Upgrade of Computing Equipment in the Digital Mapping Laboratory, Idaho State University

Idaho State University, Pocatello ID

Investigators

Abstract

This award is providing funds to upgrade digital mapping facilities for the Idaho State University Digital Mapping Laboratory. The workstations, servers, and associated gigabit network connections supported by this grant are providing modern work stations that will better service existing and future research projects at ISU. The digital mapping facilities supported by the project are contributing to four interdisciplinary near-surface research themes: field characterization and modeling of landscape response to contemporary and ancient changes in climate or tectonics; short-term landscape, soil, and vegetation change as documented by hyperspectral and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) techniques; geospatially distributed, GIS-based hydrologic and water quality modeling at the watershed scale in mountain environments, and simulation of ground-water flow based on statistical analysis and 3-D modeling of inter-bedded volcanic and sedimentary deposits. Each of these research groups pair innovative datasets and techniques against applied and theoretical questions that advance our understanding of water resources, climate change and remote sensing capabilities. The computer facility upgrade is supporting the research efforts of several early career researchers at Idaho State University, as well as promoting teaching and training of a core group of graduate and undergraduate research assistants in the Department of Geosciences. Increased access to remote sensing and GIS data and applications complements the student-directed research projects in hydrology, structural geology, stratigraphy, geomorphology, and petrology. Results of these projects are being incorporated into the undergraduate and graduate curriculum. Over the lifespan of these computers, about 375 geoscience majors and graduate students are expected to benefit from these facilities. Because approximately 40% of the students who will use the laboratory are members of an underrepresented group, the award is helping to broaden participation in the geosciences. The research projects supported by this award are expected to have a societal impact specifically on decisions regarding Idaho's land use, water resources, and urban expansion and economic development.