Educating Geographers with GIS Skills for the Real World: Some Feedback from Geography Graduates at Southwest Texas State University

Abstract

Results of a survey to find out whether the GIS program in the Department of Geography at Southwest Texas Stare University (SWT) has served its graduates well are presented. In recent years, a considerable amount of effort has been given to the development of strategies for expanding the existing horizon of GIS education, integrating existing programs, and improving the ways in which GIS education is delivered. This study takes a different approach and seeks to get input from geography graduates who have secured a job in the real world for improving a university GIS program. Based on 26 responses to the survey, employment categories of SWT geography graduates are examined first. Then, geography courses that are considered most helpful in career development by the survey participants are identified. Third, useful GIS courses and essential skills required by the marketplace in the real world as suggested by the survey participants are discussed. It is clear from the results of the survey that the geography program at SWT in general has served its graduates well. Results from the survey also clearly indicate that GIS skills are useful in the career development of most geography graduates, particularly for those who have a concentration area in either GIS/Cartography, Resource and Environmental Studies, or Urban and Regional Planning.     

Ten things higher education needs to know about GIS in primary and secondary education

This paper examines the status of efforts to implement GIS in Kindergarten to Grade 12 (K-12) education in the United States. Factors promoting and impeding the growth and diffusion of GIS are identified and suggestions for action on the part of higher education GIS specialists are made. In the United States more science teachers have adopted GIS geography/social studies teachers for several reasons. These include science teacher preservice preparation and the essentially different natures of the respective disciplines. Preservice education and teachers' perceptions of geography emerge as key factors influencing the diffusion of GIS in K-12 classrooms. The need for on cognition and GIS before effective curricula and instruction can be developed is emphasized. Three strategies directed at higher education GIS specialists may help implement this eduational innovation. They are: (1) modelling GIS instruction in content classes; (2) including GIS in preservice preparation classes; and (3) outreach to professors who tach educational technology to educate than regarding GIS. The addendum by Paul Heinrich which follows this paper compares US and UK experiences in the diffusion of GIS in elementary and secondary schools.     

A History of Twentieth-Century American Academic Cartography

The academic discipline of cartography is a twentieth-century phenomenon. From its incipient roots in landscape representation in geology and the mapping of socio-economic data in geography, it grew into its own sub-discipline with graduate programs, research paradigms, and a scientific literature of its own. It came close to establishing a national center for cartography In the late 1960s. After rather sporadic activity before World War II, the period from 1946 to 1986 saw the building of major graduate programs at the universities of Wisconsin, Kansas, and Washington. Other programs were created, often with the doctoral students from those three. At the end of the twentieth century, cartography underwent significant changes in relation to the emerging discipline of geographic information science. The future for academic cartography is less certain, as graduate programs adjust the balances among the many components of mapping science, including cartography, geovisualization, GI science, GIS systems, spatial analysis/statistics, and remote sensing.     

多层次GIS人才素质的培养及GIS课程设置

GIS大众化和社会化是GIS发展的必然趋势.针对国内GIS教育的现状,该文提出了高等师范院校地理教育专业侧重了解GIS和应用GIS开展教育教学,地理信息系统相关专业侧重应用GIS,地理信息系统专业侧重熟练掌握GIS等多层次GIS人才素质的培养及各层次人才培养中的GIS课程设置.其目的是满足社会对多层次GIS人才的需求.     

面向GIS专业本科生的经济地理学教学研究

GIS专业是一门新兴的综合性交叉学科,《经济地理学》为G1S提供了重要的理论基础和应用基础。本文从GIS专业的学科专业性质、人才培养目标出发,对《经济地理学》课程的定位与目标、教学内容与方法进行了探讨,以期提高GIS专业学生应用《经济地理学》基本理论、基本方法和解决现实问题的能力。     

Student Learning in an Introductory GIS Course: Using a Project‐Based Approach

Introductory courses in Geographic Information Science (GIS) expose students to the concepts and practices necessary for future academic and professional use of GIS tools. Traditional GIS courses balance lectures in the theories of GIS with pre‐built and pre‐packaged lab activities to learn the practices of GIS. This article presents a case study of an experimental introductory course in which students conducted novel, independent project‐based group research under the supervision of graduate or advanced undergraduate students enrolled in the course, culminating in a class presentation and publication quality paper. Surveys and interviews indicated that students reacted more positively to project‐based group research than to traditional activities. Students felt the projects better prepared them for ‘real world’ applications of GIS, and recommend project‐based group research in other GIS coursework. Additionally, our findings indicate that students appreciate interactions with peers of varying skill levels and experiences, as these broaden their capabilities to work with other GIS users.     

Education in cartography: what is the status of young people’s map-reading skills?

