Abstract
Education for a Rural Geospatial Workforce: The Maine Experience
Track: Teaching with GIS in Higher Education
Author
Recent growth in the geospatial industry has by-passed much of rural America. This “geodigital divide” is partly due to a lack of geospatial skills among rural workers. Schools in rural areas face special challenges in supporting geospatial programs to fulfill this need, often lacking computing resources, trained faculty, or sufficient enrollment. Workforce studies to date have focused on geospatial occupations such as “GIS technician,” where urban and suburban workers are in demand. However, there are few such jobs in rural areas where GIS skills are in demand as part of other disciplines. This paper will describe a statewide collaboration aimed at expanding and improving GIS education in the rural state of Maine. We'll present results of a two-year workforce study, new models for GIS classes and programs, the new Maine GIS Championships, and efforts to support K12 teachers.
Tora Johnson
University of Maine at Machias
116 O'Brien Avenue
Machias, Maine 04654
United States
Phone: 207-255-1214
E-mail: tjohnson@maine.edu
Matthew Bampton
University of Southern Maine
Dept. of Geography-Anthropology
Gorham, Maine 04038-1088
United States
Phone: 207-780-5184
E-mail: bampton@usm.maine.edu
David Markow
Washington County Community College
One College Drive
Calais, Maine 04619
United States
Phone: 207-454-1003
E-mail: dmarkow@wccc.me.edu
Charles Colgan
University of Southern Maine
Muskie School of Public Service
PO Box 9300
Portland, Maine 04104-9300
United States
Phone: (207) 780-4008
E-mail: colgan@usm.maine.edu
Charles Gregory
Southern Maine Community College
2 Fort Road
South Portland, Maine 04106
United States
Phone: 207-741-5643
E-mail: cgregory@smccME.edu
Scott Hood
Kennebec Valley Community College
92 Western Avenue
Fairfield, Maine 04937
United States
Phone: 207-453-5002
E-mail: shood@kvcc.me.edu