GIS Proffesional Certification

I just finished my presentation of a chapter of Introduction to ArcGIS I so that I can be authorized to teach it. I'm glad that is over! I can tell that I have a lot of preparation to do. The ESRI Authorized Training Program is an interesting concept. Look into it if you aren't familiar.

Today I am going to talk about Professional GIS Certification or becoming a GISP. I became a GISP about six months ago and I am glad I did. The GIS Certification Institute (GISCI) is an "organization that provides the geographic information systems community with a complete certification program. GISCI offers participants from the first early years on the job until retirement a positive method of developing value for professionals and employers in the GIS profession". The certification process is straightforward and is based on three primary criteria: education, experience and contributions to the industry. My favorite part of the certification process is the requirement for contributions to the industry. This makes individuals get involved and keeps them involved because re-certification is required every five years. The most common question I get about the GISP program is if a test is required. The answer is no because GIS is such a broad field and a standardized test is near impossible. For more information please visit www.gisci.org.

GIS Day

Good Morning! It is amazing how much work you can get done while you are away from the office. I need to leave town more often!

Anyway, today I am highlighting GIS Day. This year GIS Day is on November 16th (42 days remaining according to gisday.com). For those that don't know, "GIS Day is a grassroots event that formalizes the practice of geographic information systems (GIS) users and vendors of opening their doors to schools, businesses, and the general public to showcase real-world applications of this important technology." At my City we will be hosting an open house for all City employees. We felt this would be best since it is the first GIS Day for the new GIS Division. If you have never hosted a GIS Day it is alot of work, but very rewarding at the same time. I encourage you to consider it. Find out more along with plenty of planning materials at www.gisday.com.

Welcome & GIS.com

Well......here goes....this is my first post on GIS GeoBlog! Welcome! As it says at the top of the page "This is the place for anything and everything GIS related for everyone from advanced users to newcommers. It will include articles, websites, software, hardware, applications, events, user groups, etc." This idea came to me today while attending a training class at ESRI San Antonio. I am sure many other sites similar to this already exists. Although, I hope that I can continue to promote and inform everyone about the power of GIS in my own little place on the web. Please feel free to email me with suggestions or questions about the blog.

I thought I would start off with the basics. GIS.com. GIS.com is a website maintained by ESRI. ESRI has the market in GIS throughout the World (I will talk more about ESRI in the near future). GIS.com educates by explaining what GIS is, what you can do with it, how to implement it, careers, etc. etc. etc. Please visit www.gis.com if you never have......who knows you might learn something new.