ESRGC Newsletter - Fall 2026

Welcome to the Fall 2026 Edition of the ESRGC Newsletter!

GIS Day on November 18 and Geography Awareness Week, November 16–20, 2026, provide a great opportunity to celebrate the connections geography creates and highlight the ESRGC’s work across Salisbury University. If you haven’t connected with us yet, we’re here to help the campus community discover the many ways geographic information systems (GIS) can support their work and interests. From finding data and creating maps to exploring new ideas and building GIS skills, the ESRGC is here to provide resources, guidance, and assistance. GIS isn’t just for geographers! Its applications span disciplines, departments, and nearly every corner of campus. As we showcase some of our campus collaborations and projects, we invite you to explore what’s possible, share your ideas, and discover how GIS can make a difference in your work.

Have a question or an idea? We’d love to hear from you! Reach out anytime at ESRGC@salisbury.edu.

ESRGC News

ESRGC and SU Interns Help Cambridge Plan for the Future

This summer, eight Salisbury University student interns turned paid, hands-on experience into a valuable community resource. Working with SU’s Eastern Shore Regional GIS Cooperative (ESRGC), the interns helped complete a citywide housing-condition study for Cambridge, Maryland. Using tablets, they documented exterior property conditions from public streets and sidewalks, contributing to a project that produced 5,711 survey records.

The updated information gives Cambridge a clearer picture of neighborhood needs and helps the City direct resources, support grant applications, and guide community investment to benefit residents. Building on studies conducted in 2017 and 2021, this third round of data collection also helps the City track changes over time. The project gave SU interns paid summer experience in mapping and field data collection while generating information to support safer housing here on the Eastern Shore.

Explore Salisbury University's Arboretum with the New Mobile and Desktop App

The Eastern Shore Regional GIS Cooperative (ESRGC) recently developed a new mobile and desktop application for Salisbury University's Glenda Chatham Clarke Arboretum. Built as a Progressive Web App (PWA), the application can be installed directly on smartphones, tablets, and computers without visiting an app store or creating an account. The interactive app allows users to explore more than 3,000 trees across campus, with detailed information including tree species, height, and photos. Users can also locate campus buildings, access building information, and explore parking lots with links to parking resources. A built-in "Locate Me" feature makes it easy to identify your current location and navigate campus. The Glenda Chatham Clarke Arboretum app provides an engaging way to discover and explore Salisbury University's campus and arboretum.

Explore and install the app: apps.esrgc.org/salisbury-arboretum

SU Staff Spotlight

Recognizing campus colleagues who quietly keep ESRGC moving.

The ESRGC would like to recognize Lee Howeth, IT Infrastructure Architect, for their incredible support of our technology needs. Lee’s technical expertise, dedication to solution seeking, and commitment to educating are unmatched. Lee consistently goes above and beyond, recently providing comprehensive guidance on our infrastructure, which is essential to ensure the reliability of the systems the ESRGC depends on every day. 

Thank you, Lee; we couldn’t do this without you!

ESRGC Intern Spotlight

Our Fall 2026 Spotlight is current SU student and former ESRGC intern Lauren Skorobatsch.

View the Intern Spotlight

ESRGC Outreach

ESRGC on Campus

GIS on Campus

It's a question we hear often, and one that doesn't have just a single answer.  Our team offers a closer look and share their unique perspectives on what GIS is, how it shapes their work, and why it matters.

Mary Buffington, ESRGC Project Manager – I usually describe GIS as spatial analysis and digital mapping. Our team often uses multiple spatial data layers to answer a question. The example question I like to use is, "Where should a city build a new fire station?" To answer this question, we'll first need parcel data to identify parcels that are large enough for a fire station and are either undeveloped or could be redeveloped. The fire station also needs to be within the city boundary, should not be located next to existing fire stations, and be close to a main road so the fire trucks can quickly respond to calls. Eventually we're able to locate and prioritize potential fire station locations by identifying these critical features. We call this data-driven decision-making! GIS is a tool that can be applied to many industries to help support planning, communication, and management.

Where to find ESRGC

esrgc.org

Give to ESRGC

A copy of the current financial statement of the Salisbury University Foundation, Inc. is available by writing 1308 Camden Avenue, Salisbury MD 21801 or on its website, salisbury.edu/foundation. Documents and information submitted under the Maryland Solicitations Act are also available, for the cost of postage and copies, from the Maryland Secretary of State, State House, Annapolis MD 21401, 410-974-5534.

SU is an Equal Opportunity/AA/Title IX university and provides reasonable accommodation given sufficient notice to the University office or staff sponsoring the event or program. For more information regarding SU’s policies and procedures, please visit salisbury.edu/equity.

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