May 2007

Guest Corner:
Seeking Knowledge Without Boundaries, Leading the Geospatial Workforce Into the Next Century

EIGS Consultant Johnna Van recently spent a few minutes with Dr. Pamela Lawhead, Director of the Institute for Advanced Education in Geospatial Sciences (IAEGS) at The University of Mississippi, an EIGS Partner. Van and Lawhead talked about the direction of the program and what the future has in store for its students.

Van: Pam, give us a brief overview of your program and what you are seeking to accomplish through it.

Lawhead: Our project was initially funded by NASA Earth Science Division. It had three goals: First, to develop a robust, integrated curriculum to educate the next generation of geospatial information technology specialists. Second, to create a library of 30 university-level online courses reflecting a consistent curriculum in Remote Sensing. And third, to develop a state-of-the-art course delivery system and course creation process that will be self-sustaining. It addressed the problem identified by the ASPRS 10-year industry forecast that the GeoSpatial Industry was growing at a rate of 9-14% per year and that the number of graduates in the discipline was nowhere near that mark. We, in response to this need, partnered with the American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS - www.asprs.org) and a committee convened by them built a curriculum for us in Remote Sensing. The committee created course descriptions which we then put out for review, made corrections, and published. Once that was done, we created RFPs for each course, selected ten course authors per year and created the courses online. The purpose was to allow any educational institution in the world to offer a major or minor in the discipline by using their existing faculty and sets of courses chosen from among our online courses. We currently have 28 courses, created by 46 different people (some were created by groups of faculty), representing 28 universities in 21 states. So we consider ourselves to be a national effort to address the problem.

Van: What is different about your approach to geospatial education?

Lawhead: Our solution to the problem is different in many ways. First, we are not in the business of offering courses for credit. We can direct you to schools that offer our courses but IAEGS does not provide credit per se. This is because our mission was to address the booming industry need for college graduates who understood both theory and practice in the discipline. To do this, we found subject matter experts, hired them to create the course content, and then we created a unique delivery system and put the expert subject matter in our delivery system. Our course authors are some of the best in the world. Then, we make that material available to any college or university who wishes to supplement their course offerings by using our material. By providing our courses via a subscription to the multiple schools, we overcame many anticipated problems. We don't have to deal with the multiple accrediting agencies. In some senses, IAEGS levels the playing field because we allow even the smallest schools to offer expert instruction in this field where there are very few instructors. So they could have a very small faculty overseeing a very large curriculum that has been created and reviewed by experts. We allow the larger schools to offer courses that supplement their already rich course offerings. We have, in some sense, cloned expert instructors and made their rich ideas available to all students for a minimal price. Our goal is to get as many schools as possible using our courses and thereby provide the industry with a well-educated geospatial workforce without having to wait for the faculty to emerge. There is a "seed corn" problem in the industry that is not allowing potential faculty to get PhDs and return to academia. The need for educated professionals is so great that they are being grabbed up almost the instant that they get their first degree, much like computer scientists in the early 80s. Our program addresses that problem by "cloning" the current experts in an online educational environment.

Van: With the projected growth of the remote sensing and geospatial industry, would you estimate that we, as a state, are on track to meet the growing demands of the industry?

Lawhead: In the last six years I have traveled across the country promoting the project and the courses, and time and time again I have heard the words, when referring to Geospatial technology, as the "Mississippi Model" so I would say that not only is the State on track, but we are leading the way. We have, through the efforts of so many different people and groups, created a climate where this industry is thriving in Mississippi. While our courses have not been adopted at the rate we would wish, we can see that they are helping to meet the demand. I would love to see in every University and College in the State of Mississippi at least a minor in Geospatial Science. I think that the industry is where the Computer Industry was in the early 80's. It is burgeoning and students who leave college prepared in that area can choose from among jobs in many different areas focused on Remote Sensing or Geospatial Science. Just like in the 80's in CS, everybody needs people who are fluent in the discipline and we are not graduating enough people either at the 2-year or 4-year levels. Our courses could help that. Remember, we are not offering them for credit through UM, we offer them as a subscription service and the local educational institution offers them for credit. In Mississippi, currently only Delta State is offering our courses for credit and they are having great success with them.

Van: Can you provide a glimpse of the potential companies that could benefit from the skills your students are learning?

