VIRTUAL GIS LAB: REMOTE COMPUTING SOLUTION

Abstract

During COVID-19 pandemic, UMD libraries & GIS and Spatial Data Center established a virtual GIS lab to connect users who needed access to GIS computing resources remotely. The lab went live 24/7 in October of 2020 and it gained popularity among the users immediately. The lab was equipped with specialized software in Geographic Information Science, Remote Sensing and statistical softwares (ie., SaS, SPSS). I will present how setting up the virtual GIS lab was instrumental to students, faculty, researchers and staff for their research, teaching and learning experience during the pandemic. This presentation will also include facts and figures of the lab users across the campus.