New trends in Geographic Information Technology Education

New trends in Geographic Information Technology Education

Gary Hunter and Clifford Ogleby
Department of Geomatics
University of Melbourne
VIC 3010, Australia
Tel. +61-3-8344-6806
Fax. +61-3-9347-2916
Email: garyh@unimelb.edu.au

1. Rationale for the new degree
Since the emergence of GIS in the late 1980s, there has been a shortage of skills in its use at several levels. This shortage has been identified in both developed countries (Tomlinson, 1993) and developing countries (Bishop et al., 2000). In addition, early leading researchers such as Raper and Green (1992) were of the view that the technical complexity of GIS operations and their sophisticated implementation requirements made the design and development of GIS difficult to understand.

Geographic Information Science (GIScience) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) primarily entered university curricula in the mid-1980s, although there are notable exceptions such as at the State University of New York at Buffalo which commenced its graduate program a decade before in the early 1970s. The 1980s also saw the appearance of the first GIS textbooks (for example, Burrough, 1986). As the decade continued, a substantial body of texts covering the theory and application of GIS began to appear and these formed the backbone of GIS education.

Teaching of GIS through the 1990s continued to follow a largely conventional path with lectures on theory plus practical exercises using either the latest technology from the major vendors (such as ESRI and Intergraph) or more commonly through the use of more simplified PC-based, university-developed software products (such as MAP, IDRISI and MacGIS). Undoubtedly, a major breakthrough came with the establishment of the U.S. National Science Foundation-sponsored National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis (NCGIA), which chose as one of its first tasks to develop a core curriculum for GIS education (Goodchild and Kemp, 1990).

Since those early years, many institutions (including the University of Melbourne) have now established graduate programs in GIS, while individual service subjects have also been made widely available in GIS and remote sensing for undergraduates. However, there is now an increasing trend towards the recognition of geographic information science and technology as a discipline in its own right, and complete programs are becoming available at the undergraduate level. Examples from around the world include: the Bachelor of Geographic Information Science degree from Curtin University in Western Australia; the Bachelor of Science degree (in Geographic Information Science) from Macquarie University in New South Wales, Australia; and the Certificate of Excellence in Geographic Information Systems from the University of Waterloo, Canada. In numerous other cases, universities are offering a GIS-based specialisation within in their undergraduate geography or geomatics programs. So there is a range of mechanisms available for introducing GIS to educational curricula.

The current undergraduate degree administered by the Department of Geomatics at the University of Melbourne is the Bachelor of Geomatic Engineering—a four-year professional course of study that meets the requirements of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, the Institution of Surveyors, Australia, and the Surveyors Board of Victoria. The degree originally had its foundations in surveying and mapping science, but in recent years has moved into the wider domain of spatial or geographic information science and technology. Nonetheless, it is still fundamentally a professional engineering degree structured around the requirements of the professional bodies and licensing authorities that accredit it. In addition the Bachelor of Geomatic Engineering can be combined with the Bachelor of Arts, the Bachelor of Science, the Bachelor of Planning and Design (in Property and Construction), the Bachelor of Information Systems, and the Bachelor of Law. The history of the Department and its various courses are described more fully in Hunter (2001) and Bervoets et al. (1999).

However, the geomatic engineering discipline has rapidly expanded over the last five years—to the extent that the geographic component of information technology has now become a major global growth area. Indeed, annual worldwide expenditure in this field (in terms of software, hardware, training and data) is estimated in 2002 to be of the order of $34 billion, while in Australia alone it already exceeds $1 billion per annum. Thus, the demand for qualified graduates in this area is becoming more acute than ever before, and is certainly greater than the demand for graduates from the Department's mainstream professional engineering degree. For several years, members of the Department of Geomatics’ advisory board have advocated the introduction of a shorter 3-year undergraduate degree, which would specialise in meeting the variety of staffing needs of the geographic information industry.

