Pennsylvania Gov Distributes Geographic Information Software And Training

Pennsylvania Gov Distributes Geographic Information Software And Training

Highlighting Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge's commitment to technology, Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary James M. Seif today announced more than $30,000 to nonprofit organizations for Geographic Information System (GIS) software.

``These grants are helping organizations implement GIS, a technology that will increase public access to data for land-use planning and environmental education,'' Seif said. ``Through GIS, various forms of data can be combined to help with land-use planning, protecting the environment and how one impacts the other.''

The grants are awarded quarterly under a cooperative agreement between DEP and the Environmental Systems Research Institute Inc. to support the organizations' environmental and educational missions.

The amount of each grant each exceeds $3,000. They include the latest commercial release of ArcView GIS software and several texts on using GIS for environmental applications and land-use planning.

In addition, the grants include CD-ROMs containing spatial data about the Commonwealth and the grant recipient's local area, and a two-day training course at the Environmental Resources Research Institute at Penn State University.

``These tools will help as the recipients develop spatial information about their local area,'' Seif said. ``They also will be able to share common data about other activities with each other and with local and state government.'' Applications for the GIS Software Grant are on the DEP website. The deadline for the next round of grants is Dec. 31.

Following are the grant recipients listed by county:

Allegheny -- Pennsylvania Economy League, Pittsburgh;
Beaver -- Independence Marsh Foundation Inc., Aliquippa;
Berks -- Berks County Conservancy, Wyomissing;
Butler -- Slippery Rock Watershed Coalition, Cranberry Township;
Cumberland -- Pennsylvania Senior Environmental Corps, Capital Region, Mechanicsburg;
Dauphin -- The Manada Conservancy, Hummelstown; South Central Assembly for Effective Governance, Middletown;
Philadelphia -- 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; Schuylkill River Development Council Inc., Philadelphia; and
Washington -- Pike Run Watershed Association, California.

For more information about GIS, visit DEP through the Pennsylvania website at www.state.pa.us or directly at www.dep.state.pa.us (directLINK ``GIS'').