316
May 2016
PHOTOGRAMMETRIC ENGINEERING & REMOTE SENSING
SECTOR
INSIGHT:
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org
a program at Universidade NOVA de Lisboa in Portugal.
Other members of USGIF accredited collegiate community
include online stalwarts like Penn State, Northeastern,
and University of Southern California (leading the GIS&T
BoK update); traditional bricks & mortar programs like the
University of Missouri, George Mason, UT Dallas, Utah,
Fayetteville State, South Carolina, and University of Mary
Washington; the immersive University of Redlands MS
GIS program; and US military academies at West Point
and Colorado Springs. These programs are not one-size-
fits-all, they each play to their unique strengths while
meeting specific geospatial curriculum requirements, and
they all produce students capable of synthesizing actionable
knowledge from an integrated geospatial data realm that
now includes increasing amounts of data captured from social
media postings, hence the geospatial data science comment
at beginning of this narrative.
GEOINT is inherently multidisciplinary, with value in many
STEM fields. Arguably, USGIF workforce development
efforts focus on awakening the
geospatial data scientist
that
exists within all disciplines actively examining human scale
activity and/or the human environment interface regardless
of disciplinary boundaries. USGIF accredited collegiate
programs value the opportunity for direct connections with
GEOINT analysts, scientists, and engineers grappling with
difficult GEOINT challenges, and also for the opportunity
to recruit students from a workforce eager to stay current
with geospatial data science expertise at a time of massively
disruptive technological innovation.
The
Universal GEOINT professional certification
being
launched by USGIF this year is developed with support
from Global Skills X-Change (“Define, Measure, Optimize”),
a psychometric enterprise supporting development of
ten new professional certifications across array of DoD/
IC specializations. Two years of focus group activities
involving geospatial analysts and practitioners from several
professional geospatial sectors were included in this data-
gathering phase (adding input, reviewing input, sorting
input) with results distilled into the
Universal GEOINT
Essential Body of Knowledge
(EBK). A careful reader
will notice this EBK is not intensively focused on defense/
intelligence, but instead identifies broad sets of skill areas
that numerous professional focus groups have iteratively
indicated are essential for well-rounded 21st century
geospatial analyst. Exams assessing baseline knowledge/
skills have been developed for remote sensing, GIS, and data
management, and are currently completing Angoff processing
prior to official launch of
Universal GEOINT professional
certification
spring 2016.
Efforts like
USGIFcollegiateaccreditation
and
Universal
GEOINT professional certification
represent attempts
to create greater clarity in our professional realm, similar
to other recent efforts.
Universal GEOINT
now stands
alongside
GISCI
and
ASPRS certifications
, and a number
of meetings between these organizations have already been
convened as part of a larger conversation towards eventual
articulation, to strengthen overall geospatial workforce
quality assurance effort.
And quality assurance is what these efforts are all about.
USGIF collegiate accreditation
and
Universal GEOINT
professional certification
provide quality assurance to
employers that individuals have met recognized standards for
specified capabilities. The ability to demonstrate quantifiable
capabilities also benefits individual professionals who need
to (a) set themselves apart from a competitive herd, and (b)
maintain professional capabilities in a field defined by rapid
technological innovation.
We live in a world where surgeons and engineers meet
continuing education requirements in order to maintain their
professional credentials, and without those credentials risk
losing their practices. No one doubts the value proposition
associated with surgeons and engineers keeping up with
the latest capabilities, and keeping up to speed is part of
the core argument for geospatial professionals to embrace
professional credentialing. While geospatial professionals
don’t risk losing licenses to practice, we do have a similar
need to keep up with current science and technology trends,
and professional certifications with CEU requirements help
promote a stronger workforce. The
Universal GEOINT
professional certification
is a new option for today’s
geospatial professional to consider, among those seeking
distinction in competitive employment market.
Here are some questions for ASPRS membership. What do
you think about professional geospatial certifications? Is
there such thing as a geospatial profession, or are we all
sub-discipline specialists who happen to use geospatial data
technologies in our work? Is it even possible to meaningfully
define a geospatial profession that exists as an inherently
multidisciplinary enterprise with blurred lines between
geospatial professionals and professionals who use geospatial
data technologies? USGIF and ASPRS are collegial partners
working collaboratively to support stronger professional
geospatial community. Share your opinions on geospatial
professionalization efforts with ASPRS leaders now to help
them act more effectively on your behalf.
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