SUNY ESF
GIS at AEC

How is GIS used at the Adirondack Ecological Center?

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are useful tools for ecologists. At the AEC, much of the information we gather is spatial by nature and GIS applications help us not only to display, but also to analyze our data. Here are a few of the ways we use GIS at the AEC:

Monitoring and mapping wildlife

As part of our long-term monitoring program, we collect data on several species of wildlife. Using GIS, we record yearly beaver lodge locations, deer home ranges, and analyze bird populations.

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Habitat modeling

With GIS applications, we create models of potential habitat for specific animals. For example, we have created a map of the potential winter deer yards in the Adirondack Park.

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Reference maps

We create maps for use by resource managers, scientists, and for general educational outreach. Some of these include maps of the Huntington Wildlife Forest property, invasive species locations, and local stations from which to conduct radio telemetry.

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Planning research

With many historical and ongoing research projects occuring on the Huntington Wildlife Forest, it is important to keep track of plot locations and study areas. We collect this information to help guide future research on the forest property.