The Geoinformatics Technology Facility was established in 1994, and has branches on each campus of the Hebrew University. The aim of the facility is to enrich the research and teaching abilities of the University, in the context of analysis, presentation, administration and storage of spatial information.
Geoinformatics comprises the scientific field and array of technologies associated with spatial information, its classification, storage, and processing, including the infrastructure necessary for optimal use of the information. It combines geospatial analysis and modeling and the development of geospatial databases, using geocomputation and geovisualization methods. Geoinformatics is a development of Geographical Information System (GIS) technology. Although mapping and spatial analysis are well established fields, GIS technology can perform such analyses more rapidly and with greater sophistication than traditional methods.
These abilities make the Geoinformatics Technology Facility a pivotal component in many fields from ecology, botany, hydrology, geology, and atmospheric sciences, to urban planning, environmental modeling and archeological reconstruction.
The Geoinformatics Technology Facility provides a wide range of services, including:
- GIS program infrastructure for researchers in various fields
- Technical and programming support in projects incorporating spatial information
- Construction of a central database for research of various phenomena in the context of climate and topography
- Teaching in various courses and workshops