Geographic Information Systems (GIS) relate to the overall emphases of the Smithsonian Institution, which are as follows:

First, with infrastructure improvement, GIS technology can be coupled with facilities software for monitoring and maintaining the physical plant and grounds of the museum complex.

Second, GIS may be used with other tools for planning and designing floor space. Floor plans in most computer-aided drafting (CAD) formats can be easily transferred to GIS. Information concerning department personnel, space assignments, exhibit layouts, utilities, and furniture/equipment inventories can be accessed from existing museum data bases. Short- and long-term planning with GIS for both current and projected space requirements enable the user to: lay out permanent and movable walls, doors, windows, and supporting building services such as HVAC, electrical and lighting systems; locate available space; and explore alternative solutions for placing large exhibits or departments in multistory buildings. All of the above were incorporated throughout the institution in the 1990s using an AutoCad-based facilities management programs: Archibus and Aperture. In 2003, the Office of facilities Engineering and Operations (OFEO) signed an inter-agency agreement with NASA for consulting services as OFEO incorporates all of its existing architectural, engineering and utilities drawings and CAD files into a GIS.

Third, for geographic education of the public, GIS are perfect mediums with which to create electronic atlases on exhibit showing biodiversity, distribution, or cultural, ecological and geological changes. An exhibition, titled The Power of Maps, concerning cartography as a medium and a metaphor for understanding the world and our place in it, took place at the Cooper-Hemitt Museum from October 1992 to March 1993, and was repeated at SI's International Gallery from November 1993 through January 1994. A variety of historic and contemporary maps were presented, illustrating how maps are researched and compiled, designed and structured (map language), updated, and analyzed. This exhibit included an integration of GIS by ESRI, whereby GIS methodology was demonstrated through the display of non-static interactive maps on Arc/Info and ArcView. In 2003, the Global Volcanism Program is building an exhibit and web-based inter-active mapping program concerning volcanoes and earthquakes around the world, to be updated every six minutes.

Fourth, regarding basic research at the Smithsonian, GIS and GPS are instruments that permit the efficient and accurate collection of spatial data, while combining and comparing time-sequential maps and satellite imagery for estimating global change and environmental degradation. The analytical and statistical capabilities within GIS then allow analysis and determination of causative factors. GIS are also ideal for comparing species diversity of flora or fauna with variables in their habitats so as to better design or manage biosphere reserves and conservation areas with which Smithsonian scientists are involved, such as at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. Conversely, habitats can be identified with overlay analysis producing maps of where field teams might locate rare or endangered species of plants and animals.

Fifth, the Collections Division use GIS to spatially catalogue when and where items were collected in addition to where they are stored now. Subsequently, many studies using GPS and GIS would then be able to access the collections research information system's (CRIS) RapidMap project on the World Wide Web for historical geographic information on a variety of topics that may undergo overlay analyses. A note of caution: since the Smithsonian's institutional collections currently total over 142 million objects, the completion of the CRIS modernization program is not anticipated soon.

Sixth, GIS can be utilized as a spatial demographic tool for marketing and development and to reach existing and potentially new members and contributors, as is happening with our development offices that are using the BusinessMAP program. And seventh, GIS are good tools for cataloguing and tracking the worldwide extent of Smithsonian international activities, as is being accomplished by the GIS unit at the Conservation and Research Center.

Coordinated from the Automatic Data Processing (ADP) Office is a GIS special interest group covering more than 400 installations of software for people from several different bureaus: Conservation and Research Center (CRC), National Air and Space Museum (NASM), National Museum of American History (NMAH), National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), National Zoological Park (NZP), Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC), Smithsonian Libraries (SIL), and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI). These people represent many disciplines; they have a great commitment to continued noncompetitive GIS development at the Smithsonian and to the creation of a strong partnership among units and individuals who together can comprise a working GIS support network.

To learn more about the capabilities of GIS, group members initiated several prototype projects in 1989 including studies of Washington, D.C. area flora, South American primate distribution, three-dimensional (3D) geological analyses of paleobiological and archeological excavations in southern Kenya, land-cover change on the island of Palau, and small mammal and bird distributions at the CRC in Front Royal, Virginia. These projects were accomplished on the GIS software, pcARC/INFO, by staff on their spare time or by volunteers. Group members cultivated contacts with outside groups and vendors that produced benefits for the Smithsonian, including data exchange and donations or loans of hardware and software.

Currently, occasional GIS related seminars are presented and a series of monthly GIS classes are offered at the NMNH Computer Learning Center to all staff and visiting interns and professionals (including a number of foreign nationals) who are interested in using GIS with their future projects.

The CRC is one of the focal points for the Smithsonian Institution’s initiatives in biodiversity conservation, professional training and environmental education. GIS and remote sensing tools are used for research and training at the CRC for the conservation of species, habitats, communities, and ecosystems. For most of this important training and research, the program ArcView, ArcGIS and their extensions, have been relied upon. Current and past projects, activities, and training courses that have benefitted from this software include:

