2004 IRISH SCIENTIST YEAR BOOK

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National University of Ireland, Galway
Stephen Kelly & Juan Carlos Castaneda
Mapping the Future – the Geographical Information Systems (GIS) Facility at the Environmental Change Institute

Maps have been used throughout the ages to aid our visual and spatial understanding of the environment. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) is a technological advancement which enables maps to be generated by sophisticated computer software which can overlay physical with biological, sociological, economical and environmental data. The adoption of a GIS-based approach to archiving, analysing and displaying environmental data provides essential added value to individual research projects in diverse research fields, and is regarded as an essential component of the holistic approach to research at the Environmental Change Institute (ECI).


The new ECI building at NUI, Galway

A fully-staffed state-of-the-art GIS facility has been established at the ECI as a result of an award of €900,000 from the Higher Education Authority. Its function is to provide an understanding of remote sensing and GIS technologies and how they can be exploited in the study of environmental change, and to equip research staff with the understanding and technical capabilities to pursue research within a spatial environment. An Applications Analyst, Mr Stephen Kelly, was recruited to provide GIS and remote sensing training to researchers, to guarantee regular updating of software, and to promote the facility to new projects. Mr Juan Carlos Castaneda, a GIS Developer, is responsible for the management of two networked servers, GIS application development, programming and network administration. There is funding for both staff until August 2007.

The facility comprises of a GIS and remote sensing training suite with 10-networked high-spec PCs. Researchers have access to an A4 HP 2200 laser printer, an A3 Colour 5500dn laser printer, and a HP1055cm AO plotter for large-scale hardcopy maps. A second much larger GIS laboratory houses six workstations, two servers – each with a capacity of 548GB, an A4 high resolution scanner, and data projector. A high resolution transmission satellite downloads data from the NOAA orbiting satellite six times daily and a receiver housed in the GIS laboratory decodes the information. The data is transmitted using a high-speed ISDN line to the Atmospheric Research Station at Mace Head, Carna, Co. Galway. These significant computer and printing facilities are supported by imaging scanning software, and an AO Summa III graphics tablet for digitizing purposes. GIS and Remote Sensing Software consists of ArcGIS 8.3, ArcView 3.3, ArcIMS 4 and ER Mapper 6.4, as well as MapInfo 7.0 and associated software such as MicroSoft Office.


Dr Martin Feely at 470 million-year-old folds in marble bands from Connemara


Landscapes in Stone: Digital Perspectives of the Connemara Landscape

As well as supporting the on-going ECI research programme, which spans five faculties and almost 20 departments, the GIS facility has supported the development of new research proposals and has already begun to build a critical mass of researchers proficient in the use of GIS technology. For example, 'Landscapes in Stone: Digital Perspectives of the Connemara Landscape' is a new geology project led by Dr Martin Feely, Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences, and has attracted funding from the Heritage Council and Galway County Council. The project aims to use satellite imagery and GIS applications to develop a computer generated 3-D digital perspective of the geological and natural landscape of Connemara. It will provide a series of interactive CDs containing digital perspectives of the unique geological heritage of the region, and it will also serve as a means of viewing the topography in 3D. Accompanied by accessible text and relevant narration, this digital mosaic will serve as an excellent means for users – e.g. primary and second level education sectors – to embark on a highly informative and entertaining virtual tour of the natural landscape of Connemara. The project has been expanded by the award of an IRCSET grant to Ronan Hennessy, whose work will focus on the Twelve Bens region of Connemara. Using Landsat Thematic Mapper and ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) imagery acquired by NASA's Landsat 5 and Terra satellites respectively, and multi-spectral imagery obtained from the French SPOT satellite and Ordnance Survey of Ireland aerial orthophotography, the image sets will be draped over digital elevation models to reveal an almost true representation of the landscape.


ASTER satellite image of Connemara captured August 2000. Red areas are regions of healthy vegetation, blue-green is exposed rock and sediment, dark green areas indicate bogs, and black regions are water bodies. The Twelve Bens can be seen clearly in the centre of the image, and Killary Harbour is the inlet. Image courtesy of Dr Paul Dunlop, Department of Geography, NUI Galway.

With the use of the ECI's technically advanced image processing and GIS facilities, it is intended to digitally explore the subsurface of Connemara, and to reveal the structural core of the region, whilst simultaneously using advanced 3D graphics software to display and explain the geological evolution.

Contact: Prof Emer Colleran, Environmental Change Institute, NUI, Galway; or Dr Martina Prendergast, Development Manager;
Tel: 353+91+512263; Fax: 353+91+512515;
E-mail: [email protected] ; or [email protected] ; Web: www.nuigalway.ie/eci