Geography & Environment: Research and Projects
Geographic Education Alliance
Rowan University is proud to be the home of the New Jersey Geographic Education Alliance. Find out more about the Alliance on their website.
Research
Our ongoing study, Changing Landscapes in the Garden State, focuses on land use development patterns in New Jersey over a period spanning several decades.
The interactive component to the Changing Landscapes report is the New Jersey Land Change Viewer. The Land Change Viewer allows you to explore the data behind the report and view animated maps that show the progression of development and the loss of open space.
Our most recent report is titled, "Evidence of Persistent Exclusionary Effects of Land Use Policy within Historic and Projected Development Patterns in New Jersey." This analysis explores the effect zoning decisions have made on the availability of affordable housing within New Jersey.
Projects
- NJ MAP (Municipal Asset Profiler) Our newest project currently under development with support from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, will integrate the latest technology in automated web-based mapping to provide detailed land use and environmental information to local municipal stakeholders.
- Changing Landscapes in the Garden State A detailed analyses of New Jersey's land resources and how they have changed over the past several decades. This report inventories how development is occurring largely in a sprawling pattern and how open spaces are subsequently being lost.
- New Jersey Land Use Change Viewer The New Jersey Land Change Viewer allows you to explore the data behind the Changing Landscapes report and view animated maps that show the progression of development and the loss of open space.
- NJ National Guard GIS Internship Program Using satellite-enabled cameras and survey equipment, Rowan University geography students and Rowan GIS specialist John Reiser are mapping the New Jersey National Guard facilities throughout the state. This project was recently featured on Rowan's home page.
- NJ National Guard Environmental Compliance Internship Program Beginning January 2013, the GeoLab will begin working with NJARNG, Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (EMB) to maintain and implement environmental compliance practices throughout New Jersey.
- Evidence of Persistent Exclusionary Effects of Land Use Policy within Historic and Projected Development Patterns in New Jersey Analysis of residential and non-residential land use development patterns to explore the effects of New Jersey’s current land management policies and the persistence of exclusionary zoning influences.
- DoubleTake (Seward Johnson) exhibit maps
- Analysis of Light Rail Alternatives Analysis of the geographic factors that will influence the success of the commuter transit alternatives currently proposed for Southern New Jersey and a detailed station location analysis in Glassboro.
- Impervious Cap & Trade - A proposal for an alternate approach to TDR A conceptual framework [PDF] for an innovative approach to Transferable Development Rights (TDR) that utilizes an impervious surface cap and trade system to better integrate environmental management with smart growth and sustainability land planning objectives.
- Geospatial Indices of Urban Sprawl So what is sprawl anyway? Professor John Hasse's ground breaking research provides a GIS framework for understanding the development patterns that create undesirable outcomes in land use.
- Rowan Facilities Web Mapping
- Rowan Tree Inventory & Arboretum Efforts
- Student Geovisualization Projects Rowan students utilize geovisualization tools to create 3D digital models of buildings as well as dynamic photo-mosaics of campus art displays.
