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Geoinformatics (GIS, Remote Sensing)

 

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The great majority of the research, teaching and outreach activities at CAST can all be subsumed under the terms geoinformatics and/or geomatics.

While the definition of geoinformatics is in a state of evolution, it has been described as "the science and the technology which develops and uses information science infrastructure to address the problems of geography, geosciences and related branches of engineering" (Wikipedia, 2012).

The word geomatics is defined as "the branch of science that deals with the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data relating to the earth’s surface" (Oxford Dictionaries, 2012).

These overlapping terms reference a wide range of topics, from in situ, remote sensor, and ancillary spatial data acquisition and analysis using geographic information systems (GIS) and geocomputation.  Overlapping terms used by others to cover aspects of the offerings include GIS, GIScience, geospatial technologies, surveying, geodesy, remote sensing, photogrammetry, etc.  In addition to encompassing some or all of these topics our understanding of the term is somewhat more expansive, including aspects of public policy, business, etc. the graphic below illustrates a sense of this relationship.

Links to specific research projects and more information on each topic are available on the left of the page.  In addition to active research efforts in all of these areas and in the intersections of many of them at the Center, the University of Arkansas offers more than 30 course offerings in the area of geomatics in a number of departments. Information on the geoinformatics curriculum is provided here.  See also the Field Programs page for details on geomatics taught in the field.