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The last decade has seen GIS evolve from a specialized science performed by highly-trained geospatial analysts working on high-powered desktop workstations, to a mass-market commodity app on a smart phone. Educators, as well as students feel overwhelmed by the diversity and the choices. Today, the field of GIS continues to evolve at an exponential rate. Where does that leave educators attempting to prepare tomorrow’s leaders? One way to make sense of the choices is to separate the educational focus into two parts, GIS in General Education and GIS Professionals. Just as basic computer operation is now a requirement for success, the time for GIS 101 as required freshman course has clearly arrived. In many cases, GIS is already being introduced in K-12. Advanced GIS tailored for every major from biology to business is also essential for today’s spatially literate society. For GIS professionals, there are further choices that must be made or they will risk drowning in a sea of generalization. Educators face the same dilemma: From Infrastructure, to enterprise deployment; from database design to geospatial programming; from hand-held, highly accurate data-collecting devices logging one point at a time, to aerial and terrestrial lidar systems collecting billions of points an hour, no one person can master it all. Industry needs and hires specialists to do a specific job. The challenge is to stay abreast of, and ahead of, the next “new thing”.
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WHAT DO EMPLOYERS WANT
The last decade has seen GIS evolve from a specialized science performed by highly trained geospatial analysts working on high-powered desktop workstations with
main frame data farms
To a mass-market commodity app on a smart phone.
OVERWHELMING CHOICES
Educators, as well as students feel overwhelmed by the diversity and the choices.
OVERWHELMING CHOICES
One way to make sense of the choices is to separate the educational focus into two parts, GIS in General Education and GIS Professionals.
GIS JOBS ON MONSTER.COM
GIS Jobs on Monster.com
Keyword: “Geographic Information Systems”
Eliminates: Logistics, Registered Nurse
265 Full Time Jobs added last 2 weeks
All of the US
GIS JOBS ADDED
46
177
265
447
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
Day One Week Two Weeks Month
DEGREE REQUIRED?
(244), 92%
(21), 8%
Degree Required
Degree Not Required
TYPE OF DEGREE REQUIRED
Computer Science, (146), 60%
Engineering, (51), 21%
GIS /Geography, (20), 8%
"Related", (27), 11%
DESIRED DEGREE LEVEL
(147), 60%
(85), 35%
(12), 5%
Degree Level
Bachelors
"Advanced"
PHD
DEVELOPER/ NON DEVELOPER
(204), 77%
(61), 23%
Developer
Not Devloper
PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE
(102,) 84%
(20), 16%
Java
other
PERCENT OF JOB INVOLVING GIS FUNCTIONS
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100% 50% 20% Footenoe
INDUSTRY
4%7%
13%
17%
21%
38%
Edu
Environmental
Remote Sensing
Gov/Military
Oil/ Gas / Electric
Other
SUMMARY
• The time for GIS 101 as required freshman course has clearly arrived. In many cases, GIS is already being introduced in K‐12
• Advanced GIS tailored for a every major from biology to business is also essential for today’s spatially literate society.
• For GIS professionals, there are further choices that must be made or they will risk drowning in a sea of generalization.
SUMMARY
• Educators face the same dilemma: Infrastructure, Networks & Database Design Geospatial programming; Data Collection Hand‐held, highly accurate data‐collecting devices logging one point at a time, aerial and terrestrial lidar systems collecting billions of points an hour, no one person can master it all.
Industry needs and hires specialists to do a specific job.
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