About CAST

The Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies is a multi-disciplinary center for spatial research and technology housed within the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas. With collaborations across the University of Arkansas system, as well as with partners at the state, national and international level, CAST offers students, faculty, and the public opportunities to learn about the various applications of geographic information systems. CAST investigators span the social and physical sciences with expertise in the measurement and analysis of spatially referenced, multi-scalar data and processes, and are funded primarily through external sponsorships.

The Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies was designated a formal Research Center by the U of A Board of Trustees and the Arkansas Department of Higher Education in 1991. A research unit focusing on geographic information systems and the exploration and utilization of spatially referenced data, CAST was created to facilitate cross-departmental and college collaborations into multi-disciplinary research, applying spatial technologies to a variety of fields. CAST maintains close relationships with many academic departments across the university system, as well as many local, state and federal agencies and organizations.