Lawhead: Currently, all of the data acquisition companies are desperate for people who know the material offered by our curriculum. One CEO talked to me and said that if we could convince students to take our courses along with computer science courses, then they would hire every single graduate of such a program. We get inquiries from attorneys, land use companies, public utilities, satellite companies, the USDA, NOAA and multiple companies within Mississippi about both using our courses to do internal training and about the possibility of finding graduates with knowledge of the material in our courses.

Van: Has the core curriculum seen a significant change as of late in order to keep up with the technological demands of the industry?

Lawhead: No, not really, in the first two years we were tweaking it, but for the last four years it has stabilized. Remember, it is not a "how to use software" curriculum but, rather, a "theory" kind of curriculum. It is not about making better images but rather about how image data is acquired, how it is represented and the decisions that need to be made about the raw data in order to make it appropriate for the many different applications. Unlike many academic curricula efforts, this one was built by seventeen practitioners from business, industry, academia, and government. They are the pioneers of the discipline and were so knowledgeable about both the material and the industry that they, in a very short time, were able to articulate exactly what someone would need to know in order to work in the discipline. The first meetings where they built the curriculum was one of the most fascinating events of my life. I am a computer scientist so I served as a secretary to the geospatial scientists as they created the curriculum. There were wonderful discussions, incredible sincerity and amazing minds mixed into the process. As a group they were the most academically generous people I have ever worked with. The result was a curriculum that emerged, after some evaluation by their peers, in a rather robust form. I would imagine in another year or so, we will reconvene the committee and have them review the plan.

Van: Are there any trends that are emerging that will impact the overall direction of your program?

Lawhead: I think that the need for the combination of computer science and geospatial science is one trend that I see. The issues of data capture and data management are becoming ever more complex. So people who understand both areas are needed to maximize the availability of the data, making it available to everyday users. I can see us encouraging general engineering programs and computer science programs to offer the courses in technical electives to their students.

For more information on IAEGS, please visit www.geoworkforce.olemiss.edu. Dr. Pamela Lawhead can be reached at 662) 915.3900 or iaegs@olemiss.edu.

IMAGE OF THE MONTH

Water Claimed in
Evaporating Planet HD 209458b

Some astronomers studying this distant planetary system now believe they have detected water vapor among the gases being liberated. This controversial claim, if true, would mark the first instance of planetary water beyond our Solar System, and indicate anew that life might be sustainable elsewhere in the universe. HD 209458b is known as a hot Jupiter system because it involves a Jupiter-type planet in a Mercury-type orbit. Although spectroscopic observations from the Hubble Space Telescope are the basis for the water detection claim, the planetary system is too small and faint to image. Therefore, an artist's impression of the HD 209458b system is shown above.

Illustration Credit: European Space Agency, Alfred Vidal-Madjar (Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris, CNRS), NASA

DID YOU KNOW

Did you know ESRI Press has written a book where instructors describe in case studies how they've successfully incorporated GIS into teaching subjects as diverse as biology, musicology, religion, foreign languages, urban studies, geology, and sociology? The book illustrates how using GIS to analyze data and create digital maps can teach students how to think spatially and develop quantitative reasoning skills. The book is titled, Understanding Place: GIS and Mapping Across the Curriculum. The book can be purchased at online retailers worldwide or at www.esri.com/esripress or by calling
1-800-447-9778.

RESOURCE SPOTLIGHT

Alliance Insight
Be sure to check out the "Alliance Insight" eNewsletter from the Mississippi Gulf Coast Alliance for Economic Development, a newsletter that focuses on South Mississippi's science and technology sectors.

MSFast
The Mississippi Federal & State Technology Partnership Program's (MS-FAST) aim is to provide encouragement and assistance to Mississippi's small high-tech businesses in participating in the federally funded Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs and the commercialization of technologies developed by businesses as a result of these programs. MS-FAST will conduct a two day SBIR/STTR Workshop on the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) campus, Hattiesburg, MS, on May 30th and 31st. This workshop is FREE and lunch will be provided on day one. The Keynote Speaker for lunch on day one will be Dr. Joe Lichtenhan, CEO and President of Hybrid Plastics, Inc., Hattiesburg, MS. More information

UPCOMING EVENTS

May 9-10, 2007
8th Annual Coastal Development Strategies Conference
Biloxi, MS

May 30-31, 2007
MS-FAST SBIR Workshop
Hattiesburg, MS

November 5-7, 2007
2007 ESRI Homeland Security GIS Summit
Denver, Colorado

LEGISLATIVE CORNER

Shortly after adjournment of the 2007 Regular Session of the Mississippi Legislature, Governor Haley Barbour called lawmakers back to Jackson for a one-day special session to consider consider a $48.4 million incentive package to lure a powertrain manufacturing and assembly plant near Columbus. The session resulted in lawmakers passing the incentive package to help attract a powertrain manufacturing plant in Lowndes County. The $48.4 million package of state-backed is for Project Jupiter, which will an initial private capital investment of at least $300 million and 500 initial direct full-time jobs with salaries ranging between $36,000 and $40,000 a year. The company’s estimated annual payroll would be $18 million at a powertrain manufacturing and assembly plant on a 394 acre site in Lowndes County, with production to begin in 2010. A one-day session cost taxpayers approximately $56,965.

