GIS College List Update

If you have not visited the GIS Pathway colleges page, please take the time to look over it.  There is a list of colleges with the types of degrees identified with some having links to specific articles describing the college program in detail.

Three new colleges have just been added to the GIS Pathway master list of colleges that teach GIS.

Harold Washington Community College
University of Maryland – College Park
Waubonsee Community College

If you know of a college that is not on the list that should be, please let me know.  Send an email to contact [at] gispathway.com.  Thanks!

Convert Polygons to Points in ArcGIS

During analysis it is important to keep various techniques at hand as the data sometime requires creative thinking to carry out certain tasks in a feasible way.  One of these techniques to have handy is the ability to convert polygons to points.

In ArcInfo there is a tool that allows this to be done.

ArcToolBox –>Data Management Tools –>Features –>Feature to Point

However, if you have a lower license, there is a simple workaround.  (The headings are links to specific demonstrations of these steps.)

Calculate Lat/Long for Shapefile

1. Add X and Y fields to your polygon attribute table

2. Calculate the X and Y coordinates

3. Export the attribute table to a new *.dbf

Create Point File from XY Data

4. Add new table to map document

5. Add XY event layer

6. Export temporary XY event layer file to permanent file

Geospatial Technology Isn’t Dying Anytime Soon

With the ever changing of technology, there has been a lot that has come and gone with some technologies sticking around.  I am reminded of the article put out by Computer World – The top 10 dead (or dying) computer skills.  Most of these dying skills I have never had any part of. Technologies such as PowerBuilder, a strong competitor with Oracle was a client/server development tool. Networking has also expanded and left non-IP networks in the past.  Also to think that non-relational databases existed and that now relational databases are vital to geospatial technology.  Technology will always be evolving into something better, finding a career in technology is challenging enough when your degrees and certification have value today and can easily be without value tomorrow.

A new study by the ARC Advisory Group shows that the geospatial information systems market is projected to continue to grow.  GIS is helping industries such as utilities and the federal government.   The technology is vital and is helping about every industry grow and become more efficient.  The study shows that the GIS market is expected to grow by 50% over the next five years.  It even show the expansion to markets outside of the United States.

With the expansion of GIS technology, the GIS industry will continue to expand.  Software is getting easier to use, the data is becoming expanded with higher quality, and the users are finding ways to better implement the technology.  These signs are very good reasons why it is not going to die any time soon.

Check out  the study: Geospatial Information Systems Market to Grow 50% Over Next Five Years

If you are not linked into GIS or Geospatial Technoloyg check out these resources to build a great career:

• Careers in GIS
• Career Voyages
• Building a Career in GIS
• GIS Cafe
• Careers at ESRI and in the Geospatial Industry

Kansas State GIS Certificate Programs

K-State has a great program for those interested in geography.  For those who are looking for more of a GIS focus, they offer two types of certificate programs: Undergraduate Certificate in GIS and the Graduate Certificate in GIScience.

Undergraduate Certificate in GIS

Students looking for an undergraduate certificate come from a variety of area such as agronomy, biological sciences, economics, engineering, geography, landscape architecture, and sociology.  Each one of these areas have direct benefit from GIS.  This certificate is for those students want to have an adequate foundation in geospatial tools.  The certificate is designed to help students prepare for an entry-level position working with GIS.

The following courses are required for the Undergraduate Certificate in GIS:

Ref No.	Course Name	Hrs
GEOG 302	Cartography & Thematic Mapping	3
GEOG 508	Geographic Information Systems I	3
GEOG 702	Computer Mapping & GeoVisualization	3
GEOG 705	Remote Sensing of the Environment	3
GEOG 708	Geographic Information Systems II	3
	One additional course dealing with a basic or applied aspect of geospatial technology or spatial analysis.	3
	Total Credit Hours:	18

Graduate Certificate in GIScience

The Graduate Certificate in Geographic Information Science (GIScience) is designed to provide graduate students with the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in the rapidly expanding field of GIScience or apply GIScience concepts in their own field of study.

The Graduate Certificate in GIScience may be awarded as a “stand-alone” certificate or in conjunction with the completion of graduate degree requirements in one of the academic units at Kansas State University.

Three components comprise the program curriculum:

• A set of prerequisites to gain entry into the program
• A core geospatial courses focusing on geographic information systems (GIS) and satellite remote sensing
• A set of elective courses that allow for the exploration of advanced themes in GIScience and/or the application of GIScience in geography or related disciplines

Certification Requirements:

A maximum of 6 transfer credit hours may be used to meet program requirements.  Students must earn a minimum GPA of 3.33 in the Geospatial Core to qualify for the Graduate Certificate in GIScience.  The graduate faculty for the program will periodically review the certificate requirements and have the authority to pass modifications to the approved list of courses.

