The Mid-America Remote sensing Center (MARC) has recently joined KentuckyView, a group of Kentucky Universities and state agencies that utilize and promote the use of remote sensing data. The consortium is part of the state-based, nationwide AmericaView initiative established and supported by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The USGS Earth Resources Observation System (EROS) Data Center is the primary
provider
of remotely sensed data. AmericaView came about because accessing remotely
sensed data of various types by researchers and government agencies was
costly, not to mention the investment in hardware, software, and training
that are necessary to utilize the data and apply it to monitoring, mapping,
and managing natural resources. This was particularly true in the case of
state agencies and those involved in secondary and post-secondary education.
To address the problem of access to remote sensing data, AmericaView's goal
is to build a university-led consortia on a state-by-state basis that encourages
access to and utilization of remotely sensed data of various types in the
public and private sectors in applied research. MARC
is one of the initial partners in the KentuckyView consortium that was
established by the Institute for Regional Analysis and Public Policy at
Morehead State University. Other members are the Department of Geography
at Eastern Kentucky University, the Department of Geography and Geology
at Western Kentucky University, the College of Agriculture at the University
of Kentucky, the Kentucky Geological Survey, and the Kentucky Division
of Geographic Information. KentuckyView has surveyed remote sensing capabilities
of post-secondary educational institutions in the state and has established
a web site (http://www.kentuckyview.org/).
Goals of KentuckyView are to host a state-wide conference for secondary
and post-secondary institutions, to develop ties with neighboring StateView
programs, and to support conferences and workshops with those entities.
As a member of KentuckyView, MARC and other
consortia members have the opportunity to receive discounts on data and
have access to shared data sets, equipment, lesson plans, tutorials, and
workshops. Members are encouraged to contribute to Kentucky remote sensing
data sets, curriculum and outreach materials, to promote awareness of
KentuckyView and AmericaView (http://www.americaview.org/)
and to provide input for the preparation of reports, documents, and proposals.
