GIS in Your Town
Geographic
Information Systems (GIS) are revolutionizing how municipal governments
and other groups work with natural resource, land use, infrastructure
and related data. A GIS uses computer technology to encode, store, analyze
and display geographic data. Increasingly, Connecticut municipalities
are using GIS to help prepare local plans of development, to manage
infrastructure and land records, to evaluate proposed developments,
to assess open space options, to plan school bus routes and for many
other applications.
The GIS in Your Town workshop is designed to introduce municipal officials and volunteers to basic GIS concepts and terminology. The workshop presents information to help organizations understand some of the planning, management, database and application issues important to successful GIS programs.
Topics Include:
- GIS basics
- Hardware and software options
- Start up and operational costs
- Where to get GIS data
- How to get organized
- Staff and training needs
- Where to get assistance
- Pitfalls to avoid
- Examples of municipal applications
No prior knowledge of GIS is necessary and comments, questions and discussion are encouraged. The material covered in the workshop is particularly valuable to organizations that are considering or just getting started with GIS.
The workshop is free of charge and about 1 hour long. We recommend scheduling 2 hours to allow for discussion and questions. Contact CT NEMO at nemo@uconn.edu or call (860) 345-4511 to schedule a workshop.
Additional Geospatial training can be found at UConn's Center for Land Use Education and Research's Geospatial Training Program.