Educational Laboratory of Geo-Information Modeling and Cartography was established in 2001 at the Department of Constructive Geography and Cartography.
It aims at teaching ecology students the information technologies fundamentals, distance zoning of Earth, produce ecological maps with the help of computer systems. The GIS products of ESRI company (that) the students work with are as follows: different versions of ArcInfo, ArcMap and ArcGIS. For many years now the Laboratory has used the licensed version ArcGIS 9.0. Alongside students get acquainted with such GIS products as MapInfo, Micro-Station, Surfer and Idrisi. The programming complex ERDAS Imagine is used for deciphering and processing aerospace data. Teaching map scanning and stitching (PanaView), semiautomatic numeralization of thematic layers (EasyTrace), processing cartographic works using graphics editors (Corel Draw, Photoshop), printing, making multi-media presentations (MO PowerPoint), etc. are in the focus of attention. Teaching how to search necessary cartographic, geographic and geo-ecological information using Internet is another important element of students instruction.

Parallel with everyday work with computers at the Laboratory students can master geo-ecological research techniques in field conditions. Special attention is attached to mastering territory preliminary survey, field photography, adjustment of the researched points by means of GPS meter, working out passports of geo-ecological objects, measuring various geographical and ecological parameters at these objects.

The Laboratory actively participates in educational process, provides doing practical assignments on the courses as follows: “Informatics and Systematology”, “Geo-Informatics”, Geo-Information Modeling”, “Cartographic Modeling”, “Hydro-Ecological Modeling”, “Aero-Space Research Methods”, “Ecological Information Databases”, “Environmental Tele-Detection”. With the technical assistance of the Laboratory staff four monographs, two manuals and a number of methodological guidelines have been recently published.

The Laboratory staff take active part in Ukrainian and international scientific conferences and seminars, cooperate with Ukrainian, Polish and German scholars. The Laboratory facilitates writing student course and diploma papers and Master’s theses. The majority of ecological maps and models are made by the students at the Laboratory. Alongside with studying process the Laboratory assists students in writing scientific papers.