Today there are few government organisations that do not utilize GIS in some way for managing their data and assets, and for aiding many of their strategic decisions. Furthermore, GIS is now accepted as a mainstream technology within local government and utilities, particularly for managing infrastructure, and these systems are also a key tool for the majority of environmental and natural resource management agencies. To give further indication of the growth of interest in this area, in 2000 the Australian federal government launched a national spatial information action agenda which is part of a program to support the growth of emerging strategic industries.

While the Bachelor of Geomatic Engineering degree has moved a long way towards helping to meet the shortfall in human capital in the geographic information industry, it is still constrained by its need to serve the land surveying and engineering professions, yet the rapidly growing geographic information industry is continuing to demand a three-year degree that better suits its own needs. Thus, the Department of Geomatics became convinced of the need for the new degree.

2. Objectives and Structure of the New Degree
The objectives of the BGeoIT degree are to produce graduates who possess:

A broad knowledge of geographic information science and technology that enables them to competently enter the geographic information industry and allied areas of the IT sector;
In-depth technical knowledge and skills in the development and application of geographic information technology;
A sound fundamental understanding of scientific and information technology principles and methods;
Analysis, problem solving and system design skills;
A capacity to apply practical skills in the development of mathematical and computer-based solutions to problems in which geographic information technology can be applied;
Verbal and communication skills that enable them to communicate effectively in the context of defining and solving problems;
An understanding of the basic principles underlying the management of physical, human and financial resources;
Personal skills and attributes, together with a depth of knowledge, that equip them for positions of leadership in basic and applied research, and management of information technology-intensive enterprises;
An understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the many professional groups engaged in the geographic information industry; and
An understanding of the extent to which team work underscores successful information technology solutions in the geographic information industry; and
An appreciation of the interpersonal, communication and management skills necessary for the successful development and implementation of these IT-based solutions.

The new degree will draw upon several core geographic information-related subjects already taught in the current Bachelor of Geomatic Engineering degree. These subjects include Geomatics Science (dealing with the fundamental principles of geographic data collection), Introductory GIS and Remote Sensing, Imaging in the Geosciences, Environmental Visualisation and Mapping, Land Administration (including Spatial Data Infrastructures), Applications of Remote Sensing, Spatial Analysis, and Application and Development of GIS. Furthermore, the degree will include other Department-taught subjects in Computer Systems and Graphics, Information Systems and Programming, Professional Development, and Research Studies. The degree will also draw on subjects taught by other Faculties including several units of mathematics, Experimental Design and Data Analysis, Database Systems, Management principles, and Management Information Systems. The structure of the BGeoIT degree is shown below in Figure 1.

Figure 1 The structure of the new BGeoIT degree
Importantly, however, the new degree provides the opportunity to develop and introduce several new subjects within the Department in the areas of Web-Mapping and e-Commerce, Location-Based Services. These subjects, together with a new database unit, will ensure that students enrolled in the 3-year degree have continuity and a common focus as an independent group during the final two years of their course. This focus will be supported in the third year of the course by the subject ‘Case Studies in that Geographic Information Industry’, which will draw all subjects in the degree together from an academic perspective. It is also intended that there be an option for suitably qualified students to take a 4th, or Honours, year in their BGeoIT which will require them to study higher level subjects offered by the Department in Spatial Data Handling and the Management of GIS, plus completion of a substantial research project.

Looking at the new subjects in more detail, firstly “Web Mapping and e-Commerce” will provide an introduction to the concepts and processes used in distributing geographic information (in particular) and conducting e-commerce over the web. The subject focus will be on the technical aspects of web-based mapping architectures, and both technical and non-technical aspects of e-commerce. Topics to be covered include the principles of web-based data delivery, client and server-side strategies, on-line analytical processing (OLAP), streaming vector models, network protocols, CGI, Java and Applets. From an e-commerce perspective topics to be covered include the principles and use of e-commerce technologies such as XML, automatic identification, web-based data clearinghouses, and e-hubs and e-markets in managing and re-engineering supply chains. In addition, areas such as business models for e-commerce, marketing and payment systems, security, privacy and ethics raised by web-base mapping and e-commerce will be taught to students.