Due to recent technological progress, maps have become more popular than ever before. This is especially true for young people, who interact with these technologies on a daily basis. Therefore, it is essential that these potential map users possess sufficient knowledge and skills to process the content of cartographic products. A user study was conducted during which pupils (aged 11–18 years) and geography students (>18 years) had to solve a number of cartography questions using topographic maps. The data were analyzed statistically, taking into account a number of potentially influencing factors (user characteristics) on the participants’ results: age, gender, youth club membership, knowledge about the area, among others. The results show a rising trend in the pupils’ scores with increasing age, which can be explained by education in cartography at school. Geography students perform much better, but no influence of any other user characteristics was detected. For pupils, knowledge about the area and gender might be considered as influencing factors. However, the detected influence of gender depends on the scoring system.     

A rationale for accrediting GIScience programs

The accreditation of GIS programs was first proposed more than 25 years ago as a means of encouraging consistency in instructional content and learning outcomes across many new GIS programs being developed at U.S. colleges and universities. However, in lieu of a peer review system to evaluate the quality of instruction, the GIS community focused instead on certification programs for recognizing and rewarding competency and professionalism among persons already in the workforce. With hundreds of colleges and universities now offering formal programs in GIScience ranging from certificates to undergraduate and graduate degrees, it may be an appropriate time reconsider rewards associated with accreditation. This article argues that accreditation can benefit institutions, students, and GIScience employers by directing attention to “upstream” and formative elements in the preparation of entry-level GIScience professionals that can potentially complement “downstream” and summative programs for recognizing experienced GIScience professionals such as certification. Along with providing detail about the implementation and administration of accreditation, we explore accreditation processes in surveying and engineering as possible pathways for accrediting academic GIScience programs.     

The NASA environment remote sensing analysis facility (ERSAF) support for space shuttle earth observations

Abstract

A major concept in urban geography deals with determining the spheres of influence for urban centers. This paper describes an instructional module used in two different geography courses showing students how a model might be developed to measure spheres of influence for multiple urban centers within a given region. A geographic information system (GIS) is employed throughout the development of the model. This module is incorporated into a traditional undergraduate urban geography course and a beginning GIS course. The software packages used are MapViewer and Grapher. The region is the Mississippi Lowlands with five urban centers: New Orlenas, Memphis, Little Rock, Jackson, and Baton Rouge. Keywords: GIS, spheres of influence, MapViewer, urban geography.     

用SVG技术构建基于GML的WebGIS

WebGIS是Internet技术与GIS相结合的产物,WebGIS为公众获取GIS数据和地理信息服务提供了一个有效的工具。但是目前许多WebGIS应用都依赖于GIS软件,由于GIS软件和数据格式多种多样,从而难以互操作,缺乏灵活性。本文以实现GIS在互联网上的传播为研究目的,探讨将SVG与GML结合应用于WebGIS的解决方案和应用模式,并详细分析了系统实现的体系结构和相关技术,着重论述了GML与SVG之间的转换方法。     

对地理信息系统地理性的认识

从操作对象、数据管理、分析模型、系统功能、GIS应用等五方面对地理信息系统所具有的或所表现出的地理学特性作了初步的探讨,认为：地理学是GIS的理论依托,地理学特性、地理区域分析方法、地理思维方式渗透在GIS的整个工作流程中,成为GIS区别于其他信息系统的本质特征,而计算机等相关技术作为实现GIS功能的技术支持。不应该成为GIS的理论根本。GIS是地理科学体系的重要组成部分,是现代地理研究的重要手段和工具,具有显著的地理性,GIS专业学生应当重视地理学理论的学习。     

The role of GIS in Digital Earth education

Abstract

A growing number of educators worldwide have become convinced that geotechnologies – including geographic information systems (GIS), global positioning systems (GPS), and remote sensing – are key technologies to prepare students to be tomorrow's decision makers. Grappling with local, regional, and global issues of the 21^st century requires people who think spatially and who can use geotechnologies. Some educators teach geotechnologies as a discipline, emphasising skills. Other educators use geotechnologies as a tool to teach content, such as geography, history, environmental studies, Earth Science, biology, mathematics, economics and other disciplines. Issues such as traffic, population growth, urban sprawl, energy, water, crime, human health, biodiversity and sustainable agriculture are growing in complexity, exist at every scale and increasingly affect people's everyday lives. Each of these issues has a spatial component. Drivers for geotechnology education include educational content standards, constructivism, the school-to-career movement, active learning, citizenship education, authentic practice and assessment, interdisciplinary education, community connections and a sustained, increasing demand for GIS professionals. Digital Earth is an ideal framework for contextualising domains of inquiry. The Digital Earth community can have a significant impact on the growth of geotechnologies in education, and conversely, the growth of geotechnologies in education and society can foster the forward movement of Earth systems concepts.     

Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs), GIS,and Remote Sensing: The West Virginia University Example

Abstract

Remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) scientists and educators in general are utilizing global web sources for information of the latest developments in the use of satellite and GIS approaches, as well as to understand more fully environmental and natural resources processes in various geographic settings. West Virginia University (WVU) has embarked on a pioneering approach (as only the second university worldwide) to archive graduate theses and dissertations in electronic format with worldwide web access. This study illustrates the type of remote sensing and GIS research available through WVU's worldwide web ETD archive, and its potential uses by educators at a variety of levels of the education system for understanding remote sensing and GIS methodologies, as well as environmental and natural resource processes. Keywords: Geographic Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing, West Virginia University, Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD).     

非GIS专业地理信息系统课程教学思考

我国GIS教育正处于蓬勃发展时期,在社会需求的拉动下,GIS应用早已突破其专业领域,因之而推动了非GIS专业GIS教育的快速发展。作者在分析比较GIS专业与非GIS专业地理信息系统课程教学目标、学生学科背景差别等问题的基础上,对非GIS专业地理信息系统教学中教师要求、教材选择、教学内容、教学模式和考核方式等诸方面进行了分析总结,并提出了对非GIS专业地理信息系统课程教学的一些建议。     

测绘工程领域专业学位硕士研究生实践能力培养

在分析测绘工程领域专业学位研究生应具备的实践能力的基础上,提出了实践能力培养应与卓越工程师教育培养计划同步推进,与注册测绘师执业资格兼容,秉承"CDIO"工程教育理念设计教学环节与教学内容。结合全日制专业学位研究生的特点,提出了培养实践能力的实践教学方法和教学内容,可供专业学位研究生培养借鉴。     

The Instructor Element of GIS Instruction at US Colleges and Universities

Over the last two decades, higher education has made substantial investments in GIS education through equipment and software purchases, upgrades to teaching facilities, and the creation of innovative academic programs such as certificates and degrees. However, comparatively less attention and fewer resources have been directed towards what might be called the “instructor element” of GIS instruction. In this article we look at the preparation and ongoing professional development of GIS educators through a survey of 270 individuals teaching GIS at US colleges and universities. Along with assessing the education and professional background of GIS instructors, we evaluate their perceptions concerning the importance of various GIS subject areas. Our findings demonstrate considerable breadth in the range of education and experience held by faculty members who are presently teaching GIS courses. In evaluating the importance placed on GIS teaching elements, we found little variation among individuals according to their institution type or educational attainment. However, significant differences in the perceived importance of GIS teaching areas were found across disciplinary areas.     

Earth observations during space shuttle flight sts 50: Columbia's mission to planet earth,June 25‐July 9,1992

Abstract

Many universities around the world are actively pursuing or have recently implemented professional graduate programs in geographic information science. However, the number of undergraduate programs focusing on geographic information science is far more limited. This is despite the rapid hiring of GIS faculty and the implementation of undergraduate program “specializations.” At first glance, this fact is surprising given the far greater number of undergraduate institutions. Unfortunately, undergraduate curriculum expansion is significantly more difficult than most graduate level, Master of Science/Arts programs. In particular, university administrators have been quite happy to approve professional Master of Science degree programs, seeing them for the financial stars they often are. Michigan State University created a similar, and now successful, MS‐GISc graduate program in 2000. Beginning in spring of 2003, the department of Geography began pursuing the development of a Bachelor of Science degree in Geographic Information Science. Expanding a traditional curriculum to include a BS‐GISc degree places an entirely different set of programmatic demands on both the department and faculty than the theoretically similar MS program. This paper outlines the challenges of establishing an undergraduate program in GISc, details the solutions employed, and provides recommendations for minimizing or mitigating the associated problems.     

地图学与地理信息系统学科硕士研究生培养现状分析

地图学与地理信息系统专业是地理学下的二级学科,但已超出了地理学的学科研究范畴。本文在充分调研国内高校该学科培养现状的基础上,对研究生教育的教学理念、教学方法、培养目标、课程设置、实验教学和实践环节、师资队伍、研究生创新能力的培养等方面进行探讨和分析,并提出学科重点建设内容,对学科的研究生培养具有指导意义。     

"大地测量学基础"课程建设和教学改革

介绍了“大地测量学基础”的课程建设和教学改革，阐述了编写教材的的指导思想，指出了主要内容和特点，提出了教学方法以及未来的打算。     

Profiling Cartographic Education in GIS Certificate Programs

In North America there are currently between 50 and 100 widely advertised GIS certificate programs and possibly many more regional programs. The course content of these programs varies widely and includes topics as diverse as cartography, database design, programming, and graphics. This report assesses the cartographic education offered in forty-six programs and suggests issues for a more thorough study of certificate programs. A list of selected GIS certificate programs in the U.S. and Canada is also provided. The cursory survey of programs for this report indicates that cartography is being taught to a degree in nearly all programs, but few programs require courses specifically in cartography.