Overview
Established in 1987, the Digitally IntegratedGeographic Information Technologies Laboratory, or DIGIT Lab, is an auxiliaryfacility of the Department of Geography that operates within the Universityof Utah's research infrastructure providing research and instructionalsupport for theoretical and applied geographic information analysis. Ourcomputing facilities provide instructional support for courses in the scienceand application of geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensingand image processing, spatial database design and analysis, and relatedtechnologies. We also support research being conducted by faculty in theDepartment of Geography and other departments at the University of Utah. back
Services and Areas ofSpecialization
As a self-funded facility, the DIGIT Labprovides geospatial database development and analytical services to federal,state, and local agencies, as well as some private sector entities, ona contract basis. Our philosophy is to support you in developing your owngeographic information technology capabilities by providing the facilitiesand expertise while you gradually acquire the hardware, software, and personnelto support your own capability. The DIGIT Lab depends on contracted projectsto provide opportunities for students to apply their knowledge and skillsto real problems, as well as gain valuable work-related experience. Inturn, your project receives the benefit of the DIGIT Labs state-of-the-artfacilities and the expertise of our staff.
The DIGIT Lab is a recognized leader insolving many of todays multifaceted geographic problems through the useof state-of-the-art advances in:
- Geographic information systems (GIS)
- Enterprise database computing
- Spatial analysis
- Remote sensing and image processing
- Spatio-temporal process modeling
- Analytical computer cartography
In addition, faculty from the Departmentof Geography support the DIGIT Lab by providing their expertise in substantiveareas such as:
- Retail and service facility locational analysis
- Market area analysis
- Transportation modeling and analysis
- Land use analysis and planning
- Environmental mitigation and management
- Urban and regional planning
The DIGIT Lab has contributed to projectsfor federal agencies, both directly and by supporting faculty researchprojects, including National Science Foundation, NASA, Environmental ProtectionAgency, and USDA Forest Service, and others. We also have provided contractservices to local and regional clients, including Salt Lake City Corporation,Salt Lake International Airport Authority, Salt Lake County, MountainlandsAssociation of Governments, Utah Transit Authority, Utah Department ofTransportation, Utah Tax Commission, Salt Lake Organizing Committee forthe WInter Olympics of 2002, and the Utah Travel Council. In addition,the DIGIT Lab has provided specialized services to several local private-sectorclients, including Evans & Sutherland (computer graphics software design),Hansen Information Technologies (facilities management software design),and Intermountain Health Care. back
Computing Facilities
The DIGIT Lab operates a large interoperativelocal area network (LAN) that integrates UNIX parallel and single RISCprocessor workstations with Pentium PC and Macintosh platforms. Facilitiesconsist of two computer teaching labs and a production lab running currentversions of Arc/Info, ArcView, ERDAS/Imagine, and SDE, Oracle, and InformixDMBS software. The UNIX teaching lab consists of 12 SUN SPARC workstationsand the PC lab consists of 20 Pentium PCs running Windows NT. We also operatea separate production lab to ensure data security for client projects.This lab consists of 6 SUN SPARC workstations, 3 Pentium-based PCs, and2 MacIntosh PowerMacs, as well as, two large-format HP color plotters,and an HP color laser printer. Current data acquisition capabilities include32-bit color scanning, large-format tablet-based digitizing, and numerousdigital data format filters. Archival or exchange media capabilities include:4mm, 8mm, 1/4 inch, and 1/2 inch magnetic tape media; ISO-compatible 600MBmagnetooptical drives, 90MB Bernoulli drives; 100MB ZIP drives; and CD-ROMreader-writer. back
DIGIT Lab Staff
The DIGIT Lab maintains a research staffspecializing in many aspects of geographic information processing and analysis.In addition to the permanent staff, a large population of well-trainedgraduate students as well as leading research faculty members from theDepartment of Geography are available for project support, as needed.
The current DIGIT Lab staff are:
Gregory Gault,Director (greg.gault@geog.utah.edu)
MS Renewable Natural Resource Studies,University of Arizona
BS Landscape Architecture, Texas A&MUniversity
Over ten years experience in interdisciplinaryproject management and administration, as well as, conceptual design andimplementation of GIS applications for decision support.
Mace Bowen, Senior GIS Analyst (bowen@geog.utah.edu)
MS Geography, University of Utah
BS Geography, University of Utah
Eight years experience in GIS application,AML programming, analytical cartographic modeling, geospatial databasedesign, and data conversion.
Ming Chih-Hung, GIS Analyst (ming-chih.hung@geog.utah.edu)
MS Geography, National Taiwan University
BS Geography, National Taiwan University
Six years experience in GIS database design,location-allocation analysis, analytical cartographic modeling, and remotesensing.
Eva Wu, GIS Analyst (yi-hwa.wu@geog.utah.edu)
MS Geography, National Taiwan University
BS Geography, National Taiwan University
Eight years experience in GIS application,transportation analysis, database design, software programming for integrationand interoperability.
Thomas Zajkowski, GIS Technician (tz1415@geog.utah.edu)
BS Geography, University of Utah
Two years experience in GIS applications andcomputer cartography with an emphasis in economic and transportation geography.
Bertrand Granberg, GIS Technician (bert.granberg@geog.utah.edu)
BA Geography, Carleton College
One year experience in GIS application withan emphasis in economic geography and transportation/network modeling. back
