What human infrastructure do institutions need to establish for a spatial foundation?

During the JISC program meetings on 28-29 November, we have collected feedbacks towards the JISC strategic planners in two subject areas: Human infrastructure in GIS educating and GIS Data Sharing.

This is the summary of feedbacks for the first question and the next post will be about the second.

What human infrastructure do institutions need to establish for a spatial foundation?

Inputs from ELOGeo team (Amir, Suchith)

·        Providing blended learning environment (e-learning + face to face) for improving spatial literacy.

·        Providing tools/software with focus on open source and open standards.

·        Working closely with funding agencies, data providers and universities on open data initiatives.

·        Training the trainers programmes

Summary of Inputs from participants:

Patricia  Carbajales (Stanford University)

Veerie van dan Eynden (UK Data Archive)

Conor Smyth (EDINA)

Steve Walsh (Aberystwyth University)

• Other disciplines awareness of GIS topics shall be started earlier in the schools/universities.
• The level of GIS courses to be task-oriented and split by level
• GIS resources may have been centred in Geography and needs to be tailored for wider range of students.
• Investment on more established trainers, as opposed to short-term helpers.
• Promoting the usefulness of GIS in other domains.
• Specialization vs generalization or Geospatial education is not thought when it is needed, those courses must be provided in a narrowed down manner when the student have real motivation/ change or curriculum.
• GIS courses to be an essential part of staff training.
• More focus on users.
• Getting help from student/postgrads to reduce costs.
• Providing advice on open geospatial software  to other institutions, particularly on how to get software support.
• Professionals accreditation of the GIS teachers
• More focus on the GI science teaching not on training students specific vendor software.
• Mechanism to incorporate GIS in other disciplines module’s teaching,
• Central IS/library service for cross-disciplinary support for students.