SEEN AND HEARD

“We have been building this infrastructure in research and business support and in workforce development efforts and it is a concerted effort geared toward the geospatial industry so I think that is a big plus. And I honestly think quality of life is a big issue for a lot of our companies. They would rather be here than live in a big city or live somewhere else. In a global market, it almost doesn’t matter where you are, so if they can choose to be anywhere, they are choosing to be here.”

-- Lisa Stone, EIGS Acting Director,
on why a cluster of geospatial companies is located in Mississippi.

From “Geospatial Technology in Mississippi:
A Multi Million Dollar Industry” in Pointe Innovation Magazine, Spring 2007

Global Perspectives

Satellite Images Aid Implementation of Agricultural Reforms
European Space Agency

An ESA-backed project has demonstrated how Earth observation satellites can assist in the cross compliance measures - a set of environmental and animal welfare standards that farmers have to respect to receive full funding from the European Union - included in the 2003 reforms of the Common Agricultural Policy.

Using very high resolution (VHR) satellite images for monitoring whether land is safeguarded in Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC), as outlined within the cross-compliance framework, ensures subsidies are distributed in a fair and timely manner and helps farmers complete subsidy applications more accurately. More information


High-resolution Images Herald New Era in Earth Sciences
NASA News

High-resolution images that reveal unexpected details of the Earth's internal structure are among the results reported by MIT and Purdue scientists in the March 30 issue of Science.
The researchers adapted technology developed for near-surface exploration of reservoirs of oil and gas to image the core-mantle boundary some 2,900 kilometers, or 1,800 miles, beneath Central and North America. "Rather than depth, it's the resolution and lateral scale that are unique in this work," said lead author Rob van der Hilst, professor of earth, atmospheric and planetary sciences (EAPS) and director of MIT's Earth Resources Laboratory. "This could lead to a new era in seismology and all the other deep Earth sciences. In addition, our new expertise may be able to improve how we look for oil in or beneath geologically complex structures such as the Gulf of Mexico salt domes," he said.
More information,


Africa: U.S. Uses LANDSAT Satellite Data to Fight Hunger, Poverty
AllAfrica.com

Over the 35 years that U.S. Landsat Earth-observation satellites have collected images of the planet from space, scientists around the world have put the data to work in a range of applications, from agriculture and land-use planning to ecological forecasting and disaster management.

The program - a shared responsibility of NASA and the Department of the Interior's U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) - also has played a role in helping those in the poorest and most resource-challenged nations harness the power of technology, including remote sensing, to make the best, most sustainable use of their natural environment. More information


South Korea Looks to Delay Satellite Launch Two Years
Korea Times

A shortage of funding likely will delay the launch of South Korea's multipurpose Arirang 5 satellite by two years, the Korea Times reported. "The government failed to secure enough funds to build Arirang 5, which needs approximately 250 billion won ($266.5 million) to complete. It seems to be impossible to launch the satellite next year," said Chang Young-keun at Korea Aviation University. The satellite, capable of collecting imagery in bad weather and at night, will not be launched before 2010. More information

AGT Honored as Finalist in “Best Places to Work in Mississippi”

Congratulations to EIGS member company Applied Geo Technologies, Inc. (AGT) for being named as a finalist in the medium category in the “Best Places to Work in Mississippi” recognition program by the Mississippi Business Journal. AGT, a member of Mississippi’s geospatial technology cluster since 2002, is a premier, tribally-owned provider of digital mapping, information technology and telecommunications solutions. AGT provides geospatial data products, aerial & satellite imagery production, digitizing & conversion services, as well as electronic repair, measurement standards and calibration, gas and materials analysis, and environmental laboratory services. Their customers include federal, state, local, and tribal governments as well as the commercial marketplace.

“The AGT Board of Directors and I can’t say enough about the AGT Team and how they have contributed to the success of our company. We would not be where we are today without their hard word and dedication. Because of the AGT Team, we are honored to be noted as one of the best places to work in Mississippi for the second year in a row,” said Allen Hines, president of AGT.

