About WyGISC

The Wyoming Geographic Information Science Center (WyGISC) is an interdisciplinary academic center focused on education, research and development of geospatial information and technologies and their applications in science, government, business and other areas.

Mission

WyGISC's mission is to advance the knowledge and application of geographic information science and technology through research, education, and service. WyGISC aspires to become a premiere interdisciplinary academic center in geographic information science research and education, while strengthening our unique leadership role in service and outreach to the university, state and region.

A image of a vehicle GPS with a topographic map.

Expertise & Capabilities

Disciplinary specializations among WyGISC personnel range from geography and community planning to ecology, geology, hydrology and natural resource management. Technical expertise includes geographic analysis and modeling, spatial database design and development, remote sensing and image processing, unmanned aerial systems deployment, software application programming, and GIS program management.

WyGISC's research and development activities are broad, from geospatial data collection and spatial database design and development, to environmental modeling and Web-based geographic query and visualization implementations.

The Center's information and technology transfer activities further support the adoption and use of geospatial data and information technologies among a wide range of end-users in academia, government, business, and the general public. Examples include the Wyoming Geospatial Hub and the Natural Resource and Energy Explorer.

WyGISC and the University of Wyoming

WyGISC's Director reports to the UW Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. Center personnel include university and project-funded research scientists, technical staff, students, and an administrative support team. WyGISC collaborates with a number of individual academic affiliates both at UW and in other organizations across the United States and around the world.

Over the last two decades, WyGISC has lead the establishment of geographic information science as one of the University of Wyoming's Areas of Distinction, not only as a critical area of science and technology related to energy, earth and computational science, but also through its significant contributions to place-based planning, management, and problem-solving in the environment and natural resources arena. Along with its formally established Academic Affiliate collaborators, WyGISC works closely with faculty in a wide range of academic programs across numerous colleges and schools on campus. Examples include the departments of Agricultural & Applied Economics, Botany, and Ecosystem Science & Management, as well as the Haub School of Environment & Natural Resources Ruckelshaus Institute, the interdisciplinary Program in Ecology, and the College of Agriculture & Natural Resources' Agricultural Experiment Station.

Beyond academics, WyGISC supports excellence in UW's capital facilities and infrastructure via application of geographic information data and technologies in property and facilities management and in site planning and design for long-term campus building and development.

Old barn with the Teton mountains in the background.

State & Regional Service

WyGISC continues to provide leadership to the Wyoming geospatial community, advocating for coordinated development of a statewide spatial data infrastructure and supporting standards and policies for data development, sharing and stewardship. Center staff have consulted with the Wyoming Governor's Office and the Wyoming Office of the Chief Information Officer. Other service includes participating in such efforts as the Wyoming Governor’s GIS Advisory Board, the State GIS Technical Advisory Group, and the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote sensing. WyGISC's leadership role extends to the education and training of the State's future GIS professionals and practitioners who will be working in economic and community development, engineering, energy resource development, or natural resource management.

International Connections

In recent years, WyGISC has substantially increased its international research activities, including significant work in Australia and Central Asia. WyGISC remains committed to strengthening existing international collaborations and capitalizing on opportunities for building new linkages with our interdisciplinary GIScience expertise. Such efforts could also contribute to UW's broader commitment to international undergraduate and graduate education programs. A member of the Center staff also serves as a certified project manager for the United Nations International Charter on Space and Major Disasters.

WyGISC

University of Wyoming
Dept. 4008
1000 E. University Ave.
Laramie, WY 82071

Phone: (307) 766-2532
Email: wygisc@uwyo.edu