Pennsylvania Government awards GIS software grants

Pennsylvania Government awards GIS software grants

Harrisburg, Feb. 21, On behalf of Pennsylvania Government Tom Ridge, Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary James M. Seif today announced that 10 nonprofit organizations have received the seventh round of Geographic Information System software grants. The grants are awarded under a cooperative agreement between DEP and the Environmental Systems Research Institute Inc., and will support the organizations' environmental and educational missions.

"These grants are designed to increase public access to data for land-use planning and environmental education," Secretary Seif said. "By using GIS, these organizations can do a better job of protecting and restoring the environment."

Following is the list of award recipients by county:

3 Rivers Wet Weather Demonstration Program;
Professional Recyclers of Pennsylvania;
Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve;
Municipal Authority of Buffalo Township;
Meadville Area Water Authority;
Shenango River Watchers;
International Peace and Conflict Resolution Master of Arts Program (Beaver College);
The Partnership Transportation Management Association of Montgomery County;
Allegheny Valley rails Association; and
Jacobs Creek Watershed Association.

The grants, awarded quarterly, are valued at more than $3,000 each. Included are the latest commercial release of ArcView GIS software; several texts on using GIS for environmental applications and land-use planning; CD-ROMs containing state and local spatial data; and a two-day training course at the Environmental Resources Research Institute at Penn State University.

"These tools will help the recipients develop detailed information about their local areas, from roads to streams to where new development is located," Secretary Seif said. "By comparing this digital data, they can understand the impact one will have on the others." GIS Software Grant applications are available on the DEP website. The deadline for the next round of grants is March 31.

For more information, visit http://www.state.pa.us/ or http://www.dep.state.pa.us/