The Laboratory on Geoinformatics and Cartography (LGC) was established in 1992. LGC follows in the tradition of education in the field of GIS established at the Institute of Geography (Masaryk University, Faculty of Science) already in the early 1980s, when it was the first institution in the former Czechoslovakia and in the entire former Eastern Block to do so. LGC extended already existing education programs with research in GI-science area. In the course of time, LGC has specialized in geographic cartography, issues related to creation of spatial data infrastructures, cartographic generalization and the role of cartography and geoinformatics in an information and knowledge-based society. Current research is focused on contextual, mobile and sensory mapping, and development of geovisualization methods for decision-making support.

LGC acts as the guarantor of study programs Cartography, Geoinformatics and Remote Sensing at Masaryk University (Bc., MSc. and Ph.D. degrees). Education courses are aimed mainly at geographic and thematic cartography in computer environment and basic areas of geoinformatics. LGC has also participated in creation of textbooks (including multimedia textbooks - www.geogr.muni.cz/ucebnice/kartografie) and international vocation courses (http://www.gisa2e.educagri.fr).

Head of LGC, Assoc. Prof. Milan KONECNY, together with the LGC staff, organized several international conferences. The first conferences (held in 1987 and 1991) were devoted to Computer Cartography and GIS in the Central and Eastern Europe. A series of conferences known as GIS Brno followed in 1994, 1996 and 1998. The 4th AGILE conference on Geographic Information Science in 2001 and 3rd International Symposium on Digital Earth in 2003 were also held. In 2003 - 2007, Assoc. Prof. Konecny served as the President of the International Cartographic Association (ICA). Since 2006, he has been the Vice-President of the International Society for Digital Earth. He has participated as the expert representing the Czech Republic in creation of the INSPIRE project.

LGC participates in many research projects at both local and international levels. The main nation-wide projects include Production of GIS in the Czech Republic - Contemporary Condition, Barriers of Increase, Conditions of Optimal Development and of Applications in International Context (1995-1997), a project that initiated scientific and professional discussion on geoinformation infrastructures in the Czech Republic, and Open Regional Internet Atlas of South Moravia (2003-2005) supported by the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic. Important international projects include INCO Copernicus: Well-GIS, Panel GI, ABDS; IST: WirelessInfo; Leonardo: Urbax2, and GISA2E. Outside Europe, LGC participated in a joint project with Hosei University in Tokyo focused on cartography and ecology.

Currently, LGC participates in projects MobilDat and Management of Geographic Data funded by the Grant Agency of the Czech Academy of Sciences, and project on cartographic visualization and modeling of current trends of development of health and healthcare in the Czech Republic (Medikarto) funded by the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic. The most important project is Dynamic Geovisualization in Crisis Management (Geokrima) funded by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.

LGC cooperates with a number of prominent scientific workplaces worldwide and with all important scientific organizations in the Czech and Slovak Republics. It actively participates in the activities of the Czech Cartographic Society, Czech Geographic Society and Czech Association for Geographic Information. On the international level, LGC is active in the following scientific organizations: ICA, ISPRS, FIG, IGU, CODATA, ISCGM, GSDI and ISDE.

Laboratory activities:

• Education and training at the field of GI sciences
• Research, design and implementation infrastructure for computer cartographic works 
• Design of electronic map and cartographic interfaces
• Consulting at the field of Geoinformatics
• Issues of Geoinformation in the frame of Information Society 
• Support of GI standard addoption and awarness
• Project design in the field of GIS, remote sensing and GPS  
• Participation in the national and international projects in GI science area