Applied Geo Technologies is a tribally chartered corporation of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians (MBCI) with it’s headquarter offices located on reservation lands in Choctaw, Mississippi. Additionally, AGT has offices at NASA’s John C. Stennis Space Center that support NASA with a variety of activities including laboratory support of the Space Shuttle’s Main Engine Testing and environmental monitoring of water quality. AGT is certified by the U.S. Small Business Administration as a Tribally-owned 8(a), HUBZone, and Small Disadvantaged Business certified company.

Through their 100+ employees, AGT brings a wealth of education and professional experience to deliver high-quality, proven solutions that best impact their customer’s decision-making and bottom line. For more information about AGT, visit http://www.appliedgeotech.com. For more information about “Best Places to Work in Mississippi,” visit www.bestplacestoworkinms.com.

WorldWinds, Inc. Presented with
NASA Tech Brief and Software Award

NASA’s Innovative Partnerships Program under the Science and Technology Division at Stennis Space Center recently presented Tech Brief and Software awards to Elizabeth Valenti of WorldWinds, Inc., an EIGS member company, and Patrick Fitzpatrick of Mississippi State University’s GeoResources Institute, an EIGS partner.

Valenti and Fitzpatrick were awarded for their collaborative development of an interactive database containing atlases of storm surge flood levels for the Louisiana-Mississippi Gulf Coast region. These atlases aim to make flood forecasts more accurate, thus improving severe storm preparedness and evacuation scenarios.

Using an algorithm to derive measurements from Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar remote sensing data, Valenti and Fitzpatrick developed the storm surge simulation, “Forecasting of Storm Surge Floods Using ADCIRC and Optimized DEMS.” Their invention was published in NASA Tech Briefs magazine’ s December 2006 issue.

Source: The Stennis News - April 17, 2007

Enterprise High School Takes a Swing at ArcGIS Training

As part of Mississippi Area Remapping Strategies (MARS), the geospatial high school adoption program, students and teachers from Enterprise High School participated in an Intro to ArcGIS training course on March 29-30, 2007, at Enterprise High School. The training, provided by the University of Mississippi Geoinformatics Center, will help the Forestry Program students with their project which involves working with Jones County Junior College and the Mississippi Forestry Commission on re-mapping efforts for Section 16 land in Clark County.

“This a great program for getting GIS more integrated in secondary education,” said Chad Garick of the Forestry Department of Jones County Junior College. “This is such a good opportunity for these high school students.”

The MARS program is a high school adoption program with Mississippi high schools from Water Valley, Batesville, Cleveland, Enterprise, and Claiborne County and is funded through EIGS in cooperation with the IHL Geospatial Council. The participating high schools are working with university/community college partners to design and complete a community-based geospatial information science and technology (GIS&T) project. The project results will be presented on May 4, 2007, from 9:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the Mississippi ETV Auditorium in Jackson. For more information about the MARS project or to attend on May 4th, please contact Joyce Brasell at 662-562-3458, jbrasell@northwestms.edu.

DigitalGlobe Imagery Serves as Critical Ingredient
in Conservation Programs

Longmont, Colo. – DigitalGlobe®, provider of the world’s highest- resolution imagery and geospatial information products, was recently recognized for their continued contribution to conservation efforts during a recent visit by Dr. Jane Goodall to the company’s headquarters. With work in Tanzania, Uganda and Congo, The Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) utilized DigitalGlobe’s QuickBird satellite imagery to make effective conservation decisions, based on information about the status of chimpanzee habitats and where and how people use their land. DigitalGlobe’s QuickBird satellite imagery has the highest spatial resolution (0.6 meters) available to map land uses in African villages.

“Human landscapes in Western Tanzania are difficult to map with traditional medium resolution sensors because scattered settlements, farmlands and natural vegetation are highly intermixed,” said Dr. Lilian Pintea, Director of Conservation Science of JGI. “By providing objective and spatially accurate data on both chimpanzee habitats and human land uses, QuickBird imagery revolutionized the way we can do applied research and inform conservation actions.” With the aid of satellite imagery, JGI has mapped human structures, footpaths, farms and forests to utilize in the development of a Conservation Action Plan and village land use plans in the USAID funded Greater Gombe Ecosystem Program. Satellite imagery will be also used to map tree canopies for assessing chimpanzee food availability and feeding behavior research in Gombe National Park. In remote places such as the Masito-Ugalla Ecosystem, the imagery could show illegal logging and farming and support biodiversity and socio-economic surveys. In the Greater Mahale Ecosystem, QuickBird imagery will be used in collaboration with the Frankfurt Zoological Society as a way to evaluate, monitor and mitigate the potential impact of a road construction outside Mahale National Park.

