5 Forces, 5 Trends, 5 Skills: GIS and Beyond
Keys to your Geo-Future | Challenges | Opportunities
Moments
A vision of your future self
The Earth and its People
A Positive difference
Your Story
In my case
4 sectors of society
What do you want to see in society?
Geotechnologies will continue as a relevant set of tools, data, and methodologies.
At no time in history have we been so empowered, and yet so challenged.
GIS professionals in government, nonprofit, industry, and academia: You have a KEY role in this decade.
You are building the NSDI!
NSDI.
Not just the data, but the metadata, framework, standards, partnerships, the web portals, the community.
You are solving the key 21st Century issues. You are revolutionary.
Interpreting Our World - book.
Interpreting Our World QR code for book.
Changing the way we see the world = That's your job.
Why should you care about geospatial education?
Challenge: Education that: (1) reflects and anticipates workforce demands. (2) Builds change agents in society.
What do we want GIS, education, and society to look like in 2030?
How can you lead the way?
The 5 forces that bring us to a pivotal moment in geospatial technology in education and society.
5 forces that bring us to a key moment in GIS in education and in society.
South Dakota State University campus. Imagine if every natural and human-built feature could be instantly captured and mapped?
City of Englewood Augmented Reality Video.
5 Key trends in GIS (Kerski).
GIS is no longer a niche technology and set of methods.
We are in Phase 2 of GIS.
Analyzing traffic accidents in space and time.
We need another paradigm shift in how we solve problems with technology.
Do you have your elevator speech? You still need one.
Elevator speech on why GIS matters to society
1) Don't stop at the MAP.
2) Don't get too attached to the tools!
Don't get too attached to your tools.
3 legged geoliteracy stool (Kerski).
Preparing https://www.weforum.org/projects/future-of-work for the future of work.
1. Industries need a shared approach to managing workforce transformations.
2. All stakeholders need a common language for defining and assessing skills.
The World Employment and Industry Outlook
1. Automation, robotization and digitization look different across different industries.
2. There is a net positive outlook for jobs – amid significant job disruption.
3. The division of labor between humans, machines and algorithms is shifting fast.
4. New tasks at work are driving demand for new skills.
5. We all need to be lifelong learners.
The tools, the workforce, AND education are all simultaneously changing.
My own research:
Online, Engaged Instruction in Geography and GIS Using IoT Feeds, Web Mapping Services, and Field Tools within a Spatial Thinking Framework
What and how should students learn geotechnologies in the 2020s?
Is it just overlay, buffer, geocoding? Or is it data sharing, field & office apps, integrating models with Python? All of the above?
Given the many tutorials and help files containing graphics and videos, networks, the tools to collaborate, students, faculty, and GIS professionals have an amazing variety of learning options at their fingertips.
Tool-based approaches vs. how to solve problems using GIS. See David DiBiase's Stop Teaching GIS essay.
Help students "learn how to learn", emulating resource gathering, networking, and problem solving that they will use in the workplace.
Traditional lesson style and tutorial still has a place in learning, as students using these go through workflow of geographic inquiry, as I did in these 10 lessons.
Holistic ways of learning and knowing Geotechnologies.
Lakota Language: Lakota Wicowoyake Canku owapi
3 Guiding Points for Instructors
1) As GIS evolves, it becomes more powerful and easier to use.
2) You don't need to create everything yourself.
3) Re-think how we craft educational activities.
Foundations matter. GTCM: https://www.careeronestop.org/competencymodel/competency-models/geospatial-technology.aspx
But - who needs to know which components?
Ricker, B. A., Rickles, P. R., Fagg, G. A., & Haklay, M. E. (2020). Tool, toolmaker, and scientist: case study experiences using GIS in interdisciplinary research. Cartography and Geographic Information Science, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1080/15230406.2020.1748113
The geo/enviro/planning community have long been using location as essential part of their analysis.
Now, those with backgrounds in computer science and statistics and programming are using location to build better models: Spatial Data Science.
Student Work
UAVs and GIS > create campus map. https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/0556cbdd4d894a1bb06867c5b0020b54
Drones and GIS
Why are right whales dying?
Why are Right Whales Dying in the Gulf of St. Lawrence?
One teacher who lets the students fly!
What is the tiny little secret? Just like GIS is too valuable for 1-2 departments in a city, GIS is too valuable for just 1 or 2 departments or programs on a school, college, or university campus!
In primary and secondary schools:
(1) Slow but steady progress in the use of GIS.
(2) Mostly as instructional tool in geography, math, history, science, and for content (teaching WITH GIS).
(3) About 10% is teaching ABOUT GIS.
US K12 GIS
In higher education:
(1) Most GIS is still within GIS | Geography | Enviro programs.
(2) Increasing diffusion in business and health programs.
(3) Digital humanities, history, computer science, engineering are still small but growing.
Recommendations
1) Real-world examples to foster students who can think spatially and critically, applying theory and practice across many disciplines and problems.
2) The most marketable geospatial professionals can use GUI for any software, but also go a bit further.
3) Advocate for a geospatial librarian on campus.
4) Don't overstress about using the latest version of X software, but by the same token, don't teach like it is 1999.
How many of you feel 100% adequate in your job?
To accomplish great things, two things are required: (1) A Plan, and (2) Not enough time. --Leonard Bernstein
The 5 Top Skills for GeoTechnology Professionals AND instructors and students.
1. Be curious. This leads to > Tenacity. Asking Good questions is part of the Inquiry Process.
Geographic Inquiry model.
2. Be able to work with data and be critical of it!
Geospatial data book & blog: https://spatialreserves.wordpress.com
Spatial Reserves
Understand the ethical implications of what you are doing!
Be critical of data that even YOU generate!
For more, see my recent presentation on data quality.
Maps are easy to create, and maps tend to be believed.
3. Know your Geographic and Geotechnical Foundations: Skills (spatial stats, coding, web, projections, analysis, classification, etc.), but content knowledge as well and the geographic perspective (scale, systems thinking).
Give back! Who can I mentor? A school, a college or university, others ____?
Who can I connect with to receive mentorship?
Where are your gaps? Use the GTCM as a guide to help you identify gaps. How can you fill those gaps?
4. Adaptability.
Be flexible; be willing to go international; or at the very least, outside of your "disciplinary comfort zone"! Hence, read.
Seek the Center, Luke.
5. Good Communications. Do you have an elevator speech?
Elevator speech on why GIS matters to society
This decade will be exciting for geotechnologies: You have a key role in achieving the goal.
The goal: That wise decisions will be made with the spatial perspective and the use of geotechnologies for a healthier, happier, more sustainable future.
Spelling GIS...
