Earth Data Analysis Center

EDAC’s Information Technology program supports both internal and external IT requirements. IT activities by the team include:

• Managing EDAC’s internal email, file, and print services
• Development and hosting of EDAC’s trouble-ticket system and associated IT knowledge base
• Provision of support for EDAC’s diverse collection of over 20 desktop workstations and laptop computers
• Ongoing maintenance and support for EDAC’s internal and external servers, including over 25TB of online storage, a high-performance cluster of web application servers, and several additional free-standing web-application servers.
• Ongoing, monitoring, management and configuration of EDAC’s IT security infrastructure
• Maintenance of EDAC’s data backup systems through ongoing monitoring and management of backup processes with our 9.6TB tape library and free-standing backup hardware solutions.

The IT team also provides direct support for EDAC’s ongoing application development efforts through the configuration and development of the combined COTS and Open Source system solutions supported at EDAC. These include:

• Open Source mapping servers based upon Apache, MapServer, and PostgreSQL/PostGIS
• Online mapping applications written in Python and PHP
• Web portal applications based upon Zope and Plone
• Static and dynamic web applications hosted both on Apache and Microsoft IIS
• Web logging services using WordPress
• Evaluation mapping services based upon ArcGIS Server running on Windows Server 2003
• Open Geospatial Consortium WMS, WFS, and WCS services based upon MapServer and PostgreSQL/PostGIS
• Simple Objects Access Protocol (SOAP) services written in Python

Overall, EDAC’s IT team supports all aspects of EDAC’s operations, including maintenance of EDAC’s foundation infrastructure, assistance in application development efforts for other EDAC programs, and through the delivery of support services directly to clients through web application hosting and network infrastructure development.

For more information about EDAC’s IT services, please contact Karl Benedict.

Products & Services

EDAC personnel are expert in processing and analyzing a variety of remotely acquired data. Aerial and satellite data from a wide variety of government and commercial systems are processed to inventory croplands, map vegetation­, and assess mineral and petroleum deposits, both nationally and internationally. GPS and GIS technologies are often used in conjunction with imagery to model the landscape. Data visualization using imagery, elevation data, and vector coverages are becoming increasingly popular products for our clients.

Data sets we have processed include:

EDAC-generated Landsat Thematic Mapper enhancement of geology and structure in the Chilean Andes

Our services are performed on a cost reimbursable basis. Projects are tailored to user needs and can include end-to-end processing, project design, interpretation, or delivery of an enhanced image for client interpretation.

Software & Hardware

EDAC uses ERDAS IMAGINE and ENVI software for all image processing projects and our hardware consists of a number of high end PC workstations. We have 5 IMAGINE licenses running the following ERDAS software:

• Image Professional (5 licenses)
• Vector
• Virtual GIS
• OrthoBase Pro
• Stereo Analyst

Landsat 7	Russian topographic map
3-Dimensional views of Ethiopia/Eritrea area created with Russian DEM files

Our project range includes creating mosaics of satellite and aerial imagery, performing multispectral analyses for mineral exploration, mapping vegetation and land cover using GPS-derived spectral signatures, and generating digital orthophotographs.

For more information please contact Tom Budge

Products & Services

The GIS/GPS Team offers custom GIS products tailored to individual client needs. Products may consist of:

• Internet Mapping Applications
• Desktop Mapping Applications
• Paper Plots
• Spatial Data
• Or a Combination of these

New spatial data can be created as needed from:

• Paper Maps
• Property Boundary Descriptions
• Database Files, including GPS files and address databases that need to be geocoded

We also offer GIS data management services, and consulting services for clients new to GIS.