“It’s so rewarding for us to see how our imagery is helping to advance such an important cause as people are finding more and more uses for satellite imagery,” said Walter Scott, founder and CTO of DigitalGlobe. “Conservation projects show the potential to use satellite imagery to explore large swaths of terrain.” In 1977, Dr. Goodall established the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI). Today JGI is a global organization supporting the research at Gombe in addition to many other programs for research, education, community development and conservation programs.

Dr. Goodall travels an average of 300 days per year speaking about the threats facing chimpanzees and other environmental concerns, and about her reasons for hope that humankind will solve the problems facing our planet.

Source: Digitalglobe.com

EIGS Congratulates Laurie Jugan of PSI on her Recent Retirement

One of Merriam-Webster’s definitions for retirement is “to withdraw from active working life.” However, this does not come close to describing what Laurie Jugan, an Assistant Vice President for Planning Systems Incorporated (PSI) has in mind for her retirement. Since 1984, when Laurie started working for PSI, an EIGS member company, she has been an asset to the company and the many other organizations she is actively involved with. It is these organizations that will occupy much of Laurie’s time in retirement including her active role as a founding member of the Rotary Club of Stennis Space Center in which she is currently serving as the Pubic Relations Chair. Another activity that is sure to keep her busy is her role as Administrative Co-Chair for "Oceans 2009 MTS/IEEE Biloxi Conference that features the partnership of engineering, technology, and scientific researchers. Laurie is also involved with Partners for Stennis, an organization that promotes the economic, technical, and academic growth and stability of the John C. Stennis Space Center through projects which insure that government decision makers, business interests, and interested citizens know of the value and importance of the Center. Finally, if that is not enough to keep her busy, Laurie is also active with the Marine Technology Society (MTS), a non-profit professions society of ocean engineers, technologist, policy makers, and educators.

“Laurie has played a key role leadership role for Mississippi’s geospatial cluster,” said Lisa Stone, EIGS Acting Director. “She has always been a very vocal supporter of the cluster concept and has gone above and beyond to work with EIGS cluster companies and form key working relationships for the success of her company as well as the cluster. We will miss her and the leadership she has lent to the EIGS cluster.”

Her leisure time will be spent supporting the many activities of her two daughters, Angela and Pamela such as practices, games, and competitions for softball, gymnastics, band, and baton. Oh, and did we mention that she and her husband, Mike, have taken on the responsibility of organizing the local Science Fair for three Slidell Area Schools and following through to Regional as needed? Sounds like a truly rewarding retirement.

EIGS In the News

DigitalGlobe Helps Pilots Through Alaskan Aviation Safety Project
Satellite Today
DigitalGlobe, a commercial high-resolution satellite imagery and geospatial information products provider, has joined the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA), NASA and the Medallion Foundation to launch a research and development project designed to help improve aviation safety in Alaska.
The state is one of the world's most aviation-dependant regions in the world, with approximately 600 public airports and more than 3,000 airstrips. Using cutting-edge, high- resolution satellite imagery, the DMVA is developing an estimated 65,000 square kilometers' worth of extremely accurate terrain datasets for Alaska's most deadly mountain passes and transportation corridors in order to reduce the number of aircraft accidents. More information

World Winds, Inc. works with XM WX to develop "Fishbytes" data product to help mariners locate fish
Directions Magazine
WorldWinds, Inc., is pleased to announce the release of a new data product to help mariners better locate fish. FishBytes, a fish location product, is an additional feature of the XM WX Satellite Weather Master Mariner package and works as an analysis tool to help anglers find optimal locations for specific species of fish. More information

Tech Park to Open
Stennis will welcome its first tenant next month
The Sun Herald
The first building in the technology park on Mississippi 603 near Stennis Space Center is about 95 percent complete, said project spokesman Robbie Maxwell. The top floor of the three-story, 30,000-square-foot building has been leased to NVision Solutions, a company now located within the space center that works on geospatial technology integration. Maxwell said he expects another 30,000-square-foot building and a 10,000-square-foot building to be built soon. After that, "the buildings will be built as the need increases," he said. More information

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Enterprise for Innovative Geospatial Solutions - 125 Old Chemistry - University, MS 38677