Synovus Bank Provides Grant to Support Geospatial Data Collection
Post Published On:Thomas University’s Geospatial Analysis Planning & Preservation Center was awarded a grant from Synovus Bank.
The grant was used to purchase two Handheld Trimble Data Collectors. It allows students who are majoring in Biology, Business, Marketing, Criminal Justice, Natural Resources, and Conservation Management, along with those who are pursuing a degree in Geographic Information System (GIS), to collect geographical data of precise locations.
Synovus Bank also gave Thomas University a grant to purchase two 3-D model drones last year.
“The Synovus grants have provided high-tech equipment for TU students to use satellite and drone images of local topography and landscape, which can then be used to visualize, interpret, and tell stories about the geographic features of the local area,” Dr. Deana Baker, Program Director of Science and a Biology Professor, said. “All of this helps improve geographical understanding of the local area for community stakeholders.”
The Geospatial Analysis Planning & Preservation Center has become a hub for geospatial community data. There was a record 400% increase in GIS student interns in our community during the fiscal year 2021-22 compared to three years ago.
The grant has helped students complete different projects including identifying a location on campus for a football practice field, mapping the Red Hills bike trail in Thomasville and remapping the Pebble Hill Workers’ Cemetery, which has resulted in the new map having the names, birth, and death dates of those buried in the cemetery.
Jacob Pino, a sophomore, is thinking about pursuing a degree in GIS. In his science class this semester, he is learning how to map different geographical areas.
“We have learned about coordinate planes – how to change the base maps – and imagery,” he said. “We recently did a slide show to show the difference between years of a lake in 2018 – how full the lake was, and in 2023 how dry the lake is.”
Pino said the grant is beneficial to the research they are doing.
“I think the grant is amazing,” he said. “It is definitely going to help our class to create these images and work with technology to create better images so that we can learn how to create better maps.”
Sam Sewell, a commercial banker with Synovus Bank, said the new GIS technology the students are using will not only help them while they are in the classroom, but also help them as they pursue different career opportunities.
“I think the technology the class is currently using will benefit these students as they graduate and move on to their careers,” he said. “GIS mapping has a lot of applications in a lot of different industries, so I think it will really help them with career opportunities.”
