Georgia High-Speed Telecommunications Atlas
In 2002, for the first time, Georgia's high-speed telecommunications infrastructure was made available from a single public source via an online Atlas. The interactive Atlas of fiber routes and access facilities was designed to support state and local efforts to attract high-technology firms and to support educational and public sector initiatives for Georgia communities.
All facilities-based telecommunications service providers in Georgia were welcome to participate in the Atlas. The Georgia Center for Advanced Telecommunications Technology (GCATT) and the Center for Geographic Information Systems regularly updated the data to track the rapid growth of Georgia's infrastructure.
Unfortunately, due to security concerns from telecommunications providers, the Georgia High-Speed Telecommunications Atlas is no longer available.
Land Use and Suitability Analysis
 Urban planning and development must consider an array of environmental factors to be successful. CGIS is currently creating a Land Suitability Analysis Application using GIS and raster analysis tools. The application is used to determine the suitability and visual quality along transportation corridors. The application is being implemented in the South Fulton Parkway Corridor project located in south Fulton County, Georgia.
Economic Development
 GIS technology allows communities to identify potential industries and attract businesses that could be interested in expanding in their area. Researchers at CGIS have conducted economic development GIS projects for local, state, and federal governments and corporate-based economic development organizations.
Coastal Georgia Footprints Land Use Impacts on Critical Coastal Resource
Georgia's coast is a unique and fragile resource. The coastal counties are among the fastest growing in the state. According to the Coastal Area Regional Development Center, this growth is largely due to national trends of movement to coastal areas, positive economic trends, enlargement of military bases, the growth of Brunswick and Savannah ports and coastal tourism. Development of the Georgia coast is expected to continue at a rate that will surpass that of the state and nation over the next 20 years. This growth has the potential to significantly damage a number of sensitive environmental systems.
To address these issues, The Georgia Conservancy has asked the Center for GIS to develop a system which models the impacts of urbanization on coastal resources. This system contains three major components: a robust inventory of critical natural resources, detailed mapping of existing and past urbanization and a predictive model that forecasts future development patterns. With this system, the Georgia Conservancy will be well positioned to develop a systematic, state-of-the-art approach to assessing the impacts of land use change on the Georgia coast. This system will be a powerful tool for educating the public and policy makers regarding the extent of developmental change and the patterns for future change of coastal Georgia.  Click on the image at left to see a landcover change animation. |
