recent interdisciplinary symposium on "The Impact of Information Technology upon Disaster Mitigation and Management" and the upcoming Conference on Spatial Information Theory (Cosit'97) provide important forums for discussing and exchanging ideas. In addition, the proposed undergraduate certificate program in GIS will provide yet another vehicle for the exchange of GIS- related information the Pitt campus.

The units and individuals who are supporting GIS activities at the University of Pittsburgh include:

• University Center for Social and Urban Research (UCSUR)
  • Steven Farber
• Department of Anthropology
  • Kathleen M. S. Allen
  • Alan McPherron
• Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • Rafael Quimpo
• Department of Computer Science
  • S. K. Chang
• Department of Geology and Planetary Sciences
  • Kathi Beratan
  • David Crown
  • Jack Donahue
  • William Harbert
  • Bruce Hapke
• Graduate School of Public and International Affairs
  • Louise Comfort
  • James P. DeAngelis
• School of Education
  • George J. Zimmerman
• School of Information Sciences
  • Stephen Hirtle
  • Edie Rasmussen

In addition, the Environmental Policy Studies program of the University Center for Social and Urban Research maintains a directory of faculty involved in environmental research at the University of Pittsburgh, many of whom research interests overlap with the UCGIS goals.

GIS research activities at the University of Pittsburgh are summarized below by area:

Archaeological Applications

Application of geographic information systems to archaeological problems and the study of ceramic form and style; Kathleen M. S. Allen.

From Taramelli to Total Station: GIS reconciliation of new and archival data for Seruci, a site on Sardinia; Alan McPherron.

Cognitive Science and Human Computer Interaction

Geometries for spatio-temporal reasoning and the use of neural networks for representing local spatial relations. Stephen Hirtle (with Paul Munro).

Exploration of representational structures for cognitive spaces, Stephen Hirtle.

Use of geographic information systems as interfaces for bibliographic information retrieval, Edie Rasmussen

Enhancing spatial orientation skills of persons who are visually impaired, George Zimmerman

Planetary Sciences

Models for the Emplacement of Lava Flows: Styles of Effusive Volcanism on Mars. $47,700 in FY97; NASA NAGW-3842; David Crown

Geologic Mapping of Reull Vallis, Mars. $19,800 in FY97; NASA NAGW-4186. David Crown

Remote Sensing and Geological Applications

Mapping potassium metasomatism in the Rio Grande Rift, New Mexico, and the Whipple Mountains, California; NASA NRA-96-MTPE-05 (pending); Kathi Beratan.
Identifying structural patterns in Sonora, Mexico using remote sensing data; Kathi Beratan (in collaboration with Tom Anderson).

Mapping a meteorite strewfield in Argentina; U. of Pittsburgh Small Grants Program: The search for a lost meteorite: Application of remote sensing techniques to meteorite studies, Campo Del Cielo, Argentina, Kathi Beratan (in collaboration with Bill Cassidy).

Sedimentary record of interactions between the Garlock and Southern Death Valley fault zones, Avawatz Mountains, California; NSF ROW Planning Grant (EAR 93-03593); Kathi Beratan.

Computer visualization of Steens Mountain Geomagnetic Reversal; EAR- 910003P, William Harbert.

Upgrading the Paleomagnetic Research at the University of Pittsburgh; EAR- 8915840, William Harbert with V. A. Schmidt.

Paleomagnetism of the Olutorsky Peninsula and Kuul Suture Zone, Northeast USSR; EAR-8916442, William Harbert.

Upgrading the Paleomagnetic Research at the University of Pittsburgh; EAR- 9104752, William Harbert with V. A. Schmidt.

Computer visualization of Steens Mountain Geomagnetic Reversal; EAR- 910003P, William Harbert.

Paleomagnetism and tectonics of the Penshinskiya Khrebet using high resolution SAR data, northern Kamchatka Peninsula, USSR; NASA-ERS-1 SAR Award, William Harbert.

Tectonics and paleomagnetism of the Kamenskoye-Penzhinskaya Guba Regions, Koryak Superterrane, Northeastern Russia; EAR-9219271, William Harbert.

Atmospheric heating in the pre-Cambrian atmosphere as a function of atmospheric composition; ATM950006P, William Harbert.

Spatial Information Systems and Public Policy

Study of the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, Japan, examining processes of disaster response in this metropolitan region; Louise Comfort.

Interactive, Intelligent, Spatial Information System (IISIS) to support decision processes in disaster response; Louise Comfort, David Nouza, Terri Woods, and S.K. Chang.

Working with locally-based organizations and in attempting to build better understandings of neighborhood real estate transactions, shopping patterns, and economic development initiatives; James DeAngelis.

RISES project (a collaborative project between Pitt and CMU on the documentation of old industrial sites in the Pittsburgh region using Geographic Information Systems. Stephen C. Farber, Ron Gdovik, Archana Jain, and-Sung-Jun Myong.

Using GIS to estimate flood damages from Louisiana coastal barrier island losses; Stephen Farber and Stephen Tonsor.

Study of the economic development impacts of a degraded watershed in northwestern Pennsylvania, Pymatuning Lake; Stephen Farber and Stephen Tonsor.

