Field Survey Projects, Using GIS and GPS Technologies

Peter Lillie

Abstract:
As a senior of the Geographic Science and Technology major, I've had the opportunities to apply the geographic information system (GIS) and global position system (GPS) technologies into real-world survey projects through internship and independent study. I worked with WSP USA, an engineering company specializing in government work and high-level private-sector jobs, in winter 2022. I was involved in the Connecticut River Crossing Project with the city of Springfield, MA. My tasks focused on field survey, topography, inverts, and other instrument-operator level tasks, utilizing the Leica Total Station survey system. In the Spring 2022 semester, I've been working with Dr. Jane Huang on the Environmental Mapping in Fitchburg and Leominster project. I surveyed the downtown Leominster and the FSU neighborhood areas using GPS, logged waypoints of littering and plastic pollution problems, uploaded the survey points into a GIS, and produced maps of environmental concerns. The resulting maps may help the municipality clean up the city. The project also serves as a forerunner of the Environmental Mapping in Peru study abroad course that Dr. Huang plans to lead in Spring 2023.