Environmental Geographic Information Systems Lab

This lab is available for Geography faculty, staff, graduate students, and any non-major graduate or undergraduate students currently registered in Geography classes who require the use of EGIS facilities for assignments. The EGIS Lab is not open to the general university public.

General Guidelines for lab use:

Users should familiarize themselves with the computing policies of Southern Illinois University-Carbondale http://www.infotech.siu.edu/quickinfo/policies.htm
For security purposes, please do not use unapproved software, launch unapproved executables, etc. Do not install Internet add-ins or approve outside applications or downloads even if prompted by the browser or Internet site.
Do not copy, electronically transfer, replicate, or in any way remove software from the laboratory or access software from outside of the laboratory.
The system administrator, on a continuing basis, will evaluate Internet access from the lab. Be mindful of malicious Internet content and virus risks when browsing.
Please scan all removable disks for viruses before use.
Food and beverages are prohibited in the laboratory.
Use of chat rooms, Instant Messenger, ICQ, Microsoft Messenger Service and other messenger or chat related services are not allowed.
Please restrict any Internet usage to research related information.
The resources of the laboratory are finite and at times will be in demand. Please restrict your use to 'appropriate' activities.
Please clean up your workspace when finished.

The system administrator may suspend any person from using the facilities provided in the laboratory if, in their opinion, that person has violated any of the guidelines or:

If a computer is "locked" and will not let you log in, taking any action to circumvent this will result in suspension from the lab. These computers often have processes running for hours, and interrupting these processes can lose valuable time and possibly the data involved. As well, restarting a computer that is locked down can damage the computer;

Was responsible for the theft of, or willful damage to, any of the computing facilities, software, hardware, peripherals, etc.;
Was in possession of confidential information obtained improperly;
Was responsible for the willful destruction of information;
Was responsible for the deliberate interruptions of normal services provided by the laboratory;
Removed, copied, disabled or destroyed all or part of any disk or software/hardware product in the lab;
Knowingly allowed someone else to remove, copy, disable or destroy any software/hardware product in the lab;
Is caught using the lab facilities without appropriate permission.

Please report any problems to a laboratory supervisor immediately.
Contact: Samuel 453-3323 or Olise at 453-6029

Special Arrangement

If special software or hardware arrangements are needed for the lab, requests should be made well in advance of anticipated need. The system administrator will only install hardware or software for which there is a demonstrated need and a proper and valid license. 'Demo' or 'evaluation' copies can not be installed. Once approved, software/hardware installation requires a minimum lead-time of two weeks.

Virus Scanning

Please scan all removable disks for viruses before use. Viruses can totally disable and in some cases destroy hardware components of lab computers. To scan a removable disk (floppy, zip, cd) insert the disk in the drive, right click the 'Start' button in the lower left of the screen, select 'Scan for Viruses' from the popup menu. This will start the virus scan software. Select 'Browse' and select the disk you wish to scan. If a virus is detected contact the lab manager then clean or delete the file.

Storage Space

Once you have mapped your drive(s), click the "My Computer" icon. You will see a drive labeled "(your username/Nile/ home/class name) on the mapped drive". This is your storage space on the server. It is secure so that only you and the teaching assistant can access the files. You are allocated a quota (500 Mb) for storage space. You will automatically receive a warning when you approach your quota. Your quota cannot be exceeded. All files on the server are stored at your own risk. Important files should be backed up to a Zip or CD. All files should be stored either in this space or on a removable drive such as a Zip, Floppy, CD-R or CD-RW.

Please do not store files on the local machine unless approved by the lab supervisor. The system administrator will monitor file storage and storage use. Because of routine file maintenance, any files not stored in your directory may be deleted.

Account/Password

For your first use, your account is: first character of your name and your last name, for example: if your name is "Bob Roberts", then your account is "broberts", and your password will be set to the same. When you first log on, you must change your password, and will be prompted to do so.

Technical Support

If you need help in the EGIS lab or need to report a software or equipment problem contact:

Samuel Adu-Prah
Faner 4440
saduprah@siu.edu
618-453-3323