Click on a question to see the answer. For whom does the community geographer work? What is the composition and role of the community geographer’s steering committee? How do I submit a request for assistance to the community geographer? How often are new project requests reviewed? Who makes the decisions as to whether map(s) will be created for my project? If my project is selected, when will work begin? How are maps made? What happens after the maps are created? What is GIS? Does the community geographer provide training in GIS? How can geography and maps improve the community? For whom does the community geographer work? The community geographer (CG) is a staff member in the Syracuse University Geography Department and is funded in part with a grant from the Gifford Foundation. A voluntary steering committee guides the community geographer’s work. What is the composition and role of the community geographer’s steering committee? The 10-member steering committee is a voluntary group that is representative of the Syracuse community. Local residents, area foundations and charitable organizations, social service agencies, and SU faculty, staff and students comprise the steering committee. The committee is charged with raising awareness about the CG position, establishing community connections, prioritizing and selecting project proposals, assessing and evaluating the community geographer’s work, and assisting with fundraising. How do I submit a request for assistance to the Community Geographer? Simply complete and submit the project request form. If you are unsure about whether mapping can benefit your community project, complete as much of the form as you can. The CG will contact you to further discuss ideas and explore possibilities. After a request is submitted, the CG and the steering committee will review the proposal and contact you as soon as possible. How often are new project requests reviewed? The CG meets monthly with the steering committee to discuss project progress and to evaluate new project proposals. New projects are accepted as time permits. Who makes the decisions as to whether map(s) will be created for my project? The community geographer, after reviewing your proposal and clarifying any questions, presents the proposal to the steering committee, which meets monthly. The steering committee bases its decisions on timing, data availability, community impact, and utility of the map to the community at large. If my project is selected, when will work begin? The community geographer will work with you to determine a mutually acceptable timeframe to begin the project. A memorandum of understanding between project collaborators, the community geographer, and a member of the steering committee must be signed prior to beginning a community geographer-assisted project. How are maps made? Maps are created using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology. The software used is ESRI’s ArcGIS 9.1. What happens after the maps are created? Hardcopy paper maps and digital data are provided to the partnering organization(s) and/or group(s). In addition, the maps and data are made available for use by the community at large. Final maps are posted on the CG website and digital data are available upon request. In the event that a project’s data may disclose confidential information (e.g. personal individual or household characteristics), the maps that are made publicly available will not include personal identifying information and the digital data will not be accessible. In instances when the data must be kept confidential, a confidentiality agreement between the community geographer and partnering group(s) will be established. What is GIS? Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a computer-based technology that integrates geographic information with information from databases to facilitate the management, analysis, and display of georeferenced data—data that can be linked to a place on the earth’s surface. Virtually all data are spatial—where you live and work, schools, businesses, highways, parks, forests, etc. The information stored in databases, referred to as attribute data, typically contain a mapable entity and its associated characteristics (e.g. a health center, the services it provides, and the hours of operation; the number of occupants in a house; the programs available at an after-school program; the annual revenue of a business; the recreational activities available at a park; tree species found in a forest. Attributes stored in the “geo”databases, and can be queried, analyzed, and edited, similar to data stored in a regular database, but GIS database manipulations can be reflected in maps because they contain a geographic reference. Typically, GIS databases contain information that is thematically similar and represent individual “layers” of a GIS map. For example, one database may contain residential address information, including the number of household occupants, the ages of the residents, and the household median income. A second database may contain information on all schools, including graduation rates. Each thematic layer can be mapped separately to show their locations, or the various themes can be overlaid with one another to show patterns and geographic relationships (e.g. school locations, their average graduation rates and the median household income of the neighborhoods surrounding the schools). A GIS is most often associated with maps. A map, however, is only one way to work with geographic data in a GIS, and only one type of product generated by a GIS. This is important, because it means that a GIS can provide a great deal more problem-solving capabilities than simply adding data to a map. To learn more about GIS, explore the links and resources available on the About GIS section of our website. Does the community geographer provide training in GIS? Not at this time, but Syracuse University and SUNY ESF offer GIS courses. In addition, ESRI provides online GIS training courses for a variety of its software programs and applications. If you are a student, staff or faculty member of SU or SUNY ESF, many of ESRI’s online training courses are free because the institutions possess ESRI site license agreements. Contact John Olson, GIS Librarian in the Bird Library for more information about how to enroll in ESRI tutorials or visit ESRI.com. How can geography and maps improve the community? Spatial analysis can add a new perspective to community challenges. Whether mapping the landscape of food insecurity or public transportation routes, maps shed light on issues such as where there are gaps in service coverage or whether services are accessible via public transportation. GIS and map making can often facilitate broader participation in planning processes because participants are able to more readily visualize a challenge and its possible solutions. For this reason, spatial visualization and GIS analytical tools frequently present a unique opportunity for enhanced citizen involvement in public policy and planning issues. Oftentimes, maps can facilitate mutual understanding and common agreement about basic facts and can be used to develop trusting relationships across a diverse set of participants.
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