ASPRS Certification Program

March 3, 2009 by Timothy
Filed under Career

The American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing has a certification program in place that could provide ample support to boost your career forward. As of current, there are just a few certifications available for the GIS industry. The ASPRS, one of the longest standing programs, was started in 1975 with the Certified Photogrammetrist category and added two additional categories in 1991. In 1998, the program began requiring an examination to be taken in order receive one of the certifications. The ASPRS Board of Directors approved a Provisional Certification Program in 2006 to allow students certification eligibility since most do not meet the experience requirements of the program.

Here are the certification categories that ASPRS offers:

1. Certified Photogrammetrist
2. Certified Mapping Scientist, GIS/LIS
3. Certified Mapping Scientist, Remote Sensing
4. Certified Photogrammetric Technologist
5. Certified GIS/LIS Technologist
6. Certified Remote Sensing Technologist

Note that there are provisional certifications in all the above categories for graduating seniors in geospatial sciences. This is an advantage that educators should publicize to their student. Having even a provisional certification can give newly graduating students a boost to their career.

Application Process:

Complete application
Provide four references
Have successful peer review
Pass an exam in the chosen category

Here is a summary of the process for the professional certification [the first three categories] [it's similar for the Technologists as highlighted below]

The rules for certification are: six years total experience are required of which three are professional in nature. Application forms are filed with four references and are sent to a peer review group for evaluation.Those who pass peer review are eligible to take the four-hour multiple choice examination which is given, as needed, in a location in the US relatively close to where examinee lives. When required, overseas exams are arranged on a case-by-case basis. The Examination consists of questions a professional should be able to answer in areas such as earth sciences, surveying, physics, imaging systems, photogrammetry and GIS. There is no primer as with the Professional Engineer or Land Surveyor examination. Those not passing are allowed to retake the exam within six months of notification at no additional cost.

The application fee is $275 for ASPRS members and $400 for non-members.

Membership information is available at:
http://www.asprs.org/membership/

The Certification and Recertification Guidelines:
http://www.asprs.org/membership/certification/certification_guidelines.html

Application for Certified Photogrammetrist or Mapping Scientist:
http://www.asprs.org/membership/certification/certification_app.pdf

Reference form:
http://www.asprs.org/membership/certification/reference_form.pdf

Exam questions matrices by category:
http://www.asprs.org/membership/certification/certification_examination_matrix.html

In preparing for the certification exam, workshops are usually offered to help the applicants. These workshops usually take place during the ASPRS Annual conference. Check the website for more details. The workshops are described as follows:

The purpose of this workshop is to prepare individuals who are planning to sit for the ASPRS Certification exams. The workshop will begin by explaining the purpose and form of the exam. It will then identify key topical areas which an applicant should be aware of prior to taking the exam. The instructor will review the basic concepts and sample questions to show how these topics will be tested for on the exam. Finally, the workshop will identify resources which exam takers should be aware of and study from in their preparation for the examination.

Workshop Topics Include:

Purpose of the exam
Photogrammetry
Remote Sensing
Geographic Information Systems
Other topical areas of importance in preparation for the exam

Here are some suggested texts for examination review:

As noted in the list of available categories, there is a certification program for Photogrammetric Technologists, Remote Sensing Technologists, and GIS/LIS Technologists. These technologists areas only require three years of experience instead of six. Check the Guidelines for additional details.

If you would like more information, please visit www.asprs.org or request additional information from certification@asprs.org.

Thanks to Jesse Winch, Program Manager with ASPRS, for this valuable information.

Tags: ASPRS, Certification, GIS, GIS Certification, LIS, Mapping, Mapping Scientist, Photogrammetry, Professional Certification, Remote Sensing, Technologist

GIS Utilized in Law

December 17, 2008 by Timothy
Filed under Career

2 Comments

There are many uses for GIS. Although they all revolve around the same system, they can be totally different. I recently discovered an unusual industry taking advantage GIS. Attorneys are using GIS to help with their law cases. With one example I found on the JurisPro Expert Witness Directory, GIS helped determine remediation in quality of groundwater. The article Hydrology Expert Witnesses & GIS gives further example of how GIS helps monitor groundwater pumping and land subsidence or intrusion in coastal areas.

An additional resource for GIS in law was a link I found on the Remote Sensing and Geospatial Data Used as Evidence in Court post through GeoData Policy. This document is a list of case law from Crowsey Inc. Some of the interesting cases documented include:

Privacy Laws Pertaining to Aerial-Photography and Remote Sensing
Aerial Photography to Prove Deterioration Marsh Land
GIS in City Council Districting
Satellite Photos Used to Determine Location of a Barge Accident
GIS Identified a Drug-Free Buffer Zone Around Schools

All of this goes to show that no matter what industry that you may be in, GIS can be used to not only benefit a company but provide evidence in a court of law. Although these examples show pieces of evidence that are pulled from every day GIS work , it also gives and interesting career idea.

Combining GIS and Law make for an exciting career adventure. Who would have of thought?