Member of a three-person Technical Advisory Committee overseeing the $1.5 million Louisiana coastal Barrier Island Study Project, a project to develop a plan to preserve barrier islands in Louisiana; Stephen Farber.

Anthropology 1540 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
Instructor: Alan McPherron
The theory and application of geographic information systems (GIS) to projects in anthropology and archeology.

CEE 2602 Geographic Information Systems for Civil and Environmental Engineers
The theory and application of geographic information systems (GIS) to projects in civil and environmental engineering.

Computer Science 3650 Visual Languages and Programming
Instructor: S. K. Chang
Fundamentals of formal language theory, iconic and symbolic representations, formal theory of iconic systems, icon operators, icon semantics, icon-oriented system compiler for visual interface design, computer graphics and visual programming in the future.

Geology 1445: GIS and GPS Methods
The goal of this course is to gain expertise in Arc/Info GIS, UNIX based workstations and introduce the student to global positioning satellite theory and field methods. No previous computer classes are required. Global positioning satellites are an important new tool in the geodetic and earth sciences. Field surveys will be completed using hand-held GPS units and results imported and plotted using Arc/Info and Arc/View. Students will be introduced to the GIS data coverage model of Arc/Info and complete an extensive series of assignments using UNIX computer workstations and GIS digital data. Some of the more than 300 gigabytes of digital data from the Department of Geology and Planetary Science will be incorporated into the course.

Geology 1460: Remote Sensing of the Earth
Instructor: Dr. Kathi Beratan
Digital datasets from aircraft and satellite platforms provide a powerful tool for regional-scale studies in geographically-oriented fields such as geology, environmental science, archaeology, and city and regional planning. The results of image analysis can readily be incorporated into Geographic Information Systems (GIS) databases. This course will present the basic principles underlying image-based remote sensing data acquisition, processing and interpretation, and practical guidelines for appropriate application of the technology. Laboratory exercises will provide hands-on experience with diverse data types and with computational processing and analysis software. This course is open both to graduate students and upper-level undergraduates.

Geology 2446: Advanced Geographical Information Systems using ORACLE and Arc/Info and Geology 2447: Introduction to GIS using Arc/View and Advanced Arc/View Programming
Instructor: William Harbert
The goal of these courses is to introduce the student to the Arc/View geographical information system interface designed by Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. The beginning portion of the course introduces to the student to GIS coverages and forms. The second portion of the course is directed towards the student mastering the building of GIS coverages for Arc/View, their analysis and presentation and Arc/View programming and interface customization.

PIA 2165 Advanced Information Technology and Public Management
Instructor: Louise Comfort

This course examines basic concepts of decision making among interdependent organizations in public sector arenas, using four types of advanced information technology, geographic information systems; interactive communication via two-way satellite and radio transmission; intelligent reasoning by the computer from known data to possible courses of action in future conditions; and networks such as the internet and the world wide web.

PIA 2714 Geographic Information Systems & World Wide Web Workshop
Students will demonstrate competency in a leading desktop Geographic Information System (GIS), MapInfo, in conjunction with Microsoft Office Professional software. Each student will demonstrate her/his competency by submitting a portfolio of homework/tutorial assignments and by making a brief "hands-on" presentation using MapInfo. Students will also prepare a Web presence on which they will provide their identifying information and linkages to their resume, program of study (courses), and interests.

PIA 2715 Geographic Information Systems as Planning Support Systems
Instructor: James DeAngelis
This course focuses on introducing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and related applications into planning, analysis, and management environments. While we will read and discuss conceptual materials and examine associated case studies about Planning Support Systems (PSS), applications of GIS in differing environments, and human resource requirements associated with successful GIS applications in various organizations--this course will provide opportunities to develop intermediate MapInfo and Office Professional capabilities and to engage in dialogue with people whose organizations are using GIS. The class will develop a case study of an application of GIS technology. Each student will also complete a significant GIS application that is germane to her/his program of study and builds on the methods presented during this course's early sessions. The expectation is that these applications will involve building a data base, analyzing it spatially, and making appropriate findings, conclusions and recommendations.

PIA 2752 Linking Urban Transportation to Economic & Community Development
Instructor: James DeAngelis
This course examines the traditions of urban transportation, economic development, environmental, and business district planning for the purpose of understanding their practical interrelationships. This course is particularly well suited to second year graduate students whose interests include city planning, transportation engineering, environmental enhancement, economic development programming, community organization, urban administration, or survey research.

PIA 2790 Topics in Planning: Geographic Information Systems as Planning Support Systems
Instructor: James P. DeAngelis
This is a graduate level course in which students are offered a "hands-on" introduction to Geographic Information Systems. During the early weeks of the course competencies are developed in a desktop GIS, MapInfo for Windows Version 3.0. But the course has a wider context: Planning Support Systems. Key conceptual issues are discussed; they include basic concepts and theories of spatial analysis and information systems as well as critical practical issues such as these technologies' influences on decision making, planning, and other professions. There is an attempt to consider the tensions between scientific and artful approaches to planned interventions. Finally, consideration is given to associated human resource and management issues that are often underestimated by those who would seek to apply GIS in an action oriented environment.

