National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis

A strategic planning exercise was conducted in year 4, leading to the adoption of a new mission statement that became the basis for a renewal proposal submitted to NSF in November, 1991.

The new mission of NCGIA was to promote the advancement of geographic research of lasting and fundamental significance. Specifically, to: 1) Advance the theory, methods, techniques and applications of geographic analysis based on geographic information systems (GIS) in the many disciplines and professions involved in geographic research; 2) Augment the nation’s supply of experts in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Geographic Information Analysis (GIA) in participating disciplines; 3) Promote the diffusion of analysis based on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) throughout the scientific community and provide a conduit for disseminating information regarding GIS research, teaching, and applications; and 4) Interact with individual researchers and organizations on a national and international basis.

Progress over the first 4 years of the program is reviewed in this report, with special emphasis on two completed projects: Use and Value of Geographic Information and  Design and Implementation of Large Spatial Databases. Six active initiatives at the end of year 4 included: Spatial Decision Support Systems; Visualizing the Quality of Spatial Information; Institutions Sharing Spatial Information; Integration of Remote Sensing and GIS; User Interfaces for GIS; and Spatial Analysis and GIS.