1. Remote Sensing and GIS studies to assess habitat availability for endangered and threatened species worldwide including:
a) Asian elephants
b) Mongolian gazelles in the eastern steppes of Mongolia
and
c) studies of optimum habitat suitability for reintroducing endangered species back into the wild
2. Environmental analyses of Golden-cheeked and Kentucky warbler and other migratory bird distributions between the eastern US and in the wintering grounds of Honduras, Mexico and other parts of Central America while accounting for rapid forest change assessment using socio-economic and Landsat TM data
3. Remote Sensing and GIS studies to assess the environmental impact of water withdrawal and sea-level rise on rare intertidal freshwater marshes along the Mattaponi River in Virginia.
4. Remote Sensing and GIS studies to assess deforestation rates and the distribution of Eld’s deer in Myanmar (Burma) and to determine the underlying causes.
5. Ecological studies on the impact of forest management on biodiversity on managed forest mosaics of the Appalachian mountains.
6. Ecological studies on post-migration movements and habitat use by neotropical migratory birds such as Wood Thrush and Scarlet Tanager.
7. Ecological studies on the impact of high white-tailed deer densities on forest ecosystems including vegetation regeneration, small mammal populations, and migratory bird populations.
8. Analyses of livestock management and land cover change on the CRC grounds.
9. Professional training for wildlife managers on GIS and Remote Sensing applications for wildlife and conservation management (biannual one-week courses) (also note that this started with CTSP)
10. Forest Biodiversity Monitoring Workshop for high school teachers.
11. Training of Mongolian researchers in using GIS to manage conservation data for the preservation of eastern Mongolian steppes and Mongolian gazelles.

NZP GIS Home Page

CRC Home Page

NZP Home Page

The eight-country region of the Amazon contains the greatest concentration of biodiversity anywhere on earth. Conserving its resources, while simultaneously accommodating sustainable development, has become one of the great conservation challenges of the 21st Century. As human population growth in and around the Amazon continues to soar, agricultural, pastoral, and mining activities penetrate ever deeper into its interior placing much of this unique and irreplaceable ecosystem in jeopardy.

Survival of the Amazon as a viable biological entity will depend on wise development planning and careful stewardship of the region's natural resources. For effective conservation and sustainable development to become a reality, it will be necessary to assemble, analyze and synthesize as much relevant information as possible. Critical data such as the distribution and abundance of the region's biological and cultural diversity, protected areas, natural resources and their patterns of use, and development such as roads, oil and gas infrastructure, and forestry and mining activity must then be made readily available to development and conservation planners and policy makers. These data are fundamental for the fulfillment of the Amazonian Cooperation Treaty (ACT), signed in 1978 by eight member nations.

The combination of GIS and the internet enables the Amazon GIS Project to empower civil society as well as provide the fundamental basis for conservation decision-making. It also promotes effective strategies towards sustainable development in the region. Rather than being viewed as an NGO or multi-institutional effort, the Amazon GIS Project, woven into the fabric of the Smithsonian Institution, automatically brings an aura of neutrality and scientific credibility. Furthermore, Amazon GIS will work to ensure that it is recognized as a primary source and a continually updated site for the Amazon region.

Amazon GIS is also a leader in education, as the main lab is on display and located within the Amazonia Science Gallery and adjacent to the rainforest exhibit of the Smithsonian National Zoological Park. By showcasing our research team and the tools of GIS technology, Amazon GIS provides walk-in visitors and special guests of the National Zoo with on-site demonstrations and science interaction. In addition, Amazon GIS is also partnering with the Brazilian government to build an exhibit in Manaus, Brazil and we are in negotiation to replicate that exhibit in Peru. As highly active members in the global communities of GIS technology, environmental conservation, and museum exhibitry, Amazon GIS keeps the edge needed as a consistent front-runner in the building of tools for conservation.

AmazonGIS Home Page

NZP Home Page

CEPS is a scientific research unit within the Collections and Research Department of NASM, and as such, its staff performs original research and outreach activities on topics covering planetary science, terrestrial geophysics, and the remote sensing of environmental change. Scientists at CEPS are working at more than 20 sites around the world. ArcView has been and will be used to combine data collected during field work with remotely sensed images, a primary goal for most of these projects. Past and current GIS/Remote Sensing projects include:

1. An acid rain/ deforestation study of the Czech Republic conducted together with Czech scientists.
2. Geologic mapping and analysis of Venus, Mars, and other planetary bodies.
3. A land cover/geologic study of the Mpala Ranch in central Kenya.
4. Global Positioning System (GPS) surveys of the topography of lava flows around Mount Lassen in California, and an active volcano in the highlands of southern Peru which will lead to a better understanding of the geological hazards of the areas.
5. Land cover change analysis in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.
6. Use of ArcView to demonstrate geospatial data for visitors to NASM.

CEPS Home Page

NASM Home Page

NMNH Home Page

GIS work at SERC involves environmental and ecological studies. Scientists at SERC were the first to make use of GIS at the Smithsonian under contract through the University of Maryland starting in the mid-1980s. Since the late 1992, this GIS work has been entirely handled at SERC. Past and ongoing GIS projects at SERC include:

1. An ongoing study of the parameters controlling nutrient and sediment discharges from the watershed of the Chesapeake Bay.
2. A forest gap analysis study of damage and revegetation resulting from Hurricane Hugo in southern Virginia.
3. An investigation of shoreline structures and landcover/landuse versus crab habitats around the Chesapeake.

SERC Home Page

Use of GIS for tropical biodiversity studies and other comparative tropical ecological analyses has been an ongoing and growing process since 1993. Past, current and planned GIS utilization includes:

1. Analyses of botanical censuses of Barro Colorado Island.
2. Planned comparative botanical analyses of another forest plot in Cameroon.
3. 3-D analyses of bird and freshwater fish distributions (accounting for the biogeography of their genetic diversity) in Costa Rica, Panama, and Columbia.
4. And other smaller tropical biodiversity mapping and analysis projects.

Center for Tropical Forest Science Home Page

STRI Home Page

Smithsonian Home Page