Preparing students for employment in GIS

Krystyna BrownUniversity of the West of England,

Bristol Department of Geography and Environmental Management

GEES Subject Centre Summer Residential Conference 2 – 3 July 2008 , George Hotel, Edinburgh

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Defining GIS

With GIS

it is possible to map, model, query, and analyse large quantities of data all held together within a single database.

Foote K. and Lynch M., (2000) The Geographer's Craft Project, Department of Geography, The University of Colorado at Boulder. http://www.colorado.edu/geography/gcraft/notes/intro/intro_f.html

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My interests in GIS and employability

Jobs and GIS

Questionnaire to former students

21% had found a job - some element of Geographic Information.

What had enhanced their chances?

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Definitions

GIS - tool box - Set of tools for storing, retrieving, transforming and displaying spatial and attribute data.

GIS - information system - organising and working with spatial and non-spatial data . GIS is a simplification (model) of the real world.

GIS in decision-making - Spatial and non-spatial data combined in a GIS to assist in decision-making.

GIScience – seeking spatial patterns of geographical phenomena – spatial intelligence (Sui, 1995)

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Integrating technology

GIS - an integrating technology - draws upon and extends techniques that

geographers have traditionally used to analyse natural and social systems

Foote K.E and Lynch M. (2000) The Geographer's Craft Project, Department of Geography, The University of Colorado at Boulder.

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GIS draws from

• cartography, - science (and art) of map-making • remote sensing - Earth observation from space • geodesy - accurate measurement of the Earth • surveying - accurate measurement of features on the Earth • Global Positioning System• photogrammetry - measurement from photographs and images • image processing - analysis of image data• printing technology• computer science – software and hardware• database management• spatial statistics – AND willingness to venture into the unknown

adapted from http://www.ncgia.ucsb.edu/giscc/units/u002/

The NCGIA Core Curriculum in GIScience

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The Geography jigsaw

Joining the geography jigsaw ( GIS Professional June 2008, issue 22).

GIS

MOM

SEMANTIC INTEROPERABILITY – Pacific islanders (Harvey, 2005)

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Achieving world class skills

Leitch Review of Skills (2006) - committed to achieving by 2020.

World class high skills – widening the drive to improve the UK’s high skills to encompass the whole working-age population, including 18 – 30 year olds

These ambitions will not deliver economic benefits unless they are based on economically valuable skills that are effectively used in the workplace (my italics)

The Review’s conclusion that skills are now the key driver to achieving economic success and social justice in the global economy.

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Employability and GIS

Employability

‘a set of achievements – skills, understanding and personal attributes – that make graduates more likely to gain employment and be successful in their chosen occupations which benefits themselves, the workforce, the community and the economy’. Yorke (2004)

Many factors which relate to ability to gain employment.

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Aspects which need improvement

GEES Graduate Employability Survey - studied graduates from three institutions who graduated in 2000, 2001 and 2002.

‘aspects that were least satisfactorily developed were :

Professional work experience (88.3%)

Business awareness (75.6%)

Entrepreneurship (66.7%

Career planning (51.5%)

GIS (33.3%)’ Gedye and Chalkley (2006)

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Linking GIS to the intellectual core of Geography

Teach about GIS

Technical issues (data acquisition, representation, analysis and visualisation)

Teach with GIS

GIS applied to geographical problem solving (Sui, 1995)

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GIS in our degree programmes

Skills spine which is application underpinned by fundamentals – directly linked to GIS

Level 1 – Geographical investigation (cartography, digital mapping, airphoto interpretation, Digimap database, introduction to GIS software, statistics, field trip

Level 2 – GIS skills - preparation for level 3 dissertation. – Elective option – GIS, surveying and mapping

(½ module).

Level 3 – GIS and Remote Sensing Applications (full module)

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Supporting team

Team work: • Liaison with IT Manager• GIS and Computing Technical Staff • 4 computer rooms• 24 hour access • Timed computer sessions• Working with the student computer network

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How did former students get GI jobs?

• Could point to modules with GIS• Could provide proof of their level 3 - GIS team project• Dissertations• Were aware of applications• Had transferable skills

(from questionnaires to former students – 2004, 2007)

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Employers

What factors enhanced employability for these jobs?

(extracted from semi-structured interviews with employers).

Digital mapping

Spatial awareness

GIS analytical skills

Data management skills

work experience - almost a prerequisite for all but basic entry jobs.

