Inauguration of Department of Geography’s GIS Lab

Last January 25, 2012, the newly renovated Geographic Information Systems and Digital Cartography Laboratory or GIS Lab of the Department of Geography - College of Social Sciences and Philosophy (CSSP) was inaugurated.  The event was led by the Department’s Chair, Dr. Darlene Occeña-Gutierrez, attended by Chancellor Caesar A. Saloma, Dean Michael L. Tan, CSSP Department chairs, faculty and students of the Geography Department.

It has been almost 10 years since the GIS laboratory was constructed in 2003 and its renovation is a timely upgrade of the facility to accommodate the increasing demand for GIS as a geospatial technology.  As Chancellor Saloma said in his message, like any other technology, it involves constant upgrading.

The application of geospatial technology is of great advantage to those who are undertaking research in the social sciences and other fields.  Dean Tan even said that GIS is a hidden and unknown aspect of social sciences that is gaining recognition.  Not only is it being used in resource management, urban and regional planning, demographic studies, etc, but has now been recognized as an indispensable tool and technique in disaster risk reduction and management.  Chancellor Saloma concurred with this saying that GIS is an interdisciplinary program that could be used in research on risk management, particularly for the Diliman Campus, which is a major concern of his administration.

The GIS Lab is primarily used for instruction and research.  It is utilized for the Department’s GIS, Digital Cartography, Map and Air Photo Interpretation courses.  Classes of Quantitative Methods in Geographic Analysis are also held here as statistical software is required in teaching the said subject. The Department also uses the laboratory when offering short-term courses on GIS applications to members of the CSSP faculty and staff, to non-government and community organizations, private individuals, and government officials who are involved in development-related programs.#


Photo Credits: Bong Arboleda of UP System Information Office
For more pictures see UP System's Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.332877460068488.77363.125780737444829&type=1

The Department would like to thank those who generously contributed for the wine and cheese party-theme of the Inauguration: Sir Emmanuel Garcia,EnP, Sir DJ Garcia, Dr. Meliton Juanico, Prof. Yany Lopez, Geography alumni Rodney Jay Asinas and Lourdes Anne Budomo, and the Philippine Geographical Society.