The National Geospatial Technology Center of Excellence, the GeoTech Center, is a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded Advanced Technology Education (ATE) center that was started in 2008. Directions Media’s Editor in Chief, Joe Francica, interviews Dr. Phillip Davis, the center’s director, about the center and its involvement in developing the Geospatial Technology Competency Model (GTCM) for the U.S. Department of Labor. The GTCM is an effort to define the core competencies of the geospatial professional to support curriculum development at colleges and universities, and to promote workforce development. The GeoTech Center, then, is a vital link in helping prepare students to become the next generation of geospatial professionals and to meet the demands of a growing industry in geospatial technology.
Jobs are on everyone’s mind. Which regions are employing the most geospatial professionals? How much money are companies paying these professionals? These are key issues, especially for those graduating from school or those considering a career change in the direction of geospatial technology. Editor in Chief Joe Francica provides insights in this episode of DMTV.
In this interview with ESRI President Jack Dangermond, Directions Magazine Editor in Chief Joe Francica discusses the health of the GIS technology sector, jobs and educating the next generation of geospatial professionals. Dangermond talks about the growth that ESRI is experiencing and how the state of the economy has impacted sales of GIS to the local, state and federal markets. This episode of DMTV also includes a brief review of the 2010 ESRI Federal User Conference that was held in Washington DC, February 17-19. [below is the YouTube and edited version of the interview…the entire 20 minute interview is also available for downloading here in Windows Media format.]
