As a multi-college organization, CAST unites personnel from the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, the Sam M. Walton College of Business and the School of Architecture in the common goal of introducing and making geospatial technologies available to a wide variety of researchers and professionals and to furthering the field through basic and applied research.

CAST focuses on research, technology transfer, undergraduate and graduate education, service to communities and local governments, and professional training in a variety of geospatial and related technologies.

Much of CAST's research efforts involve new approaches to spatial data and the development of new methodologies for analysis of these data, providing products to a variety of different audiences. Cooperative programs developed by CAST are designed to bring together the benefits of academic research and development, the resources of state and federal agencies and the private sector to provide the state and region with effective spatial technologies, trained practitioners, and low-cost digital data.