by Laura Elkins, Rodney Pierson, John Pritchard, and Ariya Venin

Project Description: As part of the Woodrow Wilson Environmental Science Institute on Human Impacts on Environmental Systems, we undertook a study of Tewksbury Township in Hunterdon County, New Jersey.  The study was aimed at devising a community plan in Tewksbury Township which would accomedate 300 new units.  To do this we had to analyze a variety of GIS data to determine where the community would be located and what the community would look like.  Not only did we have to analyze this data, but we also had to take into account the different planning priorities, legislation, and zoning laws which guide development in the area.  This web page is a presentation of this project.

GIS in General: GIS (a.k.a. Geographic Information Systems) is a dynamic way to look at and analyze geographic data.  The data is acquired in several ways.  Things such as satellite imagery and ariel photography are extremely useful in compiling data sets for GIS.  The use of paper maps and digital maps is a little more difficult due to the manipulation skills involved.  Once the data is in the computer system, a GIS software package can allow the user to analyze a variety of different types of data in various contexts.  For a better description, see the GIS information page.