In Thomas University’s Geospatial Analysis Planning & Preservation (GAPP) Center, undergraduate students gain hands-on skills using state-of-the-art geographic information system and global position system technology as they participate in class projects, research projects and internships. Now they have two more pieces of equipment available for use thanks to a grant from Synovus Bank.

Recently Synovus awarded TU the funds to purchase two remote-controlled drones equipped with cameras that will enable more hands-on student experience. This semester students used them in environmental research projects. With a record increase in enrollment in the Geographic Information Systems minor, the drones will benefit students enrolled in the program. Students majoring in Biology, Business, Marketing, Criminal Justice, and Natural Resource and Conservation Management choose to minor in GIS to gain hands-on experience relevant to their fields of study. However, the GIS minor is open to students in any major.

Drone imagery coupled with collecting geospatial data on the ground trains students to provide timely, valuable, localized, and problem-specific imagery and data analysis to local businesses, conservation projects, and community partners. Local examples of the use of drone technology and its advantages could include surveying stretches of farmland to map the property, report on crop health, and monitor livestock and irrigation systems. Drones are also pivotal in identifying conservation targets, setting conservation goals for particular tracts, and monitoring the current and future needs of property. Drone technology provides the ability to create detailed vegetation maps to help locate diseased trees and aids in watershed management.

Students with GIS skills often enter careers in military and defense, urban planning, utility and infrastructure, resource management, environmental studies, and emergency services. For more information about TU’s GAPP Center and GIS program, visit Thomasu.edu.