The Spatial University

The University of Minnesota became one of the world’s first "spatial universities" at a time when public and private sector interest in spatial thinking and approaches was starting to increase exponentially. Spatial University includes seventeen research institutes, centers, and laboratories across the U of M. It builds on decades-long leadership by the University of Minnesota in spatial scholarship and application development. The U of M helped create the Land Management System, one of the first geographic information systems (GIS), in the 1960s. One of the key open-source software packages for displaying spatial information, MapServer, was also developed by U of M researchers. The University of Minnesota offered the first GIS professional degree program in the U.S.

Researchers are increasingly using GIS as a part of their research. Someone studying the movement of dancers can use 3D software; a geologist uses software to map the location of oil deposits. Many disciplines are embracing digital environments and computational science, so that science is being practiced in multidisciplinary teams using spatial technologies. Links to stories about current spatial research can be found on the Spatial University website. U-Spatial gave a presentation at the 2018 Esri User Conference - watch the video.

Research Computing partners with several centers and institutes at the U of M:

The program currently offers four degrees:

Research Computing partners:

  • U-Spatial
  • Minnesota Supercomputing Institute
aerial view of Northrop Mall