Implementing GIS for Undergraduate Teaching and Research

Geographic information systems (GIS) are well-established tools in archaeology. Exposure to GIS and training in its use usually occurs relatively late in the academic career, usually at the graduate level. This may be one reason why many archaeologists tend to view GIS as a tool for specialists, instead of an essential part of working in a geographically dependent discipline. Notre Dame is developing a program to introduce undergraduates to GIS systems in both classroom and directed research settings. The program is a cooperative venture between archaeologists within the Anthropology Department, the University Library, and the Laboratory for Social Research.
Many elements and resources must be integrated together to create a productive GIS environment. These elements include selection of the appropriate software, purchasing and maintaining hardware in the lab and field, acquiring and archiving various types of data sets in order to create a viable teaching collection. Such a collection would combine the archiving of geophysical and other data collected in the field supplemented by acquired commercial imagery and other data such as Landsat, photogrammetry and digital elevation models. Related activities would include developing lesson plans and sample datasets for teaching and research projects. The ultimate goal is to produce a program that will not only work at Notre Dame, but that can serve as a model for other institutions seeking to develop similar programs. The current state of the model program and its future direction are described in this paper.