Frequently Asked Questions

Contents

What is Geocat?

Geocat is Kansas State University’s enterprise GIS and data management platform that provides a unified, cloud-based environment for research data storage, analysis, and collaboration. Built on an ArcGIS Enterprise stack hosted within Amazon Web Services (AWS) and managed by ROK Technologies, Geocat enables faculty, students, and research teams to securely manage and analyze complex spatial and aspatial datasets, run advanced computational workflows, and visualize results through web-based dashboards and applications.

Who can use and benefit from Geocat?

Geocat is designed for everyone in our university community who uses geospatial data, including faculty and graduate researchers, undergraduate students, and extension specialists. It supports interdisciplinary work in fields like water science, ecology, public health, precision agriculture, and emergency management. By lowering technical barriers and providing centralized access to advanced GIS tools, Geocat empowers users to focus on solving real-world problems instead of managing software, servers, and security issues.

How can Geocat support my research?

Geocat serves as a digital backbone that connects your research data, analytical tools, and collaborators in one secure environment:

  • Store and organize your project’s spatial and non-spatial data in the cloud.
  • Integrate real-time data from sensors, instruments, or external sources.
  • Enable data-driven decision-making with customizable dashboards and web maps.
  • Connect to high-performance computing resources for advanced modeling or simulation.
  • Support collaborative, multi-institutional projects through secure data sharing and web services.

What kinds of data can I manage in Geocat?

Geocat is designed to handle nearly any type of research data, including:

  • Spatial data such as field boundaries, soil maps, hydrology, or remote sensing imagery.
  • Aspatial data such as phenotypic observations, genomic data, or sensor telemetry.
  • Environmental data from weather stations, field probes, and monitoring networks.
  • Derived analytics from modeling, simulations, or statistical workflows.

All datasets can be stored and described using standardized metadata schemas and made accessible through secure APIs, supporting FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data principles.

Can Geocat support real-time or streaming data?

Yes. Geocat’s architecture supports real-time data ingestion and event-driven workflows, allowing researchers to monitor experiments, field activities, or lab processes as they happen. These features make Geocat ideal for adaptive, data-driven experiments and operational decision support.

  • Automatically collect and visualize live data from sensors and field equipment.
  • Trigger analyses or alerts when key thresholds are reached.
  • Update dashboards and web applications with live performance metrics.

These features make Geocat ideal for adaptive, data-driven experiments and operational decision support.

How does Geocat integrate with high-performance computing?

Geocat can connect with both on-campus and cloud-based high-performance computing (HPC) systems:

  • Hybrid Cloud-HPC Workflows: Data can move securely between Geocat (in AWS) and Beocat, K-State’s HPC cluster, enabling large-scale modeling, simulation, or machine learning tasks.
  • Cloud-Only Compute: Researchers can use AWS services such as SageMaker (for machine learning), Lambda (for automated processing), and Batch or EC2 HPC instances (for large parallel workloads).
    This integration allows researchers to dynamically allocate workloads between local and cloud resources, optimizing performance and cost.

What tools and services are available through Geocat?

Geocat offers a wide range of tools for managing and analyzing research data including:

  • ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, and ArcGIS Dashboards for geospatial analysis and visualization.
  • AWS-native analytics tools (Glue, Athena, SageMaker) for large-scale computation.
  • Custom APIs and web services to connect data pipelines and applications.
  • Automated workflows for scheduled data updates and event-driven analytics.

Is Geocat secure and sustainable?

Yes. Geocat is maintained through a partnership between K-State’s Geographic Information Systems Spatial Analysis Laboratory (GISSAL) and ROK Technologies, ensuring security, reliability, and long-term sustainability. Key features include:

  • Regular backups, version control, and data encryption.
  • Multi-level authentication through K-State SSO.
  • Institutional support aligned with Next-Gen K-State and Institute for Digital Agriculture and Advanced Analytics (ID3A) initiatives.

Why should I consider using Geocat for my next project?

Geocat offers a scalable, flexible, and secure solution for managing research data—from field collection to publication. By leveraging K-State’s integrated cloud and HPC ecosystem (Beocat + AWS), researchers gain access to:

  • Real-time data capabilities
  • Scalable analytics infrastructure
  • Collaborative data management
  • Enhanced research visibility and reproducibility

Whether your project involves precision agriculture, environmental modeling, social systems analysis, or digital humanities, Geocat provides the tools, infrastructure, and expertise to accelerate your research by allowing your focus to be on on analysis and innovation rather than infrastructure maintenance.

How is Geocat funded?

Geocat’s sustainability relies on a diversified funding model that combines university investment, cost-sharing among participating colleges, and support from external partners and agencies. Internally, it is treated as core research infrastructure, with operating costs supported through shared contributions, F&A returns, and tiered access options. Fee-for-service projects, grants, and partnerships with grant agencies help offset costs and fund system growth. Additional support comes from educational initiatives and philanthropic investment, ensuring Geocat remains a long-term, university-wide asset for research and innovation.

Why is Geocat important now?

Now more than ever, researchers, educators, and outreach professionals rely on powerful, scalable digital infrastructure to manage and analyze complex geospatial data. Whether you’re modeling environmental change, supporting digital agriculture, or responding to natural resource or economic development challenges, the ability to store, process, and share large spatial datasets is essential. Geocat meets that need by bringing cloud-powered GIS capabilities to our university community and enabling new forms of collaboration and discovery. It positions K-State to lead in geospatial science while fulfilling our land-grant mission in the digital age.

How does Geocat support the broader mission of K-State University as a land-grant institution?

As a land-grant university, we have a responsibility to conduct research that serves the public good and to share knowledge widely. Geocat directly supports this mission by enabling spatial research that informs better land, water, and community decisions. It also enhances our ability to deliver place-based insights through extension programming and applied learning opportunities. By investing in cutting-edge digital infrastructure, we’re ensuring that our students and faculty have the tools they need to make a meaningful impact across Kansas and beyond.

What role does AWS and ROK Technologies play?

AWS and ROK Technologies have been essential partners in the design and deployment of the Geocat enterprise GIS system. AWS provides the cloud infrastructure that powers Geocat, offering the performance, scalability, and security needed to support demanding geospatial workflows through services like EC2, S3, FSx, and GPU-enabled virtual workspaces. Their technical guidance and financial support, along with the Kansas Water Institute, enabled the design of a robust, adaptable system while eliminating the need for on-premises hardware management. Complementing this foundation, ROK Technologies delivered a fully managed ArcGIS Enterprise solution, overseeing system setup, software configuration, ongoing maintenance, and 24/7 support. Together, AWS and ROK have enabled Kansas State University to accelerate its transition to cloud GIS, ensuring a reliable and future-ready platform for research, instruction, and outreach.

What challenges led to the creation of Geocat?

Like many institutions, we faced growing demand for enterprise-level GIS tools that were powerful, accessible, and secure. Our legacy infrastructure wasn’t built to handle today’s data volumes or support advanced applications like 3D modeling, GeoAI, or high-resolution imagery analysis. We needed a system that could scale with teaching and research needs, support interdisciplinary teams, and offer secure, reliable access from anywhere. Geocat was developed in response to those needs to bring a cloud-native, managed enterprise GIS platform to our entire university.

What's next for Geocat?

The launch of Geocat is just the beginning. We’re already exploring ways to expand access across regional partnerships, connect to and analyze real-time sensor data, incorporate AI-powered tools, and integrate with high-performance computing for advanced modeling. We also see opportunities to support open data initiatives and provide spatial services to government and industry partners. Long term, Geocat will be a foundation for innovation that can support everything from curriculum development to policy-relevant research across the Great Plains and beyond.