Description
The Environmental Data Center (EDC) is a Geographic Information System (GIS) and spatial data analysis laboratory in the URI Department of Natural Resources Science, College of the Environment and Life Science (CELS).  The mission of the EDC is to support the use of contemporary tools of spatial data processing and electronic dissemination in the analysis and distribution of environmental data. This is achieved through collaborative research with faculty in the Department of Natural Resources Science and projects with agencies external to URI.  The EDC is the center of technical expertise in GIS for the state of Rhode Island.  The Rhode Island Geographic Information Systems (RIGIS) database is stored at the EDC.  The RIGIS database is the most comprehensive and detailed of any state in the country and contains information on almost all aspects of Rhode Island's natural and cultural resources (e.g., wetlands, aquifers, soils, forests, land use, topography, historic sites, etc.).  Major areas of research at the EDC are spatial data modeling, ecological mapping, and data integration for environmental applications.

Staff
The technical staff at the EDC consists of full-time research associates, graduate student research assistants, and undergraduate students.  All staff are paid directly through soft-money research grants or extension projects.

Training
Instructional programs in GIS and spatial data analysis occur in the College of the Environment and Life Science's (CELS) computer laboratory.  This facility is dedicated to CELS teaching and demonstration applications and consists of 15 Pentium IV level PC's.  The lab supports ArcGIS ArcInfo 9.3 Workstation, ArcView 3.3, and ERDAS Imagine 8.6 software along with many other analytical packages.  The teacher’s station projects onto a “WhiteBoard” touch screen. All PC's are connected to the campus network.

History
Established in 1986, the EDC became a lead cooperator in a joint project between the URI Department of Natural Resources Science and the RI Department of Environmental Management known as the Rhode Island Geographic Information System or RIGIS.    The goal of the RIGIS was to develop a comprehensive and detailed GIS database of RI's natural resources and to use these data and GIS tools to assist in the management and protection of these resources.  Since 1986, considerable attention has been given to developing and distributing accurate and up-to-date GIS data to RI's land managers. 

The EDC works closely with the RIGIS Coordinator in the RI Department of Administration, Division of Planning.  The integrity of the RIGIS database is protected through Intellectual Property Laws at URI and the database is distributed to the public over the internet through the EDC website http://www.edc.uri.edu/rigis.  Currently, the RI Division of Planning, RI Department of Environmental Management, RI Department of Transportation, RI Emergency Management Agency, RI Department of Health, and Coastal Resources Management Council make extensive use of the data and system.  Every community in the state has accessed and used RIGIS data for municipal planning applications.  Numerous federal agencies have used RIGIS data or collaborated with EDC staff and these include EPA, NOAA, USGS, NRCS (SCS), USFWS, AID, and the NPS.  Non-profit organizations such as land trusts and conservation societies are using statewide GIS data to identify critical land use/cover and habitat in order to prioritize property acquisition and protection.