PHOTOGRAMMETRIC ENGINEERING & REMOTE SENSING
January 2016
15
SECTOR
INSIGHT:
.
edu
E
ducation
and
P
rofessional
D
evelopment
in
the
G
eospatial
I
nformation
S
cience
and
T
echnology
C
ommunity
W
elcome to the inaugural column of
Sector
Insight
. The goal of this new editorial column,
published periodically in
Photogrammetric
Engineering and Remote Sensing
(PE&RS),
is to inform membership on educational and professional
development needs of our community, emergent learning
modalities and frameworks in geospatial science and
associated technologies, and needed skills and expertise
to advance workforce development in our respective
organizations.
The membership of our Society has from its inception been
a balance of members from three primary sectors: private
industry, government, and academia. This editorial column
will highlight the interaction and importance of this balance
and the accountability and profitable change that it fosters to
grow and implement important ideas and standards. We are
now moving forward with this column under the guidance,
support, and contributions from interested ASPRS members
from all sectors of our Society.
Using a sector-specific column name (e.g., “Sector Insight:
.edu
,” “Sector Insight:
.com
,” and “Sector Insight: .
gov
”), this
column will rotate between contributing editors from each
sector, publishing one to four columns per sector per year
that pertain to their particular field of expertise and practice.
The content for “Sector Insight:
.edu
” will focus on the latest
teaching and learning needs and approaches required to
advance geospatial science and technology in academia (K-12
through higher education). The content of “Sector Insight:
.com
” and “Sector Insight:
.gov
” will focus on opportunities
and constraints for workforce development and training
in for-profit and non-profit organizations and associated
domains (e.g., .mil, .net, .org).
The intended audience for this column is anyone in our
geospatial information science and technology community
who wishes to stay informed on the latest educational and
professional development opportunities that enhance formal
academic course work of our student members, serve to
advance career tracks of our early career professionals,
and provide educators creative ideas to improve curricula
in academic courses, workshops, webinars, and training
sessions organized and delivered by various organizations,
public and private.
Such a journal column advances the value proposition of
ASPRS for membership in several ways. The column informs
membership of current pedagogical practices, supports
members in life-long learningpursuits, provides contemporary
views of workforce development needs from the viewpoint of
geospatial leaders and experts in our community, and serves
as an outlet for geospatial educators to inform our community
of educational opportunities and modalities used successfully
in current curricula and for improving curricula based on
emergent needs of the geospatial industry.
With respect to our .
edu
sector, we as educators have the
obligation to ensure students learn the first principles of
our profession and are able to apply and expand upon these
principles in the workplace after graduation in a responsible,
adaptable, and ethical manner. Our respective curricula need
to reflect the needs of our practitioners and have sufficient
fluidity to adapt to rapidly changing geospatial technologies
and environmental data and information needs of society. We
look forward to future columns from geospatial practitioners
in the
.com
and
.gov
sectors articulating minimum knowledge
domains, skill sets, and expertise required of graduating
students and early career professionals.
Of general interest to educators is constructive input and
feedback from the
.com
and
.gov
sectors for the Geographic
Information Science &Technology Body of Knowledge (GIS&T
BoK) currently being revised by the University Consortium
for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS). First published
in 2006, the original GIS&T BoK consists of 10 knowledge
areas addressing over 1600 educational objectives
). This
body of knowledge has served as an excellent platform to
build, revise, and implement geospatial curricula across a
broad spectrum of academic institutions and educationally
affiliated organizations. The BoK is also useful as a framework
for geospatial accreditation and certification programs
provided by various organizations. With this updated and
revised edition, UCGIS aims to expand the utility of the
GIS&T BoK by migrating it to an online interactive format.
John Wilson (University of Southern California) will be
serving as the Editor-in-Chief of the GIS&T BoK, and the
editorial board will be drawn from across multiple sectors.
Information about opportunities to contribute to the GIS&T
BoK will be publicized soon, and inquires can be directed to
.
By Stephen D. DeGloria, Ph.D., and Melissa J. Rura, Ph.D.
