ADL began in 1995, digitizing maps and other geographically referenced materials and developing ways for accessing them. The project is housed in UCSB's main library. Stage 2 of the Alexandria adventure began in 1999 with the Alexandria Digital Earth Prototype (ADEPT), funded by the National Science Foundation until 2004. ADEPT aims to use the digital earth metaphor for organizing, using, and presenting information at all levels of spatial and temporal resolution.

Geography faculty involved with ADL: Michael Goodchild, Ray Smith, Terry Smith (Director).

Founded in 2000, CSISS is funded by the National Science Foundation under its program of support for infrastructure in the social and behavioral sciences. Its programs focus on the methods, tools, techniques, software, data access, and other services needed to promote and facilitate a novel and integrating approach to social science.

Geography Department faculty involved with CSISS: Michael Goodchild (Principal Investigator), Helen Couclelis, Stuart Sweeney.

The Climate Hazard Group uses the UCSB Geography department’s strengths in statistical climatology, hydrology, GIS, remote sensing, and geostatistics to reduce the threat of flooding and famine in the developing world. The CHG works closely with governmental institutions (especially the United States Geological Survey (USGS) International Program) to improve the scientific research, capacity building, and application components of the USAID-funded FEWS NET. In addition to a research team at UCSB, the CHG employs scientists stationed in Africa, Central America and Washingon, D.C., enabling us to quickly communicate new scientific developments and news of potential climate-related hazards.

Formed in 1994, ICESS's mission is to provide a distributed, interdisciplinary computer environment for the promotion and support of research and research education in Earth system science; an interdisciplinary environment and computer-related service that enhances the excellence and competitive advantage of UCSB global change research; a center of excellence to provide visibility and aid in the attraction of top faculty and students to UCSB; and an efficiently-run business operation and administration that supports research. ICESS is funded by various federal and state agencies, including NASA, NSF, NOAA, and the Department of Navy.

Geography Department faculty involved with ICESS: Catherine Gautier, Leal Mertes, Dar Roberts, Dave Siegel, Ray Smith, Libe Washburn.

Affiliated faculty involved with ICESS: Frank Davis, Jeff Dozier, Tom Dunne, John Melack.

The Institute for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Research (ISBER) is UCSB's Organized Research Unit for sponsored research in social sciences and, to a lesser extent, other divisions of the university. With over 130 principal investigators and 14 Research Centers, ISBER provides help with conceptualizing, finding funding for, and administering projects.

The National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS), located in downtown Santa Barbara, is a research center of the University of California, Santa Barbara. NCEAS supports cross-disciplinary research that uses existing data to address major fundamental issues in ecology and allied fields, and their application to management and policy. NCEAS is a unique institution with an explicit mission to foster synthesis and analysis, turn information into understanding and, through effective collaboration, alter how science is conducted.

Founded in 1988, NCGIA is an independent research consortium dedicated to basic research and education in geographic information science. The three member institutions are the University of California, Santa Barbara; the University at Buffalo; and the University of Maine. The consortium was formed as a response to a competition for funding from the National Science Foundation, and continues to receive much of its funding from that source.

Geography Department faculty involved with NCGIA: Michael Goodchild (Chair of Executive Committee), Keith Clarke (Director, NCGIA Santa Barbara), Richard Church, Helen Couclelis, Reginald Golledge, Joel Michaelsen, Dan Montello, Terry Smith, Waldo Tobler.

The Research Center for Virtual Environments and Behavior (ReCVEB) is a recently established (1998) multi-disciplinary research organization at the University of California, Santa Barbara, devoted to understanding the complex interplay of computer-generated virtual environments and human behavior, broadly defined.

The Research Unit on Spatial Cognition and Choice is located within the Geography Department at UCSB, under the direction of Professor Reginald G. Golledge. RUSCC is a research unit and is not a teaching program. It is funded by the Department of Geography. Its purpose is to encourage multi-disciplinary research on: Spatial Cognition and Behavioral Geography; Activity Based Disaggregate Travel Modeling; Geography and Disability; Wayfinding and Navigation; and Non-visual Computer Interfaces for Accessing Onscreen Maps, Images, and Graphics.

spatial@ucsb is an innovative university-wide resource and research center at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Its mission is to facilitate the integration of spatial thinking into processes for learning and discovery in the natural, social, and behavioral sciences, to promote excellence in engineering and applied sciences, and to enhance creativity in the arts and humanities.

Terrestrial Plant and Ecosystem Ecology at UCSB focuses on a range of research from evolutionary ecology in plant populations to remote sensing of entire ecosystems. The Santa Barbara area and UC Natural Reserve System provide exceptional field sites in habitats ranging from grassland, sage scrub, chaparral, and oak woodland. Desert and alpine systems occur within half a day's drive.