Prerequisites

• Competency in cartography, thematic mapping, or geodesy (e.g., GEOG 302)
• Competency in basic statistics (e.g., STAT 320, STAT 330, STAT 350)
• Competency in object-oriented computer programming (e.g., Introduction to Visual Basic)

Geospatial Core (9 credit hours)

• GEOG 508 Geographic Information Systems I (3 cr)
• GEOG 705 Remote Sensing of the Environment (3 cr)
• GEOG 708 Geographic Information Systems II (3 cr)

Elective Courses – Select Two (minimum of 6 credit hours)

• AGRON 655 Site-Specific Agriculture (3 cr)
• BAE 690 Non-Point Pollution Engineering (3 cr)
• CE 585 Civil Engineering Project – must have GIScience focus (3 cr)
• CIS 501 Software Architecture and Design (3 cr)
• CIS 560 Database System Concepts (3 cr)
• CIS 635 Introduction to Computer-based Knowledge Systems (3 cr)
• CIS 636 Introduction to Computer Graphics (3 cr)
• DAS/DEN/GENAG 582 Natural Resources/Environmental Sciences Project – must have GIScience focus (3 cr)
• GEOG 610 Geography Internship – must have GIScience focus (2-3 cr)
• GEOG 700 Quantitative Analysis in Geography (3 cr)
• GEOG 702 Computer Mapping and Geographic Visualization (3 cr)
• GEOG 711 Topics in Remote Sensing (3 cr)
• GEOL 560 Field Methods (3 cr)
• LAR 758 Land Resource Information Systems (3 cr)

For more information check out – http://www.k-state.edu/geography/academics/gis.html

Note: The information within this article has been thoroughly researched but should be verified with the college.  Publication of this article was not initiated by the college but is the sole work of GIS Pathway.

Simplify Your Workflow with the Spatial Join Tool

One of the benefits of GIS is the ability to summarize relationships between different types of data.

In this example, a relationship is determined between students and study sectors.  Students being a point layer and study sectors being a polygon layer.  Determining the number of students within each sector is easy to do by simply counting the visible points for each area.  The is not always correct as some points can fall on top of each other.  You can use the select by location tool to find the exact number of student within each sector, but this can become time consuming if you have a lot of areas to cover.  The solution to this problem is the spatial join tool.  This tool determines the spatial relationship between the polygons and points.  A point count for each polygon is created and placed in the attribute table.

Here is a demonstration video:

Note: Videos are broadcast through youtube.com.  Some browsers may block this content.

Download the video to your computer: ArcMap Spatial Join Tool

Easily Paste ArcGIS Maps into Documents

Placing maps into documents such as Microsoft Word, Excel, Publisher, and PowerPoint can become a pain at times.  The usual process involves exporting the map into some type of image file.  The file is then inserted into your desired document.  For some projects this is fine and may even be necessary; however for those quick put-together projects there is an easier way.  ArcMap has a menu item that allows your current extent (data view) or page layout to be copied to the clipboard.  The image can then be pasted into your desired documents.  This goes beyond the Microsoft Suite and can even be imported into a graphics programs.  The benefits that this tip provides includes a savings in time and storage space.

To copy the map to the clipboard:

1. Click Edit -> Copy Map to Clipboard

2. See map image on clipboard

3. Paste image into document.  Click image on clipboard or press Ctrl-V.

East Carolina University GIS Program

East Carolina University is located in Greenville, NC and is the third largest college in the North Carolina System. ECU has a strong geography department with several degree opportunities. When it comes to GIS, they have one Undergraduate Certificate Program in Geographic Information Science.

The program is designed to provide students from a variety of disciplines both the theoretical and practical competencies to be able to develop and manage Geographic Information projects.   Students should also be able to interpret and implement GIS as a decision support system.

Students from a variety of majors who have enrolled in this program include:

• Geography
• Geology
• Biology
• Planning
• Marketing and management
• Political science
• History
• Coastal studies

This certificate program requires a minimum of 15 s.h. and is composed of the following courses:

Core Courses:

• Fundamentals of GIS
• Fundamentals of GIS
• Geographic Information
• Systems I
• Introduction to GPS

Plus One Additional Course:

• GIS Applications Programming
• Advanced Cartographic Design & Production
• Remote Sensing II
• Geographic Information
• Systems II
• Introduction to GIS in Planning

The Center for Geographic Information Science facility is composed of 25 PC workstations.  These workstations provided a variety of mapping software including:

• Applied Imagery’s Quick Terrain Modeler
• ArcGIS Desktop 9.3
• ArcInfo Workstation 9.3
• ERDAS Imagine 9.1
• FRAGSTATS 3.3
• Interactive Visualization Systems’ (IVS 3D) Fledermaus & Dmagic
• Visual Nature Studio 2 w/ Scene Express

Scholarships

The two main scholarships that are advertised are the ASPRS NC Chapter Scholarship and the NCGITA Scholarship.  Students can apply for thse scholarships through the individual organization and are awarded at thier discresion.

