Geographic Information Systems Laboratory

The Natural Resources Geographic Informational Systems (NRGIS) laboratory was established in 1988 through a National Science Foundation grant and matching funds from the University of Minnesota.

The NRGIS laboratory's goals are to:

1. provide NRRI and other university researchers with access to advanced GIS methods for applied and basic natural resources research,
2. derive new research methods in spatial analyses, and
3. to serve data to public and private agencies to fulfill public research and education needs.

Windows 2003 Server and Windows XP Pro based PC's are used to run GIS, remote sensing, and statistical software, including ARC/INFO, ARCView, ARCGIS, Erdas IMAGINE, and S-Plus. PCs are used for an assortment of data input and analysis purposes. Input devices include a digitizing table, 13X19" color scanner, and a few GPS receivers. Output devices include standard size monochrome and color laser printers. The GIS lab also has the capability to print to NRRI's large format (60" wide carriage) Hewlett Packard Designjet Z6100ps color inkjet plotter. The facility is fully networked, both internally with fast ethernet connections and worldwide via the University of Minnesota's computing network.