MSU GRI-Stennis Provides Business-Building Resources for EIGS Industry Cluster

May 5, 2004

To effectively serve the needs of the growing industry cluster in Mississippi, EIGS utilizes many statewide resources and organizations supporting geospatial research and activities. Through the engagement of partnerships with academia, government, business and other organizations, EIGS is making use of a host of complementary talents, expertise, facilities, and personnel to enhance geospatial research, business opportunities, education, and workforce development.

One such organization is the GeoResources Institute (GRI) at Mississippi State University, which recently expanded its operations at the NASA John C. Stennis Space Center (SSC). With a continuous presence at SSC for nearly forty years, MSU has long been recognized as a major resource for research in remote sensing, computer engineering, "middleware" development for complex meteorology and oceanographic datasets, as well as for in-depth biological research of the coastal wetlands and the Gulf of Mexico. The GRI-Stennis operation also provides software engineering, computer modeling, and applications development services relating to other geospatial and computer sciences.

The GeoResources Institute has been active in providing technical and business-building resources for the EIGS industry cluster since its inception, working with member companies to create and expand their businesses, and performing research projects for EIGS. Examples include cooperative field research and demonstration programs with DigitalGlobe's agriculture and civil government groups, operational support of WorldWinds' ocean forecasting and meteorology business, in the development and expansion of GeoData Airborne Mapping and Measurements, Inc.'s aerial imaging programs, visual demonstrations of Risk Management Planning's CityScape product, and in the acquisition and analysis of multispectral and hyperspectral datasets that have been made available to EIGS members.

GRI continues its work with a variety of airborne and satellite sensor systems, including radar and lidar, offering extensive experience in remote sensing, data analysis, data mining, geolibrary development, visualization of very large datasets, and computational simulation of high data-density events. These "cross-cutting" technologies apply to environmental issue management, agriculture and forestry, invasive species management, prediction and modeling of wild populations, infrastructure planning and management, wetlands management, water quality and quantity prediction, and a range of other areas.

-- Original article appeared in the May 2004 issue of The Sensor.