Abstract

Paper
Mapping the Way: GIS Internship with the NJ National Guard
Track: Community Projects and Partnerships
Authors: John Reiser, Amy Fread

Rowan University has formed a partnership with the New Jersey National Guard, creating an internship program that gives students unique exposure to how the National Guard manages facilities and operations throughout the State of New Jersey. Students from Rowan travel to the State's Readiness Centers and Armories to record conditions using survey-grade GPS and GPS-enabled cameras, assisting the National Guard in facilities management and real property inventory reporting. The students also maintain the statewide data using a versioned ArcSDE geodatabase. Students in the program also receive training on ArcGIS Server to prepare map services and applications to present the data to National Guard staff throughout the state. By using GIS, the National Guard has been able to better manage facilities and the students receive real world training using the latest ESRI software and best practices.