Abstract
Abstract. A wide range of geographic information science (GIScience) educational programs currently exist, the oldest now over 25 years. Offerings vary from those specifically focussed on geographic information science, to those that utilise geographic information systems in various applications and disciplines. Over the past two decades, there have been a number of initiatives to design curricula for GIScience, including the NCGIA Core Curriculum, GIS&T Body of Knowledge and the Geospatial Technology Competency Model developments. The rapid developments in geospatial technology, applications and organisations means that curricula need to constantly be updated and developed to maintain currency and relevance. This paper reviews the curriculum initiatives and outlines a new and flexible GIScience higher education curriculum framework which complements and utilises existing curricula. This new framework was applied to the GIScience programs at Curtin University in Perth, Australia which has surpassed 25 years of GIScience education. Some of the results of applying this framework are outlined and discussed.
Highlights
1.1 General OverviewGeographic information science (GIScience) education programs are solidly embedded into educational institutions
Given the rapid developments in geospatial technology and the applications within organisations and workplaces, the curriculum for GIScience education needs to constantly adapt. This is a challenge for educators who need to respond to the changing requirements relating to content, flexibility, student cohorts, industry needs, etc. among a range of educational offerings
This paper identified three eras in GIScience education and outlined some of the notable curriculum developments over those eras, in particular the NCGIA, Body of Knowledge (BoK) and Geospatial Technology Competencies Model (GTCM) initiatives
Summary
Geographic information science (GIScience) education programs are solidly embedded into educational institutions. Offerings range from the use and application of geographic information systems (GIS) applied within different disciplines such as geography or geology, to customisation of GIS tools and models for specific tasks such as environmental management or transportation modelling, to the advancement of GIScience concepts and knowledge including web mapping services and geocomputational modelling. GIScience programs have developed over the past two to three decades and have undergone numerous evolutions and changes driven by both technologies and the increasing collaborations among users (Li, Dragicevic & Veenendaal 2011). The rapid developments in technology, and the application to a diverse range of disciplines and sectors has marked advancements in the geospatial field. Initiate and inspire the curriculum research outlined in this paper
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