USING WEBGIS AT THE COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON: ON-CAMPUS AND OFF-CAMPUS EDUCATION AND COLLABORATION

The College of Charleston Department of Geology and Environmental Geosciences has successfully implemented a ArcGIS WebGIS server for use in classrooms, laboratories, research, interagency collaboration, and public information dissemination. WebGIS has been shown to be a superior platform for the sharing, analysis, and display of digital spatial data. The integration of WebGIS in the introductory classrooms and for research dissemination has provided Geology department faculty with numerous opportunities for interdisplinary collaboration. The use of a graphically driven web-based mapping portal enhances the ability of students and the public to use and understand complex spatial, geologic, and environmental issues.

Some examples of the use of WebGIS at the College of Charleston by students include using digital soils maps in introductory laboratories for students to explore the properties of the soils on which they live and access to the Charleston Earthquake Walking Tour to explore the locations of damage from the 1886 Charleston earthquake. Public access to the Earthquake Walking Tour is also available for both residents and tourists to familiarize themselves with Charleston's seismic history. Collaborative research has led to the development of an interactive portal for the Charleston Seismic Hazard Analysis Consortium to facilitate web-based hazard research and communication. WebGIS maps have proven to be key to international interdisciplinary research, including showing locations of historical churches throughout Iceland; and geoacheaological applications in prehistoric sites in the Gosku Valley of Turkey, and investigating and mapping ancient tombs in the Egyptian Theban Necropolis.