Preparing students for employment in GIS

1
Preparing students for employment in GIS

• Krystyna Brown
• University 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

2
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/int
  ro/intro_f.html

3
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?

4
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)

5
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/u
  nits/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 UKs 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 Reviews conclusion that skills are now the
  key driver to achieving economic success and
  social justice in the global economy.

9
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.

10
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)

12
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)

13
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

14
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)

15
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.

16
? 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

17
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?QBF_JOBSART_302552

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? Job titles
Job titles from the questionnaire sent to
former students - 2004.and 2007 Not a GIS job?
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Not a GIS job
20
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.

21
Recruitment Agency

• 16, 000 GIS jobs on the database
• Candidate profile
• Degree, Masters, PhD, PRINCE 2 etc
• GIS Skills
• Programming languages
• Web technologies
• 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 pressure
• Oral communication skills
• Accuracy
• Attention to detail
• Working in a team
• Time management
• Adaptability
• Initiative
• Working independently
• Taking responsibility and decisions
• Planning, coordinating and organising (Brennan et
  al. (2001)

Top 4?
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? Top 4

• Working in a team
• Oral communication skills
• Accuracy
• Time management

25
Dynamic field

• It is a changing dynamic and developing field -
  
• you have to build skills and knowledge
  throughout your career.
• Job descriptions change

26
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?argDS_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.

29
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.