Academic Programs Catalog

College of Social Science

Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Science Research and Outreach Services

Erin Bunting, Director

Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Science Research and Outreach Services (RS&GIS) is administered by the Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences in the College of Social Science. The program was established to strengthen and support the utilization of geospatial technologies in research, instruction and extension activities.

RS&GIS promotes interdisciplinary research through collaborative efforts with faculty, research staff and students. Technical expertise includes geospatial database creation and analysis, web-mapping application development, mobile application development, website design, aerial and satellite image processing and interpretation, UAS data collection and analysis, geospatial modeling, terrain analysis and cartographic design. Thematic expertise includes land/water use and change detection, economic development and planning, assessment/inventory of natural and human systems, UAS development and deployment, human-environment interactions, climatology, climate change ecology, and ecology of arid lands. RS&GIS also maintains the Michigan Aerial Imagery Archive, a repository of historical imagery dating back to the 1930s.

Professional staff are available for consultation and technical assistance to faculty, staff, and students. The program sponsors both technical and thematic seminars and short courses.