Next, the subject “Location-based Services” will include topics such as: data transmission (synchronous and asynchronous transmission, error detection and correction, and data compression); local and wide area networks (architectures, protocols and surrounding issues); and the delivery of geographic information via telecommunication networks. In addition, the subject will cover the incorporation of geo-positioning technologies within the telecommunication infrastructure, and the integration of these various technologies to achieve spatial information solutions.

Finally, the subject “Case Studies in the Geographic Information Industry” will incorporate and highlight the principles and practices that have been presented in earlier subjects through a combination of local and overseas case studies. Students will gain an understanding of the way that organisations design, develop, implement, maintain and use GIS; the complexity, politics and realities associated with actual systems in organisational contexts; a knowledge of how to analyze, learn and generalize from the experiences of individual organisations; and be exposed to different organisational cultures in both developed and developing nations with regard to the establishment of GIS.

3. Other aspects associated with the New Degree
The new BGeoIT degree is expected to be of considerable interest to both local and overseas prospective students. Accordingly, provision has been made to accommodate a wide variety of entry qualifications such as the Australian ENTER, the International Baccalaureate, GCE-A levels and STPM (Malaysia), Sri Lankan A levels, CBSE, Ontario Grade 13, Higher School Graduation Diploma and SAT 1 tests (USA) amongst others.

A spin-off from the development of the new degree has been the realisation that many prospective graduate students would also be drawn to its course content, including those students who already had formal education in geographic information science and technology but who now wished to update their knowledge in web-mapping and e-commerce, and location-based services. Accordingly, a 2-semester (9 month) Master of Geographic Information Technology course (the MGeoIT degree) has recently been designed and drafted, and is currently with the University of Melbourne for approval.

4. Conclusion
In conclusion, the Bachelor of Geographic Information Technology is a new 3-year degree being offered by the Department of Geomatics at the University of Melbourne, in response to a growing market need. The focus of the degree is the science and technology of geographic information systems, spatial information and information technology. The course is structured to provide professional education in the areas of information technology, geographic information systems, location-based services, database systems, electronic commerce, web-mapping, mathematics and statistics, mapping science, remote sensing, visualisation, spatial analysis, computer science, management and professional development. Graduates will receive a broad knowledge of geographic information technology, enabling them to enter the geographic information industry and allied sectors of the broader information technology communities.

References

Bervoets, S.G., Ogleby, C.L. and Smith, J.C., 1999, It Figures: The First 50 Years of the Department of Geomatics at the University of Melbourne. The University of Melbourne: Melbourne, Australia. (Note: this publication is available free of charge upon request to the Department of Geomatics)
Bishop, I.D., Escobar, F.J., Karuppannan, S., Williamson, I.P., Yates, P.M., Yaqub, H.W. and Suwarnarat, K, 2000, “Spatial data infrastructures for cities in developing countries: lessons learned from the Bangkok experience”. Cities, 17(2), pp. 85-96.
Burrough, P.A., 1986, Principles of Geographical Information Systems for Land resources Assessment, Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Department of Geomatics website: http://www.geom.unimelb.edu.au
Goodchild, M.F. and Kemp, K.K., 1990, NCGIA Core Curriculum in GIS. National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis, University of California, Santa Barbara.
Hunter, G.J., 2001, “Ensuring the Survival of Geomatic Engineering at the University of Melbourne, Australia”. Surveying and Land Information Systems, 61, 4, December, pp. 255-262.
Raper, J. and Green, N, 1992, “Teaching the principles of GIS: lessons from the GISTutor project”. International Journal of Geographical Information Systems, 6, pp. 279-290.
Tomlinson, R, 1993, State Government of Victoria Strategic Framework for GIS Development. Prepared for the Office of Geographic Data Co-ordination, Victoria, Australia.