Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies, University of Arkansas

Fiscal Year 1998-1999 Annual Report

Highlights

During FY 98-99, the Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies (CAST) staff members totaled 42 people (16 full-time individuals, 17 hourly individuals, 6 graduate students, and 3 work-study students). Ten active research projects were underway in FY 98-99 representing $771,571.00 in awarded external funding. Many of CAST’s research projects were conducted in cooperation with faculty from various departments at the University of Arkansas and other institutions around the state. UAF cooperative research efforts include:

• J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, Departments of Anthropology, Biological Sciences, Geography, and Geology.
• Dale Bumpers College of Agriculture, Food and Life Sciences, Departments of Agronomy, Rural Sociology, and Entomology.
• College of Architecture, Department of Landscape Architecture.
• College of Engineering, Departments of Civil Engineering and Industrial Engineering.

A Board of Associate Directors has been created to provide guidance to CAST from the various Colleges. Dr. Thomas Graff represents Fulbright College, Dr. Don Scott represents Agriculture, and Professor Karen Hanna represents Architecture. Cooperative research or teaching efforts are also in place with off-campus faculty at the University of Arkansas, Monticello, the Arkansas Archaeological Survey, Arkansas State University, and Arkansas Tech University.

CAST staff have been involved in numerous and varied projects, programs, consultations, talks, workshops, conferences, etc. during this fiscal year, ranging from answering quick technical questions by phone to complicated funded projects lasting several years.

A few selected CAST highlights of fiscal year 1998-1999 follow. Please also see the Teaching section, the Research section, the International Programs section, and the Public Service section of this report for many more listings and detailed information.

Apprendix A contains publications' listings by CAST staff members; Appendix B contains outreach functions' listings by staff member, Appendix C is a list of CAST staff members.

• EAST high school program expands.
• Fifty-three Arkansas gifted and talented junior high students tour CAST.
• Applied Spatial Information Technologies interns practice GIS.
• CAST's Director speaks to Math and Science Schools' teachers from 13 states.
• Environmental Ph.D. Program flourishes.
• Network upgrades offer students faster web access.

• SWAG project to provide digital data to the Arkansas community.
• SWAG project receives Smithsonian Award.
• CAST researcher publishes in the scientific journal Nature.
• Latin American avian habitat project brings together leading researchers in the field.
• NASA web project to provide maps-on-demand.
• Arkansas Source Water project to map Arkansas' public water intakes.
• GIS needs-assessment for Arkansas' Secretary of State's office moves forward.

• Saudi Arabia's Minister of Education tours CAST.
• CAST's Technical Director participates in Global Disaster Information Summit in Mexico City.
• CAST and Department of Anthropology faculty involved in joint research program with University of Witwaterstand in South Africa.
• Jordanian cooperative efforts provide GIS training.
• CAST's Middle Eastern web page shares information.
• CAST staff members collaborate with educators and policymakers in the Middle East.

• CADIS program benefits Northwest Arkansas.
• Aurora partnership brings together public and private natural resources advocates.
• Arkansas on-line mapper is available to anyone via the web.
• CAST's web site is designated Internet Resource of the Month.
• More than 300 public lectures, tour, help sessions, and demonstrations given this year.
• CAST work highlighted in wide number of newspapers around the state.