In April 2008, the NYS GIS Association conducted a survey
of the geospatial community in New York State. The purpose
of the report was to evaluate current trends in professional
certification and to determine what the geospatial community
would like to see from the NYS GIS Association in the coming
year.
Over the course of 14 days, we received 166 responses
across the State (from Long Island & NYC to Buffalo) which
provided extremely good information on certification as well
as what the community felt the future direction of the Association
should be.
On first blush, the number of folks that had GIS
certifications seems low (24), however, the number of individuals
considering certification over the next three years is significant
(27% yes & 45% maybe). As one of the primary goals of the
Association is to support the development of the GIS profession
throughout the state, the barriers to certification as outlined
by the responders will be examined closely to see what role
the Association can play in encouraging these individuals to
moving forward with obtaining certification.
The survey indicated
that the top four items that the Association should be stressing
are:
- Impacting the proposed Surveying Legislation
- Continuing
with NYS Geospatial Summit
- Providing training
- Promoting
professionalism
While the Association believes that it is currently
focused in these areas, it will continue to monitor the geospatial
community on a regular basis to insure that it is doing everything
possible to meet its needs.
Lastly, the Association wishes
to thank all those that took the time to complete the survey
and let us know that we can do to make it more responsive to
your needs.
For more information, see the survey
report.
