launch CADGIS

Inside of the Computer Aided Design & Geographic Information Systems, or CADGIS, Research Lab, a few pieces of machinery from the early days of the lab still exist. They sit in corners like old family heirlooms, no longer used but too valuable to throw away. And on the walls, a couple of geographical line-art renderings show the odd visitor what it was like in the days of old, or the 1980s as it might be more commonly known as.

The geographer and the architect have replaced their drafting boards with digital boards. Field notebooks have been replaced by digital notebooks with cellular ports and global positioning system capabilities. Even those aforementioned line-art renderings seem like crude caveman scrawlings on the wall next to 3-D images and maps of entire geographical areas.

"It's kind of like comparing a clay tablet and a stick to the typewriter," said CADGIS director Barrett Kennedy. "Even the technology that we were using in 1990 is primitive by today's standards. "We've come a long way from an ability to generate two-dimensional line art, to three-dimensional modeling rendering and animation. And we're always looking for ways to push the envelope, and to find the match between the needs of the project and the needs for advancing our understanding of the graphics applications. We're trying to create opportunities for faculty and students to test the limits."

The CADGIS Lab of today was founded in 1984 as a collaboration between the College of Art + Design and the Department of Geography & Anthropology after neither realized they could afford the costs of the sophisticated computer systems that their teaching and research demanded. In addition to supporting the teaching and research of areas like computer-aided design, geographic information systems, remote sensing, and image processing, CADGIS assists with a broad variety of specialized computational applications for art, architecture, landscape architecture, interior design, and geography and anthropology.

Part of the reason for CADGIS's efforts to extend its resource base, is Kennedy's desire for students to learn how to use information technologies in ways that will help them break out of the traditions of the studio or classroom environment. As a result, those students with experience in the CADGIS lab have a decided leg-up in their professional careers after college.

"We are exploring how the increasing mobilization of these technologies helps in the professional field," Kennedy said. "We have capabilities that many of our peer institutions cannot provide for their students. The professional marketplace is looking for graduates with fresh perspectives, who can find cost-effective technology applications in the work-environment. This is the edge that starts to put our students in a better position after college.

"A lot of our work is about anticipating trends in technology and in the workplace. We're trying to ensure that LSU students and faculty have the computing resources that we feel they need to explore the future. This enables them to hone the skills that improve their marketability and competitiveness. More importantly, it gives them an opportunity to develop a sense of vision that will enable them to become leaders in their prospective professions."