Our Mission

Our mission is to advance research and knowledge on the application of geospatial and visual planning technologies (including Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Global Positioning Systems (GPS), Internet Based Technology, and Presentation Software) for public and private sector planning and decision-making. The VPT Lab accomplishes this mission through Research, Semester Courses, and 2-3 day professional Training Classes

Our Place in the University

The VPT Lab is a part of the School of Urban & Regional Planning (SURP) which in turn is located within the College of Architecture, Urban & Public Affairs (CAUPA). Being rooted in an academic department allows us to work closely with other faculty on collaborative projects and to hire students to work on research projects.

Research

Each year the VPT Lab performs sponsored research projects funded by federal, state, and local governments, research centers, and other non-profit agencies. These projects are both large and small in scope and focus on downtowns (e.g. three-dimensional computer modeling); communities (e.g. Districting and Redistricting and Website development); the South Florida (e.g. a GIS-based of the impact of the change in Florida's Coastal High Hazard Area); and multiple states (e.g. assessing the potential magnitude of displacement due to catastrophic hurricanes for coastal counties in eight states).

Semester Courses

The VPT Lab supports the School of Urban and Regional Plannings course offerings in GIS and Visual Planning Technologies The courses are taken by full time undergraduate and graduate students as well as non-degree seeking professionals who wish to further their technical skills.

Training Classes

The VPT Lab offers low cost hands-on training in GIS and GPS technology in our state of the art computer facility. These one to three day classes help area professionals expand their knowledge and keep up with the latest planning software. Many classes focus on learning one of the leading GIS software packages Environmental Systems Research Institute's (ESRI) ArcGIS suite.