PROJECTS

Research in the Geospatial Analysis Center emphasizes regional sustainability applications; including land-use and transit planning, rural community sustainability, renewable resources, and foodshed assessment and analysis. The Geographic Information Sciences Laboratory provides GIS services and research to UMD departments, UMD administration, and external organizations. These projects are obtained through competitive and non-competitive means and are funded through sponsored projects, external sales, and the GIS Student Support Fund, a University Foundation fund **.

These are some of the projects, undertaken in collaboration with faculty, students, public agencies and private agencies.

*Note: The Geospatial Analysis Center (GAC) was formerly named the Geographic Information Sciences Laboratory (GISL). Change effective 2013.

Lake Vermilion - Trail Location Study (in collaboration with SRF Consulting Group, Inc.)
Kate Carlson (Geography), Stacey Stark (GAC), GAC students Funded by Arrowhead Regional Development Commission GAC will provide GIS mapping and analysis to provide the best potential trail alignment and amenity locations of several sections of the Lake Vermilion Trail for presentatio to the Lake Vermilion Trail Steering Committee.

GIS of Culturally Significant Features, Spirit Mountain Area, Minnesota
Stacey Stark, (GAC), GAC and FDLTCC students
Funded by the Minnesota Lake Superior Coastal Program $3,616 (2013)
This project will result in the creation of Geographic Information System (GIS) layers to identify areas where archaeological sites are highly probable, and allow a base map for conversations about sacred places. While there is a great deal of knowledge and interest in this area, cultural features have not yet been recorded in a permanent and transferrable way. GIS layers of the cultural resources will allow maps to be made and remade for different purposes. From both regulatory and environmental perspectives, review of cultural resources before and during development planning will benefit coastal communities.

State of Minnesota Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan Update
Stacey Stark (GISL), Steve Graham (GISL), GAC students
State of Minnesota, Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management $126,499 (2013-14)
The University of Minnesota Duluth will provide geo-spatial services, data gathering and risk assessment development for the Minnesota State All-Hazard Mitigation Plan update, in order to Identify and Profile Hazards and conduct vulnerability Assessments for the 2014 State MHMP.

Five year review and update of the Le Sueur County Hazard Mitigation Plan
Stacey Stark (GISL), Steve Graham (GISL), Micaella Kinzli (GAC), Adam Pine (Geography)
Funded by Le Sueur County $31,146 (2012-13)

Lake County Trail update
GAC students
Arrowhead Regional Development Commission $3000 (2013)
This project involved updating/verify all the Lake County trail attributes to fit the NRPA system using ARDC web based editor. Priority was given to updating/verifying attributes in every trail section with US Forest Service Trail Plan, Lake County ATV maps, Superior Hiking Trail - and other publicly available information readily supplied or accessible by internet or GIS data. Notes about conflicting sources, restricted use, and inability to verify were be noted.

Historic Logging Activity Layer
Michael Joyce, GAC students
Ron Moen, Natural Resources Research Institute (2012-13)
This project will result in a GIS data layer that identifies logging activity in NE Minnesota and Canada that can be used in geospatial analysis of moose and pine martin habitats.

Archaeological Survey and GIS Development in the Cloquet River Valley
Stacey Stark (GISL), Steve Graham (GISL), Sue Mulholland (DAC)
Funded by the Minnesota Historical and Cultural Grants program $62,338 (2012)
The overall goal of this project is to develop a better understanding of the prehistoric archaeology in the travel corridor along the Cloquet River system. Identification of environmental factors that correlate to high potential for prehistoric archaeological sites can lead to avoidance of impacts to such sites by various agencies that conduct ground disturbing activities. A secondary goal is to collate a more developed and cohesive history of the region for use by educators to present the history of the area. The project has three specific objectives: 1) use GIS to summarize the present knowledge of prehistoric human occupation in the Cloquet River Valley, 2) update the OSA site files for present status of recorded prehistoric archaeological sites and find unrecorded prehistoric archaeological sites in the Cloquet River Valley, 3) use GIS to support new field survey and build a GIS of prehistoric archaeological site locations and their paleoenvironmental setting using high resolution digital elevation models derived from LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging).