Background & Experience

We do not specialize in a particular field of interest and have developed a wide range of experience. For instance, we have completed projects that deal with:

• hunting
• game management
• health care
• land use
• transportation
• banking
• property management
• natural resource management

Software

As part of a university community we regularly employ students whom we train in the fundamentals of GIS and GIS software. We mainly use the ESRI suite of GIS software including: ArcGIS, Workstation Arc/Info, ArcView 3.2 (including Spatial, Network, and 3D Analyst), ArcSDE and ArcIMS. Erdas Imagine image processing software and Trimble GPS equipment are also used.

More Information

As a partner in RGIS (the New Mexico Resource Geographic System Program), the GIS Team has constructed and maintains the online statewide spatial data clearinghouse.

Some examples of our work can be found through the Sample Products area of the site.

Contact Shirley Baros for more information about the GIS/GPS program.

The Clearinghouse provides users with data and metadata for a wide variety of geospatial products, including:

• Aerial Photography
• Space Shuttle Imagery
• Satellite Imagery
• Topographic Maps
• Spatial Digital Data

EDAC’s Clearinghouse Services has served the New Mexico community and southwest region as a central information and distribution center for all types of aerial photography and satellite imagery since 1968. It has broadened its scope in recent years to include spatial digital data. Under agreement with the U.S. Geological Survey, the Clearinghouse has also operated as New Mexico’s Earth Science Information Center (ESIC) since 1977 and is now a USGS Business Partner.

Aerial Photography

EDAC maintains an archive of aerial photography over New Mexico and Arizona. Photography in this archive dates from 1935 to the present and consists of photos from:

U.S. Geological Survey

Army Map Service

U.S. Forest Service

Soil Conservation Service

Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service

NASA

and some private firms

Click on the above thumbnail images for examples. Photography in the archive is for use at the EDAC office only. No photos may be checked out. Copies of the photos may be obtained by ordering specific frames from the original sources, scanning the photos we have in our collection, or duplicating the photos at a local lab.

Research fees are $35 per hour

Space Shuttle Imagery

Second-generation 70mm, 35mm, 4×5, and 5×5 color film positives provided by NASA are housed in the Clearinghouse. Imagery from the following are available from the Clearinghouse.

Apollo

Skylab

Gemini

Space Shuttle Missions

Global coverage depends on the orbit of the spacecraft. Most photos cover areas between 57 north and 57 south latitudes.

The cost for a search is $35 per hour. Please note that images presented on some web sites may have been color enhanced and may not accurately represent the quality of the film provided by NASA. To order slides, internegatives, or prints contact Laura Gleasner.

Satellite Imagery

Satellite data range from early photos taken by Gemini astronauts to the latest acquisitions of orbiting earth resources satellites. The following data can be ordered through our clearinghouse:

• Landsat
• SPOT
• IRS
• ERS-1
• NOAA
• Russian KVR-1000
• MODIS

These data are located through online databases and contact with other data sources. Searches and orders can be initiated by contacting Laura Gleasner. Search fees are $35 per hour. Data costs vary depending on the source. Please note that handling and shipping fees are added to each order.

Topographic Maps

The Clearinghouse has access to a variety of maps including U.S. Geological Survey products such as the 1:24,000, 1:100,000, 1:250,000, 1:500,000, and 1:1,000,000 scale maps. Other maps include:

• Geologic maps
• Tactical Pilot Charts (TPCs)
• Operation Navigational Charts (ONCs)
• Other Specialty Maps

The University of New Mexico’s Map and Geographic Information Center (MAGIC) maintains an extensive set of maps for New Mexico, the United States, and the world that can be viewed by the public.

Contact Laura Gleasner for details on ordering maps.

Spatial Digital Data

Through the RGIS Clearinghouse digital data such as:

• Digital Elevation Models (DEMs)
• Digital Line Graphs (DLGs)
• Digital Orthophoto Quads (DOQs)
• Digital Raster Graphics (DRGs)
• Other Digital Data

An index file of all available DEMs, DLGs, DOQs, and DRGs is accessed to provide customers with the latest information on the availability of these data sets. The scales vary from 1:2,000,000 to 1:24,000. The smaller scale (1:2,000,000; 1:250,000; and 1:100,000) are available from the EROS Data Center FTP site over the network at no charge.

