The Institute for Environmental and Spatial Analysis (IESA) was formed at Gainesville State College in 2001. The Institute is a collaborative effort of the Gainesville State College Division of Natural Sciences, Engineering, and Technology, and Division of Social Sciences, North Georgia College and State University, and the University of Georgia Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering.

     The Institute for Environmental and Spatial Analysis is a teaching, research and public service resource whose focus is the characterization and management of watersheds in northeast Georgia. Specific actions within this broad mission include:

• programs to maintain and improve water quality in NE Georgia watersheds

• giving individuals the technical and conceptual tools they need to assess and manage water quality in a watershed context

• planning for environmental remediation, and

• outreach efforts to raise public awareness of the importance of water quality issues and the effects of land use changes and development on water quality and environmental health

     "Water, like religion and ideology, has the power to move millions of people. Since the very birth of human civilization, people have moved to settle close to water. People move when there is too little of it. People move when there is too much of it. People journey down it. People write and sing and dance and dream about it. People fight over it. And all people, everywhere and every day, need it.

     We need it for drinking, for cooking, for washing, for food, for industry, for energy, for transport, for rituals, for fun, for life. And it is not only we humans who need it; all life is dependent on water to survive.

     But we stand today on the brink of a global water crisis. The two major legacies of the 20th Century - the population and technological explosions - have taken their toll on our water supply. More people lack drinking water today than they did two decades ago. More and more freshwater sources are being used-up and contaminated. Modern technologies have allowed us to harness much of the world's water for energy, industry and irrigation - but often at a terrible social and environmental price - and many traditional water conservation practices have been discarded along the way. Most of the solutions to the crisis must be developed and implemented locally, and always with the view that water is not to be taken for granted, or unjustly appropriated by particular groups for particular needs."   

-  Mikhail Gorbachev,  President, Green Cross Int.

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Georgia is facing increasing demands on its water resources as its population increases and economic activities expand. Water is central to the State’s future. Competition for water among stakeholders in Georgia and neighboring states has intensified and created regional conflicts. Water is needed for municipal, agricultural, and industrial use, navigation, hydropower generation, recreation, and fish and wildlife habitat. During 1998-2003, a protracted statewide drought forced Georgians to focus on the status of the state's freshwater resources. Today, the drought is over and Lake Lanier is at capacity. Even though drought is not making headlines, critical water issues still face the State of Georgia and will need to be addressed.

     Continuing water-resource challenges include water rights litigation, inter-basin water transfers, saltwater intrusion into coastal aquifers, water supply for agricultural irrigation, interstate conflicts, drought, water security, lake protection and management, statewide water conservation, disposal of wastewater treatment effluent, protection of aquatic natural resources, and maintaining drinking water supplies for the Atlanta metro area. The State is currently developing a comprehensive water management plan that will recommend regulatory changes for water resource management. These issues are not unique to Georgia but common throughout the region, the country, and the world.

     To address these issues, there is a need for professionals who are educated in a holistic approach to watershed analysis and management and possess technical skills in Geographic Information Science (GIS). The aim of the watershed approach as outlined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency is to prevent pollution, achieve and sustain environmental improvements, and meet other community goals. GIS is central to the watershed approach. GIS tools are used to define watershed boundaries; quantify watershed land uses; develop monitoring protocols; and analyze and present the plethora of data that are collected. Data relevant to watershed management are collected by professionals from a variety of disciplines, including engineering, geology, hydrology, biology, chemistry, economics, and the social sciences. Therefore it is imperative that well-trained GIS professionals have a fundamental understanding of the role of each discipline in the overall watershed planning and management process.