NCGIA core curriculum in the Hungarian GIS/LIS education

Abstract

The relatively slow development of Geographic Information Systems/Land Information Systems (GIS/LIS) in Hungary can be explained by a lower-level computer environment, but the lack of sufficient knowledge in computer technology, especially on spatial information systems of decisionmakers and end-users is the main barrier. Being aware of this situation, one of the most important task in the field of geoinformatics is education. A nation-wide Technology Transfer Centre (TTC) was founded in Hungary in September, 1992. The first project of the TTC's GIS Department is the Hungarian adaptation of the National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis (NCGIA) Core Curriculum. The wellknown and most commonly used in the world GIS curriculum gives a general overview of GIS, and consists of the minimal, most important knowledge necessary to apply GIS as a problem solving tool. The main concept of this educational project is the development of lecture notes on GIS/LIS, in order to satisfy the basic needs for specialized secondary education and introductory courses of higher education. The materials have been designed for people who are going to use GIS/LIS technologies in their profession, and have no real previous experience in this field. The paper draws a draft background (political, institutional, financial, and educational changes, mainly through the example of the Technical University of Budapest), summarizes the sources, the main aims of the project, and the present status of development.