Contact Laura Gleasner for pricing information.

EDAC’s Offices are on the campus of the University of New Mexico, and receive mail at the following address:

MSC01 1110
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001

Our phone numbers are:

Office: (505) 277-3622
Facsimile: (505) 277-3614

Individual staff contact information is available through our staff directory.

EDAC’s location relative to major roads and highways, including available parking locations

UNM Campus Map with EDAC’s location highlighted

The Earth Data Analysis Center (EDAC) was established at UNM in 1964 to transfer NASA space-based technology to the private and public sectors. Since 1964, EDAC has expanded its services from a library clearinghouse (1968-present) to include remote sensing (1973), image processing (1979), GIS (1983), GPS (1990), and information technologies (1999). The strategy is to provide a complete suite of Geospatial Information Science (GI-science) and technology services to all users.

Our Vision

EDAC’s vision is to be a center of expertise in the GI-sciences for UNM, the State of New Mexico, the nation, and the world. This vision has been realized already by these communities. A component of this vision is to be recognized internationally as a Center for Social Dynamics Research. EDAC is a well-known center among Federal agencies, state, local and tribal governments, and professional societies, organizations and advisory bodies nationally and internationally. Our mission is to serve the needs of these communities by employing GI-science and technologies. To this end, we strive to be a broker between UNM’s academic units and the external communities they serve; to facilitate and stimulate collaborations between government agencies, between government and private organizations, and between universities in the region; and to strengthen graduate education to meet the increasingly complex resource management and decision needs.

EDAC’s Areas of Expertise

EDAC’s staff come from a variety of academic disciplines including Geography, Anthropology, and Geology, and, more importantly, have developed skills in working across disciplinary boundaries with a wide variety of collaborating project partners and end-user communities. Our work with collaborators has allowed us to develop successful projects in a wide variety of domains, including:

• Public health
• Atmospheric modeling
• Hydrologic modeling
• Transportation infrastructure
• Floodplain management
• Border dispute resolution
• Ecological modeling and habitat analysis
• Resource management
• Demographic analysis
• Range management
• Econometric modeling and analysis
• Civil society collaboration

EDAC’s Programs

EDAC currently concentrates in four areas of applied GI-science, each of which is managed by a designated staff member.

• Clearinghouse Services. EDAC’s Clearinghouse provides users with data and metadata for products including aerial photography, space shuttle imagery, satellite imagery, topographic maps, and digital spatial data. Contact: Laura Gleasner
• Remote Sensing and Image Processing. EDAC personnel are expert in processing and analyzing a variety of remotely acquired data. Aerial and satellite data from a wide variety of government and commercial systems are processed in support of a wide range of application areas including crop inventory, natural resource management, and border conflict resolution. Specialized visualization products developed by EDAC’s remote sensing group include 2- and 3d static maps and 3d animations depicting movement through terrain draped with imagery. Contact: Tom Budge
  
• Geographic Information Systems and Global Positioning Systems (GIS/GPS). EDAC’s GIS/GPS Team offers custom GIS products and services that include Internet and desktop mapping applications development; spatial data acquisition, processing, and generation; spatial modeling and analysis; and map product (both digital and hardcopy) generation. Contact: Shirley Baros
• Information Technology (IT). EDAC’s IT operations are constantly evolving to meet the rapidly increasing demands for efficient geospatial data storage, management, and access. IT services and capabilities that EDAC has developed include hosting and development of geospatial databases, online mapping and geospatial analytic applications, collaboration portals and web sites, and standards-based data and map services. Contact: Karl Benedict

The outline provided above is only a sketch of the diversity of EDAC’s work, ongoing activities, and expertise. As we continue to evolve and learn we will be updating this site with the knowledge that we gain, so please come back often to see what the latest developments are in our work in the applied GI-sciences.