A high-tech mapping system used extensively in land-use planning and election districting on the mainland is now available in the territory.
The Virgin Islands Conservation Data Center is offering a short course in ArcView, one of the most widely used Geographic Information Systems programs, Oct. 6 though 8 on the St. Croix campus of the University of the Virgin Islands.
The CDC is a unit within the Eastern Caribbean Center at UVI that compiles, analyzes and disseminates natural resource data.
In July, the CDC held its first two-day ArcView training session on St. Thomas. ArcView is a GIS desktop software program that connects compiled data to geography. Through ArcView, planners can access and edit data to create maps.
Representatives of the V.I. Water and Power Authority, the Department of Planning and Natural Resources, Coastal Zone Management Agency and Caribbean Professional Consultants, a local architectural engineering firm, took the class in July.
Mariath Hodge of Caribbean Professional Consultants said her training in ArcView is a valuable tool for her firm. ArcView permits the simultaneous access of demographic information and the location of items such as water mains, electrical lines and telephone connector cables, making it possible for one map to be created using common information about a single point.
"We felt that with someone at CPC having that knowledge it would ease us a bit and eventually we can offer the service as well," Hodge said. "If you are computer-literate and you have the basic knowledge of mapping, it’s pretty easy."
GIS is used for transportation planning, voting-district allocation, land use planning and natural resources management. Architects, engineers, surveyors, real estate brokers and others who need up-to-date maps can benefit from a knowledge of ArcView.
Stevie Henry, data manager for the CDC, says that by offering ArcView training at UVI, government agencies and the private sector can use local examples in their training, demonstrating how GIS can benefit the territory. "If you are doing any work in planning now, the top technology is GIS," Henry said.
For more information on ArcView training classes contact Mr. Henry at 693-1033 or visit the CDC’s web site at http://cdc.uvi.edu. Press the GIS training button for a course description and registration form.