About
GIS and geospatial mapping are important tools for geographers and any student or researcher examining the location and distribution of people or resources. GIS enables us to examine patterns and processes in just about any field of study in which location is important. The purpose of this site is to share GIS knowledge, tools, and data gained from the experience of instructors, students, and other professionals in the field with the Vassar community and beyond.
Author Archives: Neil Curri
Greetings to new GIS (and GIS-curious) students
Whether you’re on campus or off, attending class in-person or remotely, whether you’re learning geospatial mapping tools (Geographic Information Systems) in class or as part of a class, or in an internship or CEL placement, participating in Hudson Valley Mappers … Continue reading
Posted in Cool Stuff
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Coronavirus Cases at Public Colleges
A New York Times survey of public four-year colleges and private institutions that compete in Division I sports or is a member of an elite group of research universities, revealed at least 6,600 cases tied to about 270 colleges over … Continue reading
Posted in Coronavirus, Public Health
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Repost: On GIS, modesty & the problem of racial privilege
Charles Convis of Esri’s Conservation Program and co-founder of the Society for Conservation GIS (SCGIS) posted a thoughtful and heartfelt post on GeoNet, Esri’s user community site, in light of the protests in the US and throughout the world calling all … Continue reading
Posted in Social Justice and Inequality
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Spring 2019 Web Mapping Class Projects Focus on Local Challenges and Opportunities
GEOG 228 (Web Mapping: Advanced Approaches to Publishing) is a half-unit course offered during the Spring semester, which introduces students to creating web maps, map apps, story maps, and other emerging applications on the ArcGIS Online. These applications offer new opportunities … Continue reading
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Road Condition Mapping for Local Municipalities
by Rebecca Odell (Geography ’20) As part of my internship at the Dutchess County Transportation Council (DCTC), my project was to map road quality data from past internships completed by students from Cornell University. When I first started, there was … Continue reading
Posted in Cool Stuff
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Office of Community Engaged Learning Placements
Adele Birkenes (Geography, 2020) is working with the Office of Community Engaged Learing (OCEL) this year to support community GIS work, and created this map of CEL placements in and around Poughkeepsie. Alternatively, you can view the larger map or see … Continue reading
Posted in Projects
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Estimating Pesticide Exposure and Premature Mortality by Parkinson’s Disease in Washington State
By Mariah Caballero (Biology, Geography ’19) I spent my summer at Washington State University’s Elson S. Floyd School of Medicine in Spokane, WA. I was collaborating with researchers in the Community Health and Spatial Epidemiology (CHaSE) Lab on a project … Continue reading
Posted in Student Work
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Progress on Poughkeepsie Natural Resource Inventory
A natural resources inventory (NRI) is a document that catalogues the natural and cultural resources within a given locality (e.g., municipality, watershed, or region). NRIs are used by local leaders to make informed land use decisions. An effective NRI should … Continue reading
Posted in Cool Stuff
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GIS and Sustainability Project Exchange
Want to make a difference? Help out by taking on a project, or suggest one. If you want to do a thesis project or independent study that makes a difference, then start by finding out what is needed on campus. … Continue reading
Posted in Cool Stuff, Projects, Student Work
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Mapping Emerald Ash Borer in the City of Poughkeepsie
By India Futterman ’19 Emerald ash borer, an invasive species of beetle that arrived in the United States in packing material from Asia, has officially arrived in Dutchess County. During the summer of 2017, Elise Chessman ‘18 and India Futterman … Continue reading
Posted in Projects, Student Work
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