Project Goal
The UNH Cooperative Extension Geospatial Technologies Training Center (GTTC) was established in partnership with NH GRANIT in the late 1990’s. The goal of the training center is to further geospatial education and the adoption of geospatial technologies in organizations, schools and governments throughout state of New Hampshire. The GTTC offers a wide range of training courses, from 2-hour no-cost workshops on GIS basics to intensive 10-day classes on GIS use for community mapping. The GTTC works in cooperation with local, state and regional organizations to enhance current training programs and develop new workshops based on emerging technologies and stakeholder needs. Our enthusiasm for collaboration is exemplified by the GTTC’s involvement in the National Geospatial Technology Extension Network (http://geospatialextension.org) and the eXtension Map@Syst community of practice (http://extension.org/geospatial+technology).Business Problem Solved
UNH Cooperative Extension’s central goal is to bring research-based knowledge to the citizens of NH to enhance their ability to make informed decisions and strengthen their communities. The GTTC outreach program meets this goal through an iterative process of identifying new technologies and approaches in GIS and GPS, developing applied workshops on how to best implement these techniques, and using stakeholder evaluations to guide our program development. The GTTC offers training at affordable costs, recognizing that funding is often a barrier to the adoption of geospatial technologies. Using our mobile teaching lab, we offer workshops around the state and in a variety of formats (evening, 1-day, multiple days). The combination of quality materials, excellent instructors, relevant applications, cost-appropriate fees and numerous workshop locations has allowed the GTTC to spread GIS and GPS skills to groups throughout the state of NH for nearly a decade.
Technology Implemented
The GTTC uses a variety of software and hardware in our geospatial training program. We have two laptop teaching labs (total of 27 computers) to provide the mobility and flexibility needed to reach out to all areas of the state. The majority of our workshops rely on ESRI products, specifically ArcGIS Desktop and Spatial Analyst, including our workshops classified as Fundamentals, Advanced Topics and Intensive. We use Trimble and Garmin units in our GPS workshops, relying on Pathfinder Office and DNR Garmin, respectively, to interface with the GIS software. As part of our mission to serve all citizens and organizations of NH, we have also identified an assortment of free software that can be used for geospatial applications. These products are featured prominently in our Basics workshops, including GPS & You and GIS on Pennies a Day.
Development Team Biography
The greatest strength of the GTTC is the skilled and dedicated group of primary instructors, guest instructors and workshop creators that have developed and promoted the center since the late 1990’s. While it would be nearly impossible to list all contributors, those named here have contributed significantly to the maintenance and expansion of the program since its inception (current organizations in parenthesis): Nancy Lambert (Strafford Rivers Conservancy), Fay Rubin (NH GRANIT), Sharon Hughes (UNH Cooperative Extension), Anne Deely (Neatline Associates), Brad Anderson (independent), Byard Mosher (Lake Shore Consulting) and Shane Bradt (UNH Cooperative Extension).
