Abstract
Rural Justice Institute at Alfred University GIS-Based Collaborations Project
Track: Teaching with GIS Across the Curriculum
Authors: Justin Grigg
The Rural Justice Institute (RJI) GIS-Based Collaborations Project brings the benefits of GIS and spatial thinking to criminal justice and human services organizations through a series of GIS-based partnerships as well as the development of a Mapping Portal (RJIspatial) at http://RJIspatial.wordpress.com. RJI is a collaborative enterprise consisting of Alfred University faculty, staff and students representing a variety of disciplines. RJI serves a rural region plagued by generational poverty; agencies in the region often view GIS as an extra and possess minimal awareness of the advantages of spatial thinking. RJIspatial was created to encourage agencies to improve information sharing and resource allocation through the utilization of GIS. RJIspatial content includes an experience-neutral introduction to available mapping options (both web-based and on the desktop) and an introduction to relevant datasets and maps. This presentation will focus on how RJIspatial fosters GIS-based projects with partner agencies.