You can find additional information about the GIS Certificate Program at http://www.ecu.edu/cs-cas/geog/GISCertificate.cfm

Note: The information within this article has been thoroughly researched but should be verified with the college.  Publication of this article was not initiated by the college but is the sole work of GIS Pathway.

GeoMentor Program to Help Improve Geographic Literacy

The GeoMentor Program is being sponsored by ESRI and the National Geographic Society.  It is a way to get GIS professionals involved in education.   A recent ArcNews article (Get Involved with Geo-Education Reform) by Daniel C. Edelson, Vice President for Education, National Geographic Society helped set the stage for the program.  He stated that there is a lack of geographic literacy.  An estimate of 18 year olds in the United States shows that approximately 50% are unready in the area of geography with about 25% geographically competent and 25% geographically proficient.  The National Geograhic Society has made it a goal to achieving a 50 percent rate of geographic fluency among 18-year-olds by 2025.  Several actions were presented to making this possible, and one of the action items was the GeoMentor Program.

The ESRI Education Community has laid out a great site for learning more about this program.  ESRI is also introducing the GeoMentor program at the 2009 ESRI International User Conference.  There are several sessions being presented as well as an easy sign up method for those attending the confernece.  I am sure there will be more information to come, but I would suggest becoming apart of this great opprtunity today and help increase the geographic literacy among our youth today!

You can be as involved as much as you desire with for basic stages:

“Learning” (Stage 1) means you agree to receive periodic emails about the GeoMentor program. You will be publicly visible simply as a dot on the map.

“Seeking” (Stage 2) means that you are interested in a partnership and agree to make some characteristics visible to people who are logged in at the “Seeking” level or higher, though they cannot directly identify you, nor directly contact you without your approval.

“Working” (Stage 3) means that you are participating in one or more GeoMentor partnerships.

“Reporting” (Stage 4) means that you have entered information about your activities in order to share that with others.

Find participants who are apart of the program through a GeoMentor Program interactive map.

Search for all the talk about the GeoMentor Program on Twitter.

10 Tips for Those Not Attending the ESRI User Conference

The keys to having a successful career rely heavily around networking and staying up on technology. In the GIS industry there is no better opportunity to accomplish this than at the ESRI International User Conference. GIS professionals from all across the world come to San Diego, CA for the ultimate GIS conference experience. You can have the opportunity to meet people from every industry imaginable that use GIS. Hear them present their work and see their map presentations. Learn from the best of the best. In addition to this fabulous exposure, hear from ESRI on the latest and greatest in GIS technology. Learn how to better apply this technology and what to expect for the future.

Because of the economy, the pure lack of funding, and several other reasons; many GIS users are unable to attend this conference.  Although you may not be able to attend, you can still benefit in many ways.  Here are ten excellent things you can do without leaving your office.

1. Watch the plenary session online.

2. Follow the Twitter action

• Search for the #ESRIUC tag
• Follow those on this Twitter List from GISUser.com

3. Browse Flickr for User Conference pictures

4. Listen to the VerySpatial live podcast from the User Conference and follow up podcasts from throughout the week.

5. Follow the ESRI Insider Blog

6. Follow all of the geospatial/gis blogs at the GIS Forum Community Mashup

7. Read through the official ESRI International User Conference Agenda Digital Magazine (PDF)

• Find Special Interest Groups
• Follow up with presenters for topics of interest
• Find out what you are really missing

8. Watch videos on youtube – esritv

9. Visit the ESRI Resource Centers

10. Mark your calendar for next year’s conference

• July 12-16, 2010
• Insert into budget and begin fund raising efforts

Using the Layers Overview Window in ArcMap

A valuable tool in ArcMap that sometimes goes unnoticed is the Layers Overview Window.  When working on a map while zoomed in it is very easy to loose perspective of the actual location as compared to the overall map.  This can also be true when analyzing a feature class by zooming to selected records from the attribute table.  You usually have to stop and zoom out a significant amount to determine the location.  However, with the Layers Overview Window you can always know the area for which you are working.

This tool can be easily found and utilized with just a few simple steps.

1. Click Overview from Window Menu.

2. Next change the properties by right clicking on the Overview Window header to open the properties window.  Then change the desired settings.

Here you can change your reference layer, extent symbol and background color.

Here is an example of the Layer Overview window in use.  The Overview window can also be resized as well.

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