Feature

Entry Level GIS Education

by David B. Davis

When one thinks of education generally the first thing that comes to mind is a formal classroom setting. While this is often the best overall method for learning it is definitely not the only option. If you are pursuing a degree in a GIS related field you will of course be spending plenty of time in the classroom. However, if you just need a quick refresher or to catch up on the latest version of a particular software there are a multitude of offerings to fit your needs.

What is GIS?

For someone that is new to the field of GIS or is not quite sure what GIS is there are sources of information available that can bring you up to date. The U.S. Geological Survey has a website that describes what a GIS is and provides some examples of GIS applications. Another website that provides good information for the beginner as well as people with more experience is GIS.com. With subjects such as: What is GIS?, GIS for your Specialty, and Data for your GIS, you are sure to find something useful.

Educational sources such as these can be helpful to a student contemplating a career in GIS, a business looking for ways to improve processes, a manager that needs to know the basics of GIS to be able to make informed decisions, or when you are trying to explain to your family or friends what it is you do for a living.

Seminars

If you have a few spare hours try attending a seminar being offered in your area. Businesses or geospatial organizations often sponsor short seminars or presentations covering a new product or process. Not only are these meetings informative and generally no cost, they often include refreshments or even a free lunch. ESRI, the largest player in the GIS market, offers seminars almost continuously across the country. Current subjects include: "Migrating to ArcGIS", "SafeCities: GIS for Homeland Security", and "ArcGIS Tools for Defense". A listing of the places and times can be found under events on the ESRI website.

Geospatial, academic, or professional organizations will often sponsor monthly or quarterly meetings or symposiums. These meetings are generally informal and usually open to anyone. Presentations usually cover such themes as the latest research being done by a graduate student or the real world, practical application of GIS in a city government. The local chapters of professional organizations such as URISA or ASPRS often sponsor these informative meetings. In Utah we are fortunate to have TIG, the Technical Interchange Group, which arranges for a monthly get together, usually at a local or state government office. University geography departments will often have a monthly symposium where a graduate student, professor, or visiting expert will discuss their latest research. Check these or other organizations to see what is available in your area.

GITA offers their 2002 Webcast Seminar Series on various pertinent topics (please see the Special Report in this issue, entitled: "2002 GITA Mobile Technology and Location-Based Services Webcast Coverage").

Entry Level GIS Education Continued…

Books

GIS books can be one of the most cost effective and convenient ways to improve or begin your training. Books can be found that cover almost any level of GIS or geospatial themes and applications. With a book you can study when ever and where ever you want. Many of these books not only provide informative reading but also often include a CD containing software, lessons, and data. ESRI has a recently released a new book and accompanying CD with a 180-day trial copy of ArcView 8 titled "Getting to Know ArcGIS Desktop". For a price of about $60.00 this is definitely one of the least expensive methods of gaining real GIS experience. Some very good sources for GIS literature and/or tutorials include: the URISA store, ESRI press, and the David Stevens GIS book list. The Canadian GEOTec Conference offers their proceedings on CD for a nominal fee for each of their conferences.

Most of the online portals have book lists that list current and most popular GIS titles, as well as GIS primers.

Online

A number of companies and universities now offer GIS related courses online. This option allows for greater flexibility in your training schedule. Rather than traveling to the university or college one can take the course from home, work, or with a wireless modem, almost anywhere on the planet. Intergraph offers web-based training, including "Overview of GeoMedia Professional 5.0" which is offered at no cost. The ESRI Virtual Campus has an extensive list of courses some of which are also offered at no cost. Live webcasts are periodically offered by GITA. These interactive seminars offer the chance to participate in a seminar without leaving your home or office. (For further information regarding online education see the report "E-education" in the July 2001 issue of GISVision.)

Trial/Demo/Free Software

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Autodesk demo

When learning about GIS software it is one thing to read about it and quite another to actually use the software. Fortunately many GIS and Image Processing software companies offer trial or demo versions of their software. Most are full versions of the software but come with limitations. For example they may have a limit of how many times you can use the program or have a set number of days or weeks that the program will function. While some will only work for 2 weeks others such as the previously mentioned ArcView 8 trial copy are good for 180 days. A person can learn a great deal in six months or even in just two weeks. If you want to apply for a job that requires knowledge of a software package you have little or no previous experience with this could be an option for acquiring some quick skills. Some of the companies offering trial versions of their software include: Autodesk, Blue Marble Geographics, Clark Labs, ER Mapper, ESRI, Intergraph, and Microsoft.

