Environmental Technology Laboratory

The Center’s Environmental Technology Laboratory 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 ETL 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:
17 Dell Dimension XPS
500gb hard drives
52gb RAM
256mb video cards
19-inch flat panel monitors

Other hardware:
HP DesignJet 5500ps, 42-inch plotter
HP DesignJet 130nr, 24-inch plotter
HP scanners

Servers:
• 1 Dell PowerEdge 2850
- Dual 3.6ghz, Xeon processors
- 8gb RAM
- 6 x 146gb SCSI hard drives
- Running MS SQL and ESRI’s ArcSDE 9.1
• 1 Dell PowerVault 220
- 14 x 146gb SCSI hard drives
• 1 Dell PowerEdge 2650
- Dual 3.06ghz, Xeon processors
- 4gb RAM
- 6 x 73gb SCSI hard drives
- Running ESRI’s ArcIMS 9.1 and ArcGIS Server 9.1
• 1 Dell PowerEdge 2650
- Dual 3.2ghz Xeon processors
- 6gb RAM
- 6 x 73 gb SCSI hard drives
- running ESRI’s ArcIMS 9.1 and ArcGIS Server 9.1
• 1 Dell PowerEdge 1750
- Dual 3.2ghz Xeon processors
- 4gb RAM
- 3 x 146gb scsi hard drives
- Running MS SQL and ESRI’s ArcSDE

Personnel
The ETL’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, Shelley Harris and Cliff Fox. All ETL 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 ETL 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.