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Work placements

• Interest in work placements?• Opportunities, but not able to interest many in a one-

year placement.• Need to raise awareness among level 2 students.• May be more takers in summer 3 month placements. • Other departments have 1 – 2 week placements

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Examples of applications

Geographic information (GI) is at the heart of every organisation.

• Customer addresses• Property assets• Operational areas • Administrative boundaries • Road and delivery or access routes• Crime mapping. Adapted from

http://www.agi.org.uk/pooled/articles/BF_JOBSART/view.asp?Q=BF_JOBSART_302552

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Job titles

Cartographer GIS Technician

Planning Technician Environmental Planning Assistant

Graduate Environmental Engineer Team member - location of small rural businesses

Environmental Health Technician Environment officer

Transport and GIS officer Team member – Flood incident management team

Environmental advisor Trainee land surveyor

Graduate placement – County Borough Council

Crime mapping team

Countryside officer Sales Recruitment Consultant

Planning inspectorate team Contaminated land database

Job titles from the questionnaire sent to former students - 2004.and 2007 Not a GIS job? Job titles from the questionnaire sent to former students - 2004.and 2007 Not a GIS job?

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Not a GIS job

Cartographer GIS Technician

Planning Technician Environmental Planning Assistant

Graduate Environmental Engineer Team member - location of small rural businesses

Environmental Health Technician Environment officer

Transport and GIS officer Team member – Flood incident management team

Environmental advisor Trainee land surveyor

Graduate placement – County Borough Council

Crime mapping team

Countryside officer Sales Recruitment Consultant

Planning inspectorate team Contaminated land database

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Geography degrees

Geographers - specialists at being generalists

- not vocational degrees

But since the increase in fees - more queries about what jobs are available to those with a geography degree.

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Recruitment Agency

16, 000 GIS jobs on the database

Candidate profile

1. Degree, Masters, PhD, PRINCE 2 etc

2. GIS Skills

3. Programming languages

4. Web technologies

5. Databases

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GIS software ?

• ArcGIS Jack Dangermond• ArcInfo• ArcPad• AutoCAD • Bentley• Cadcorp • ER Mapper• Geomedia• Mapinfo• 3D• NLPG• SmallWorld

• From a choice of 20

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Transferable skills

WHAT EMPLOYERS VALUE IN NEW GRADUATES Working under pressureOral communication skillsAccuracyAttention to detailWorking in a teamTime managementAdaptabilityInitiativeWorking independentlyTaking responsibility and decisions

Planning, coordinating and organising (Brennan et al. (2001)

Top 4?Top 4?

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Top 4

Working in a team

Oral communication skills

Accuracy

Time management

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Dynamic field

It is a changing dynamic and developing field -

you have to build skills and knowledge throughout your career.

Job descriptions change

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Chartered Geographer

The Association for Geographic Information has joined with the Royal Geographical Society with IBG to introduce the professional status of Chartered Geographer (GIS) for suitably qualified individuals. 

suited to those working in the GI Science field, indicating their competence and experience in interpreting geographical information and in geographical analysis, based on a wide understanding of using geographical processes’. 

  http://www.agi.org.uk/bfora/systems/xmlviewer/default.asp?arg=DS_AGI_PSART_57/_page.xsl/73

‘‘

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Conclusions and Recommendations

Preparing for a job in GIS?

Fundamentals – first principles

Get the training – in your particular field of geography

Get work experience

Know your market

Get transferable skills

Recognise that updating skills and understanding is essential – this is a developing dynamic field.

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Conclusions and Recommendations

Preparing for a job in GIS?

• Fundamentals – first principles• Get the training – in your particular field of geography• Get work experience • Know your market • Get transferable skills • Recognise that updating skills and understanding is essential –

this is a developing dynamic field.

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Acknowledgements

Many thanks to my colleagues, support staff, employers who agreed to to be interviewed and especially

Michael Horswell

Neil Porritt

Paul Satchell

Justin Brown

Suresh Shah

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References

Brennan, J., Johnston, B., Little, B., Shah, T. and Woodley, A. (2001) The Employment of UK Graduates: Comparisons with Europe and Japan. London: The Higher Education Funding Council for England.

Foote Kenneth E. and Lynch Margaret, (2000) The Geographer's Craft Project, Department of Geography, The University of Colorado at Boulder.

Gedye, Sharon and Chalkley, Brian (2006) Employability within Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences. GEES 2006.

Sui, D (1995) A pedagogic framework to link GIS to the intellectual core of geography. Journal of Geography vol. 94 pt6, pp578 – 591.

Yorke, M. (2004) Learning and employability, Book 1. LTSN Support Network, ESECT Publication.