INFSCI 2720 Geographic Information Systems
An introduction to the principles, design and use of spatial information systems. Topics to covered include spatial data structures, spatial data management, spatial analysis and spatial problem solving. applications for cadastral systems, administrative systems, transportation problems and spatial information retrieval.

Geographical Information Systems and Remote Sensing Laboratory. The Department of Geology and Planetary Science presently has research remote sensing and GIS resources, including a SUN SPARC 4/75 GX, SPARC 5, ULTRA-1, 2 SUN3/80, SUN 3/60 and a SGI Indigo workstation. Together these workstations have about 25 gigabytes of disk space. Software running on these workstations include Arc/Info 7.0.4, Arc/View 2.1, Earth Resource Mapper 5.2, LinkWinds (beta-site), a variety of NASA image processing tools, and the Environment for Visualizing Images (ENVI) 2.5 and IDL image processing and analysis packages. (Arc/Info, ERMapper, and ENVI are the leading commercial packages for GIS and remote sensing applications.)

Our department has an ever-expanding data library, currently more than 199 gigabytes in size, which includes NASA planetary images, all National Earthquake Center (NEC) earthquake location and parameter data, digital topographic data for the entire world surface and oceans (including higher resolution data sets for North America, the United States and Australia), and a variety of earth remote sensing data, such as LANDSAT, SPOT, side looking airborne radar (SLAR), and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data from selected regions.

Anthropology Computing Lab. The Anthropology Department contains a small computing lab with Unix workstations and 7 Pentium-class Pcs for general computing and work with geographic information systems.

School of Information Sciences Computing Lab. The School of Information Science maintains a large multi-room computer and research laboratory. Computing resources include a Sun Enterprise 4000 compute server, a Sun Ultra SPARC cluster with associated 64 GB RAID array, a Sun 670 server that has been upgraded with HyperSPARC processors, 12 Sun SPARCstations, a Silicon Graphics Indigo Elan, Pentium- and 486-based Windows systems, and Apple Macintoshes.

Computing equipment throughout the building is connected via a local area network, which is a fiber-based 155 Mbps asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) environment employing CISCO Lightstream-1010 and Catalyst 5000 components. Software in the labs is shared through a Novell network and CD-Net with the transition to a Microsoft NT PC server. Peripheral hardware, including laser printers, voice synthesizers, video disks, and CD-ROM drives, also contributes to this rich environment for learning, teaching, and research.

University Center for Social and Urban Research Computer Lab. The lab supports MapInfo, MapBasic, ArcView and Avenue plus Spatial Data Analysis extension. In addition, one 200mhz PC is dedicated for GIS use.

Undergraduate Computer Lab for Civil and Environmental Engineers. The undergraduate computer lab for Civil and Environmental Engineering has 10 PCs with ArcView, v.3 installed for work with geographic information systems.

Computer and Information Services Advanced Technology Laboratory. In addition to state-of-the-art Unix workstations and PCs, the CIS Advanced Technology Laboratory houses Tektronix Dye Sublimation photo-quality printer (IISDX), Tektronix Ink Jet Phaser printer (IIIPXI), high resolution and large format (600 dpi, up to 11" by 17" paper) laserwriter. In addition to these output devices, CIS maintains advanced capability input devices. These include a high resolution (1200 dpi) bed scanner, and an EKTONIX high resolution scanning camera and mount stand.

University Library System GIS Service. The following resources are available in the University Library System GIS lab

• Software: ArcView, MapInfo, Maptitude
• Electronic Maps: AniMap Plus, Global Explorer, MapArt, Cartesia, Maps for graphic design., Mountain High Maps, Street Atlas USA
• Reference Sources: UCGS Cartographic Catalog, US GeoData Aerial Photography Index, Geographic Information Code Scheme (GICS) of the Bureau of the Census, USGS Geographic Names Information System, GEOname Digital Gazetteer
• Data: from ESRI, WESEX, USGS, Bureau of the Census, and others.

• Kathleen M. S. Allen, Anthropology
• Kathi Beratan, kathib@vms.cis.pitt.edu, Geology and Planetary Sciences
• S. K. Chang, chang@cs.pitt.edu, Computer Science
• Louise Comfort, lkc+@pitt.edu, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs
• David Crown, Geology and Planetary Sciences
• James P. DeAngelis, jimmyd@vms.cis.pitt.edu, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs
• Jack Donahue, Geology and Planetary Sciences
• Stephen Farber, eofarb@vms.cis.pitt.edu, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs
• Bruce Hapke, Geology and Planetary Sciences
• William Harbert, harbert@vms.cis.pitt.edu, Geology and Planetary Sciences
• Stephen C. Hirtle, hirtle+@pitt.edu, School of Information Sciences
• Alan McPherron, mcph@xolalpan.anthro.pitt.edu, Anthropology
• Rafael Quimpo, quimpo@civ.pitt.edu, Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Edie M. Rasmussen, erasus@sis.pitt.edu, School of Information Sciences
• George J. Zimmerman, gjz+@pitt.edu, School of Education