University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS)

The University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS) is a consortium of 70 American universities, associations, and organizations with research, education, and related interests in geographic information science. It was established as a nonprofit organization in 1994 for the primary purposes of advancing geographic information science research and education. UCGIS seeks to promote the understanding of geographic processes and spatial relationships through improved theory, methods, technology, and data.

Member institutions have programs in cartography, cognitive science, computer science, engineering and land surveying, environmental science, geodetic science, geography, landscape architecture, medicine, law and public policy, remote sensing and photogrammetry, and statistics.

Two national conferences are held each year. A policy and legislation meeting in Washington, D.C., in February, focuses on current developments in federal agencies and in the U.S. Congress. In June, a Summer Assembly is held in various locations, with a program devoted to research issues and graduate education in geographic information science.

UCGIS staunchly advocates the direct contribution of geographic information science research to national needs in basic and applied science, technology, and policy. To provide a national focus for academic research in this field, UCGIS administers a continuous process for determining and promoting research priorities. This process emphasizes the multidisciplinary nature of the field, the need for balance and cooperation among disciplines, and the rapidly changing environment of geospatial research.

Among the objectives of the organization are the following: provide ongoing research priorities for advancing theory and methods in geographic information science, assess the current and potential contributions of geographic information science to national scientific and public policy issues, expand and strengthen geographic information science education at all levels, provide the organizational infrastructure to foster collaborative interdisciplinary research in GIS, and promote the ethical use of and access to geographic information.

In addition, UCGIS works to foster geographic information science and analysis for national needs such as the following: maintaining world leadership in basic science, mathematics, and engineering; strengthening the National Spatial Data Infrastructure; promoting global environmental quality and the study of global change; improving efficiency, effectiveness, and equity in all levels of government; and monitoring public safety, public health, and environmental pollution.

Among recent publications of UCGIS are Geographic Information Science & Technology Body of Knowledge, one in a series of works produced as part of the Geographic Information Science and Technology Model Curricula initiative, and A Research Agenda for Geographic Information Science, a review of major challenges to the geographic information science research community.

UCGIS also provides a listserv, announcements of grant and contract opportunities, and a regular newsletter on its Web site.