No cost viewers such as ArcExplorer, ER Viewer, MapSheets Express, and others can work well for teaching children or beginners the basics of GIS. These programs allow one to view data and attributes as well as create useful maps without the danger of altering the original data. (See GISVision''s February 2001 issue for the following review: No Cost- Low Cost GIS Software.)

The web portals also play host to a number of free GIS downloads - no strings attached. Take a look at GISCafe''s Downloads for a good sampling of both free and trial solutions.

If you are a student and want to be able to use a program for more than just a few weeks or months there is hope. Several companies offer student licenses of their software for just $200 - $300. While it''s not free, it is much less expensive than the $1,200 - $1,500 it would normally cost to purchase programs such as ArcView from ESRI or IDRISI from Clark Labs.

Web Portals & Online Magazines

Staying abreast of the latest news in the geospatial industries can be important to a well-rounded GIS education. With the internet this is much easier to do than it was ten years ago. Many online GIS related portals, newsletters, and magazines make it possible to learn about the latest software upgrades, data packages, job offerings, projects, and events happening in this rapidly changing field. Some interesting places to check include: GISCafe, Geography Network, GeoPlace, Directions Magazine, and TenLinks. Individual company websites can also be a useful source of information.

Conferences

The cost of attending a major conference such as AAG, ASPRS, URISA, GITA, or ESRI can vary dramatically depending on travel and hotel costs. The registration cost can also vary depending on whether you are a member of the organization or whether your software purchase or maintenance allows for a free registration. Most of these conferences also allow one to enter the vendor display area for about $30 - $100. If you cannot attend a conference it is still possible to access the presentations and speeches for many of them. For example all of the proceedings of the ESRI conferences from 1995 to 2001 are available online. Other conference websites may limit the offerings available to the general public but provide full access to members.

Often times these same organizations will have state or regional conferences. These can be very informative, especially since presentations on local issues are generally highlighted. The Oregon & SW Washington chapter of URISA is one such example.

For those who can''t leave their desktops to visit conferences, there are virtual conferences dotting the landscape. Usually these are held concurrently or after a live trade conference, and will provide interactive and live demos and product managers online at virtual booths to help answer questions. GISCafe will be hosting some of these (visit http://www.virtualBIUC.com for Bentley Systems'' upcoming virtual conference, following their Bentley International User Conference held in Atlantic City, May 19-23).

Short Courses and Workshops

Although online courses can be convenient there is nothing like having an instructor on hand to help you get through a problem or understand a particular concept. For fast, relatively inexpensive training a short course of 1 day to a week may be your best option. A number of organizations offer training at their facilities or yours. Generally onsite training will be more expensive unless you are training five or ten employees and factor in the cost of sending them to an out of state location.

The following list of companies and organizations is a sample of where to find this type of training: Intergraph, ESRI, AGRC, Kuhns & Associates, and Geographic Information Services, Inc. For the ultimate in convenience try a video workshop from URISA.

Universities and Colleges

While this is generally not an inexpensive option, it may be your only option. If you are just beginning your path to a career in GIS you will more than likely need a degree. If you already have a degree or are already established in your career you might consider taking a single GIS course every now and then to stay up with the latest version of software or theory. A number of university geography departments now offer certificates in GIS. For many jobs this may be all that is needed to find work in the GIS field or to bring you up to speed. Whether you just take one class, get a certificate, or go on to an undergraduate or graduate degree it won''t be inexpensive but almost always will be worth it.

As they say in Spanish "El saber no ocupa lugar" or knowledge doesn''t take up any space. There is always room to learn a little more. Whether you attend a 2-hour seminar, read a new book on GIS applications, or get a graduate degree there are many options available to increase your knowledge in the ever-changing field of GIS.

David B. Davis has over ten years of experience in photogrammetry, image processing, GIS and Latin American studies. He also offers GIS implementation consulting, specializing in Latin American projects. He can be reached at carpincho@att.net