Spatial data (GIS) support for multiple disciplines with land surveying engineering as the lead element: A work in progress at the penn state Wilkes-barre campus

Geographic Information Systems GIS) technology has been suitable for applications that make their attainment not only useful, but necessary in the information world in which we currently operate. Awareness of GIS capabilities in the University arena has spawned a dramatic demand for spatially referenced materials in digital or electronic format to support management decisions, resource management, and research activities. No longer confined to engineering and the social sciences, many other disciplines are now using GIS in all forms where geographically referenced data is used. The Penn State Wilkes-Barre campus library is slowly emerging as the logical provider and facilitator for the use of GIS technology across campus. The library occupies both a central and neutral position on campus, and by design, serves all disciplines in like manner. Engineering programs, with Land Surveying Engineering at the lead, had been the sole user of GIS technology on this campus until a library initiative found other disciplines that also had strong desires to use this technology. In the last few years, the campus library has embarked on a mission to extend its services to include GIS support to disciplines and programs at the campus. This work in progress is examined in detail as a follow-up to a paper presented at the 2004 ASEE conference in Salt Lake City, Utah.