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gpjk/ii[;riculture -- use of satellite data for soils mapping in Wisconsin; prediction of soil loss on cropland 
with remote sensing; analysis ot soil variability with repetitive aerial photography; cropping management 
from color and color-infrared aerial photographs; prediction of corn yield in Wisconsin and Illinois from 
multispectral data; assessment of irrigated farmland using Landsat and SPOT data; mapping of changes 
in agricultural land using digital data; assessing groundwater contamination susceptibility. 
image Processing — algorithm optimization; spatial classifiers; visualization; classification accuracy 
assessment; automated image segmentation; network configurations; mass storage considerations; data 
compression; image enhancement and restoration; data merging procedures; GIS integrations; expert 
systems; spatial statistics. 
Other — establishment of a combined remote sensing/GIS database for long-term ecological research in 
north temperate lakes; use of satellite data and GIS technology for mapping and monitoring nature 
reserves on a global basis; use of digital enhancement procedures to study imagery of hazardous waste 
sites; typifying the thermal dispersal of power plant cooling-water discharges; image mapping using 
Thematic Mapper and SPOT data; enhancing the role of remote sensing in earth system science. 
REMOTE SENSING INSTRUCTIONAL AND RESEARCH TRENDS 
Over the past ten years, we have seen a shift in program emphasis from visual interpretation of aerial 
photographs and satellite images to computer-based interpretation of digital satellite data. Computer 
use has shifted from a single multi-user mainframe, to a dedicated minicomputer with one color graphics 
terminal, to multiple networked microcomputers with color graphics capabilities. Attendant to these 
changes is an increasing emphasis on analytical skills requirements (calculus, statistics, computer science), 
digital image processing, and GIS integration with remotely sensed data in an expert system context. We 
have also seen new challenges and opportunities stemming from the higher resolution data of the most 
recent satellite systems (Landsat TM and SPOT) and are anticipating the import of the high spectral 
resolution data from the future Earth Observation System (EOS). 
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GIS INSTRUCTION 
GIS instruction at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is offered in several departments and is 
coordinated by an ad-hoc faculty group representing the departments of civil and environmental 
engineering, computer sciences, engineering professional development, forestry, geography, landscape 
architecture, soil science, and urban and regional planning, and the Institute for Environmental Studies. 
While there is currently no single undergraduate or graduate "GIS studies program," students can 
emphasize GIS studies within many diverse departments, or within the IES Environmental Monitoring 
or Land Resources graduate programs. 
In addition to the many courses on campus that use GIS as a tool within the context of the course, there 
are several courses that have a central focus on GIS. These are described below. Also, several new 
courses in GIS are under development. 
An Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (Geography 377,3 credits). This course is a general 
introduction to GIS and provides an overview of the field. The approach focuses on the integrative 
aspects of GIS and although GIS is a multidisciplinary subject, a geographer’s perspective forms the core 
of the material. As a tool for spatial analysis, GIS relies on the disciplines of geography, surveying, 
photogrammetry, cartography, remote sensing, image processing, and computer science to provide the 
fundamentals from which spatial decisions can be drawn. Theoretical concepts which are the base for 
specific GIS operations are explored; however, much of the course focuses on the technical concepts 
upon which operational systems are based. The course includes practical demonstrations of existing 
systems, several simple computer exercises, and an assessment of current GIS application areas.