Salem State Class Helps Amesbury Map The Community

On the evening of Thursday, May 4, eight Salem State graduate students assembled at Town Hall in Amesbury, Massachusetts to unveil a series of maps on housing and open space to  residents and city officials.  The presentation was reported in The Daily News of Newburyport.

Over the past five months, graduate students in GPH904 GIS for Research and Analysis at Salem State University, led by geography professor Marcos Luna, worked to create a comprehensive inventory of Amesbury's housing stock and also its open and recreational space. Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software and assessor's records, as well as state data on land use, the students created a series of detailed, large scale maps and statistics on housing and open space. Three graduate students - Tony Laverde, Ethan Finlan, and Dave Martin - led the presentation of the finished products for the Open Space Committee and the Director of Planning.

The purpose of this project was to assist Amesbury as it plans for future development as well as protection of its existing open and recreational space.  The presentation was well received and was followed by more involved conversations between the students and residents and officials afterward to explore the maps in more detail and to answer questions. The maps, both digital and hard copy, were donated to Amesbury.

The geo-information science graduate program at Salem State University, established in 1993, provides an integrated and applied curriculum with practical, real-world training in the utilization of leading geospatial technologies for research, planning, spatial data management, and project implementation. Students work closely with dedicated faculty in small classroom settings and are exposed to applied spatial problems in the community and generated from ongoing research initiatives centered at the University’s Digital Geography Laboratory (DGL) and the Center for Economic Development and Sustainability (CEDS).

To learn more about the geo-information science graduate program at Salem State University, contact professor Marcos Luna, graduate program coordinator, at 978.542.6487.