GEOCore Facility

The Center’s GEOCore facility supports the training, research and application of spatial data analysis, including Geographical Information Systems, Global Positioning Systems and Remote Sensing, to explore complex environmental relationships across broad temporal and spatial scales. The facility is a heavily used resource by VCU faculty, graduate students and environmental professionals outside the VCU community.

The facility also provides access to a HP Design Jet 5500ps 42-inch color plotter, HP 800ps plotter, HP DesignJet 130ps plotter, tablet digitizer, color printers and scanning equipment. Cutting-edge applications such as ESRI "ArcGIS", ERDAS "Imagine“ version 9.0, (including Vector, Virtual GIS, and the Photogrammetry Suite) and Trimble’s Pathfinder Office version 3.0 complement the high-end hardware. A data library gives personnel at the Center for Environmental Studies access to over 150 gigabytes of spatial data, including statewide digital orthographic quarter quads (DOQQs).

The Center focuses on advanced GIS applications to disseminate spatial data to agencies along with the general public. GIS applications include INSTAR and GEMS, along with spatial applcations created for internal agency use.

PCs 103 Lab:
17 Dell Precision Workstations
2TB local storage
4gb Ram
1gb Video Cards
20" Monitors

PCs 104 A Lab:
17 Dell Precision Workstations
500gb hard drives
4gb RAM
256mb video cards
19-inch flat panel monitors

Desktop Software:
ESRI ArcGIS Suite 10.0
Leica GeoSystems Erdas Imagine 2010
Stella
SAS Statistical Package
SPSS
R

Other hardware:
HP DesignJet 5500ps, 42" PS plotter

Servers:
• 1 Dell 1750 PowerEdge Server
- 2 Dell 2650 PowerEdge Servers
- 3 Dell 2850 PowerEdge Servers
- 2 Dell 2970 PowerEdge Servers

Server Software:
ESRI ArcGIS Server
ESRI ArcGIS ArcSDE
MS SQL Server 2000-2008

Storage:
-2 Dell 220 PowerVault Servers (4TB of Storage)
-1 Dell MD3000i Storage Attachment (20TB of Storage)

Personnel
The facility’s full-time administrator is William Shuart, an ESRI authorized instructor, who is supported by several faculty members, and adjunct instructors, including Drs. John Anderson and Cliff Fox. All facility personnel are ESRI and/or ERDAS certified. Graduate students in VCU’s Environmental Studies program enjoy excellent opportunities for training in applied GIS and remote sensing, and many of these students become highly proficient in these emerging technologies.

Partnerships and research
The Center has established active research and training partnerships with many federal and Virginia state agencies — including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Virginia Economic Development Partnership and agencies of the Natural Resources Secretariat (e.g. DCR, DGIF, DEQ, CBLAD) — and with the private sector. Through these partnerships, the facility provides access to extensive data archives, training and internship opportunities, and a network of GIS professionals. Center faculty and graduate students conduct a diversity of spatial data research, ranging from environmental epidemiology and pollution detection, to wetlands and critical habitat analysis for species including the bald eagle and eastern cougar in Virginia.