Five year review and update of the Brown County Hazard Mitigation Plan
Stacey Stark (GISL), Steve Graham (GISL), Adam Pine (Geography)
Funded by Brown County $25,247 (2012)

Enterprise GIS - Duluth Interactive Campus Web Map
Stacey Stark (GISL), Steve Graham (GISL), Peter Angelos (CLA - IT)
Funded by UM University Services IT (2011-2012)

Flood Risk Assessment Model for Dakota County, MN
Stacey Stark (GISL), Steve Graham (GISL), GISL Students
Funded by Minnesota Homeland Security and Emergency Management $34,655 (2011-2012)

Five year review and update of the Lake County Hazard Mitigation Plan
Stacey Stark (GISL), Steve Graham (GISL), Adam Pine (Geography)
Funded by Lake County $23,310 (2011)

Statewide Survey of Historical and Archaeological Sites - Investigating Poorly Known Areas of Minnesota - Region 9, The Lake Superior Region
Sue Mulholland(Sociology/Anthropology), Stacey Stark (GISL), Steve Graham (GISL)
Funded by the Minnesota Historical Society (2011)

East Swan River Watershed Assessment, GIS Analysis
Stacey Stark (GISL), Kate Carlson (Geography), Steve Graham (GISL)
Funded by the South St. Louis Watershed Conservation District $23,000 (2010-2011)

Mapping of the UMD Farm
Stacey Stark (GISL), Steve Graham (GISL)
Funded by the Barbara J. Wilson Environmental Fund $1870 (2010)

Mn Statewide Flood Risk Assessment
Steve Graham (GISL), Stacey Stark (GISL), Deb Richards (geography), Zach Guttormson (geography)
Funded by MN Homeland Security and Emergency Management Office. $98,000 (2010)

Locally Adapted Food System Assessment: Western Lake Superior Region.
Stacey Stark (GISL), David Syring (Anthropology), David Abazs (Round River Farm), Mike Mageau (CSCD), Gayle Nikolai (Fond du Lac Band)
Funded by Healthy Foods, Healthy Lives Institute, University of Minnesota $34,000 (2009-2010)

St. Louis County School District's Transportation Study
Stacey Stark (GISL), Steve Graham (GISL), Mike Mageau (CSCD)
Funded by Johnson Controls Inc. $11,000 (2008-2009)
Project aimed at developing a GIS Modeling tool for analyzing St. Louis County School District’s busing routes. The bussing model focused on maximizing transportation cost savings, and minimizing the time children spend on the school bus given a wide variety of school configurations within this large district.

Western Waterfront Trail Extension Project
Samantha Follis (Geography), Adam Pine (Geography), Stacey Stark (GISL)
Community Partners: LISC, Morgan Park Community Club, NHS
Funded by the Center for Community and Rural Research $3,640 (2009)

WI DNR Bordner Land-Use Survey Mapping
Steve Graham (GISL), Stacey Stark (GISL), John Jureczek (WI DNR) (2009)

Rural Pharmacies at Risk, Analysis of One Town Pharmacy Service Areas in 10 States
Andy Traynor (UM Pharmacy) (2007), Stacey Stark (GISL)
Funded by the Community Pharmacy Foundation $8,300 (2008)

Wind Resource Analysis for North Shore, MN
Mike Mageau (CSCD), Stacey Stark (GISL), Brody Sunderland (Geography)
Funded by DNR Coastal Program $28,000 (2007)

Wheelchair Accessible Trails: mapping and symbology
Stacey Stark (GISL), Nick Salo (Geography), Brody Sunderland (Geography)
Funded by Wheels on Trails Organization $1200 (2007)

Populations 65+ and more than 15 miles from the nearest pharmacy in rural areas and summarized by Minnesota County in 1992 and 2002
Stacey Stark (GISL), Stephen Schondelmeyer and Jon Schommer (UM Pharmacy)

Pharmacy Accessibility Analysis for Region 25
Stacey Stark (GISL), Jon Schommer (UM Pharmacy)
Funded by the College of Pharmacy $6500 (2007)

** The GIS Student Support Fund can be used at the Director of the Geospatial Analysis Center’s discretion to support student hourly time on GIS projects requested by not-for-profit regional organizations and other intra-campus projects otherwise unfunded. Preference will be given to projects that benefit the student experience and sustainability in the community.

Examples of recent projects:

Working with Great Lakes Second Harvest Food Bank to geocode community resources
and service areas for assessment and planning in that agency.

Working with members of the Duluth Community Farm to make a map of
2011 Urban Farm Tour Sites for a hand-out.

GPSing apple trees in the historic UMD Heritage Orchard, identifying, and making a walking tour for the Sustainable Agriculture Cidering Pressing Event.