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Dartmouth, NS - Dalhousie University was presented with an Award of Excellence at ESRI Canada's annual ESRI Regional User Conference in Dartmouth today. Alex Miller, President of ESRI Canada, presented the Award in recognition of Dalhousie University's campus-wide implementation of GIS technology and services.
"The Award of Excellence is going to a very deserving organization that is dedicated to creating awareness and advancement of GIS within the University through the ongoing work and research being done at the GIS Centre of Excellence," said Mr. Miller. "Their research is leading edge and allows students to gain real-world experience while continuing their education at Dalhousie University. Dalhousie has become one of the leading Universities in Canada for the campus-wide implementation of GIS technology and I would like to personally thank them for their efforts."
One of Canada's leading universities, Dalhousie is widely recognized for outstanding academic quality and teaching, and a broad range of educational and research opportunities. Located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Dalhousie attracts students from around the world. The GIS Centre of Excellence is located in the Learning Commons, Killam Library at Dalhousie University. The GIS Centre provides campus-wide support for geographic information systems research and teaching. While acting as a repository and licensee for geospatial data, the GIS Centre also manages campus licenses for GIS software. Support from the University Libraries, Dalhousie University as a whole, and the broader GIS community has made the GIS Centre the largest GIS library facility in Eastern Canada.
Dalhousie's amazing breadth of educational programs, through its many faculties, schools and research centers, combined with internationally-recognized faculty members, make them a leading Canadian university. Dalhousie offers more than 3,600 diverse courses in over 180 undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees, with many programs being unique in Atlantic Canada. Over the past five years Dalhousie has successfully rolled out ESRI technology throughout the University, making it available to all students and faculty.
"The technology is being used for research and teaching purposes giving the students and faculty access to the most advanced GIS tools available," said James Boxall, Director and Curator, GIS Centre and Map Collection, Dalhousie University. "Having access to these tools allows for enhanced analysis and results in conducting research projects throughout the various university departments. It also provides a real-world learning environment for students and better prepares the students for the workplace."
The formal GIS courses offered to students include Introduction to GIS, GIS and the Environment, GIS for Earth Sciences, Health and GIS, and Geospatial Information Management. Beyond the formal courses, students in almost every department use GIS within their research. Students are working on such projects as riparian zone evaluation and mediation strategies; determining the best locations for physical recreation centers; reviewing child obesity for location patterns; determining the extent of harmful effects of agricultural practices; planning new growth for Halifax; mapping genes and searching for spatial patterns among splices; location of bear habitats using predictive models; and watershed models and effects of dams on species at risk.
Along with the implementation of ESRI technology within the numerous labs and departments throughout the campus, Dalhousie has setup the Map and Geospatial Information Collection (MAGIC) within the Killam Library. MAGIC is the combined administrative entity for the Map Collection and GIS Centre, with a focus on services and collections. As a combined entity, MAGIC is able to adapt to changing demands in print and electronic geospatial resources, and also provide new and innovative means for delivery of services through the utilization of the GIS Centre.
"Through industry leading research and student support services, Dalhousie continues to be one of the leading universities in Canada for the implementation and utilization of ESRI technology," concluded Mr. Miller.
About ESRI Canada:
Established in 1984, ESRI Canada is a Canadian owned company specializing in geographic information systems (GIS) solutions. ESRI Canada distributes the world's leading GIS software solutions from ESRI Inc., Miner and Miner, and Azteca. In order to provide organizations with complete industry-specific solutions ESRI Canada has established an extensive business partner program that includes more than 125 Canadian organizations. ESRI Canada also provides professional services including consulting, training, technical support, and enterprise GIS implementation. ESRI Canada is a leader in providing world-class enterprise GIS solutions for many industries including local government, utilities, public safety and defence, business demographics, education, natural resources, and transportation. ESRI Canada has fifteen regional offices across the country, with headquarters in Toronto, Ontario. For more information, please visit http://www.esricanada.com/ or call 1-800-447-9778.
Media Contacts:
Heather Adams
Communications Specialist
ESRI Canada
T: 416-386-6463
E: hadams@esricanada.com
W: www.esricanada.com
James Boxall
Director and Curator GIS Centre and Map Collection
Dalhousie University
T: 902-494-6126
E: james.boxall@dal.ca
W: http://www.dal.ca/
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