GIS at U of M

This web site is a dynamic on-line resource for GIScience activities at the University of Memphis. Please visit: multidisciplinary connections; research and related activities; teaching and curriculum; researchers and staff; and laboratory facilities and resources for further details.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact Dr. Esra Ozdenerol at eozdenrl@memphis.edu.

GIScience at UM

University of Memphis is the premier research university in Tennessee characterized by robust research programs and a diverse student body. Geographic Information Science is an integral part of numerous activities on our campus. Geographic Information Science(Advanced GIScience Showcase) is one of the seven major research areas that will take place in the new FedEx Technology Center.

Several departments and research centers have particularly interesting and noteworthy applications of GIS. They include the Department of Earth Sciences, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Ground water Institute, SUAP, and CERI.

The University of Memphis first started using geographic information systems (GIS) software in 1991 with its purchase of Arc/Info workstation (ESRI) by the Ground Water Institute. The Institute, housed in the Herff College of Engineering, had three seat licenses running on SUN Unix systems. The GIS software was used for investigating ground-water resources within the Mid-South and mapping and planning purposes for the City of Memphis, City of Germantown, and Town of Collierville.

We have come a long way since then. The University of Memphis picked up the site license agreement with ESRI in 1998 and has demonstrated support of GIS technology through continued acquisition of hardware, software, and personnel in many academic units. As a result, additional departments are becoming interested in GIScience at UM, new faculty are undertaking research, and more students are turning to GIScience as a major area of study from a variety of disciplines such as Earth Sciences, Planning and Civil Engineering.

UCGIS Home Page

The University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS) is a non-profit organization of universities and other research institutions dedicated to advancing our understanding of geographic processes and spatial relationships through improved theory, methods, technology, and data.