Geographic Information Systems Education Research Articles

Teaching the principles of GIS: lessons from the GISTutor project

Abstract With the rapid growth in the use of geographical information systems (GIS) has come an acute shortage of skills. Although traditional techniques of education and training based on courses at various levels are being widely exploited, there is special potential in GIS for the use of demonstrators and tutors. Such computer aided learning (CAL) tools offer an effective way of putting across the graphical concepts which are vital to GIS as well as offering an attractive form of self-paced study. This paper discusses the contribution of CAL tools to GIS education and offers a short history of the techniques. A case study of the development of the Geographical Information Systems Tutor (GISTutor) is also used to illustrate the educational and technical issues behind the creation and use of such a tool.

Staffing the Revolution: GIS Education for Planners

Computerized information processing is profoundly altering, even revolutionizing, the potential for planning and decision support resulting in greatly increased demand for professionals with the knowledge and skills to use this new technology, especially its expression in geographic information systems (GIS). Drawing upon the authors' experience in teaching GIS to planners, this article proposes a strategy for staffing the planning side of the GIS revolution. It speculates about reasons for lag in introducing GIS in planning schools, describes the potential for use of GIS tools in planning, and presents a case study of the introduction of GIS into the curriculum at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Status and content of remote sensing education in the United States

Abstract Analysis of the Mapping Sciences Education Data Base revealed numerous interesting characteristics of the United States' remote sensing education system. Approximately 88 per cent of the education takes place in public supported universities and 90 per cent of this coursework in departments with graduate programmes of study. The majority of this education (37 per cent) is performed by social science departments with geography being the primary sponsor (36 per cent). Unfortunately, most of the 691 remote sensing and airphoto interpretation courses offered nationwide are provided as service courses at an introductory level. This makes it difficult to specialize in remote sensing at the graduate level. The specific types of courses offered and their geographic distribution are summarized. Many of the aforementioned topics are compared with statistics for other mapping sciences including photogrammetry, cartography, surveying, geodesy and geographic information system education. Examination of the re...