The Status of Professional Certification in GIS
G. Allen Finchum, Halil I. Tas, and Thomas A. Wikle
Certification and Other Forms of Professional Recognition
Implementing GIS Certification
Professional certification programs in areas such as planning, accounting, and real estate are long-standing and are now being considered for GIS professionals. The importance of professional competency has become a major concern within the GIS community, leading to the recent interests in developing such programs. No unified effort or set of standards regarding certification for GIS professionals has been proposed, leading numerous organizations to develop specific and specialized programs. This paper compares certification programs that are in place or developing and outlines a unified certification program model based on those programs developed to this point.
Despite efforts by vendors and academicians to develop and improve training and educational programs in geographic information systems (GIS), there are increasing calls for programs to certify GIS professionals. Much of the interest in implementing formal programs is tied to the need for explicit quality control. Certification has been defined as the process or act of verifying the competency of an individual in performing a professional activity or vocation. Wikle (1998) suggests that certification provides “…explicit, measurable outcomes that require an individual to demonstrate competency and mastery of a body of knowledge through an examination or peer evaluation process” (p. 496). Recognizing the importance of professional competency, the Clinton Administration established a national system of voluntary skill standards and certifications during the 1990s.
Recently, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) approved the development of a system for certification by a central independent authority of GIS personnel within each country (Kemp 2000A). Within the U.S., organizations such as the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) and the University Consortium on Geographic Information Science (UCGIS) have developed committees to explore possibilities for GIS certification. However, as of 2001 there is no widely accepted certification available for GIS professionals. This is partly tied to difficulties in identifying desired qualifications of professionals within the multidisciplinary field of GIS. Opponents of GIS certification argue that GIS is too broad for a common set of competency standards or that more time is needed for the field to evolve. Others note that certification will increase the cost of hiring GIS professionals and that professional organizations may initiate certification as a means of generating income. Despite such arguments there are several factors that favor the development of certification programs.
The benefits of GIS certification have received considerable attention in the professional literature (Obermeyer 1992, Hamm 1994, Obermeyer and Pinto 1994, Obermeyer 1997, Kemp 1997, Wikle 1998, Kemp 2000B, Huxhold 2000). Arguments in favor of GIS certification include possibilities for establishing benchmarks of performance or experience. As noted by Obermeyer (1997), certification may benefit individuals who have not completed an academic degree in a related discipline but wish to demonstrate skill and knowledge tied to GIS. Certification may also assist government agencies or corporations identify individuals who are qualified for specific types of positions (Burley 1993). Certification is attractive to employees because it provides an opportunity to advance knowledge, receive recognition from peers, or obtain a higher salary. In hiring decisions certification may even be view as a substitution for experience. Some proponents also believe that certification improves the satisfaction of clients through the knowledge that work was completed by someone recognized by other GIS practitioners. Small companies may benefit in cases when they have difficulty evaluating the competency of job applicants. Applied to GIS, certification can potentially help protect consumers of GIS services.
Certification has been applied within many fields, from medicine to surveying. The American Meteorological Society and the American Institute of Certified Planners have well established certification programs that require completion of academic coursework, a minimum level of work experience, and a written examination (Cortis 1985). One of the best known certification programs in the U.S. leads to the designation of Certified Public Accountant (CPA). The CPA exam is administered at the state level, but all states have similar programs and professional organizations within the accounting community have provided significant input to insure that tests are similar throughout the country. The Certified Computing Professional (CCP) program, administered by the Institute for Certification of Computing Professionals (ICCP), provides a blanket certification program for computing organizations, similar to the program outlined in this paper. To gain the CCP, the applicant must pass a core examination and at least two specialty exams selected from a broad range of topics (ICCP, 2001). The applicant must also meet specific experience requirements and pledge to abide by a code of ethics developed by the ICCP. The ICCP represents several member and affiliate societies active in the computing and information sciences community, allowing each organization to have input into the core requirements, and oversight concerning those specialty exams that are most pertinent to its members.mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";font-weight:normal'>
Certification and Other Forms of Professional Recognition Top
Certification is among a range of professional recognition now available within the U.S. and other countries to recognize knowledge, professional competency, and academic achievement. Depending on the professional field, some of these options include certificates, accreditation, and licensure. The development of certificate programs accelerated during the 1970s, mostly within technology fields. GIS certificate programs began to appear in large numbers in the early 1990s, the majority of which were designed around a series of college and universities courses (Wikle 1999). In contrast to academic certificates, certification is a process in which individuals meet a specified set of criteria defined by an organization and is intended to ensure that only qualified individuals may enter the profession (Obermeyer 1987). Accreditation is an institutional rather than an individual designation bestowed upon academic programs that meet specific criteria in terms of curricula, personnel, or quality (Obermeyer 1993, Wikle 1998). Determining standards for accreditation often involve a joint effort by practitioners and academicians to ensure a suitable level of rigor within the academic program. Accredited programs often attract more and better students. Unfortunately, the broad nature of GIS creates many of the same problems for accrediting academic programs that it does for defining standards and methods of evaluation for certification (Obermeyer and Pinto 1994). Finally, licensing is a mandatory process through which a government gives permission to an individual to engage in an activity. To obtain a license it is often necessary to pass an examination. Professional Licensing (PL) is justified under the police power of the U.S. Constitution in cases when it’s determined to be in the interest of protecting public health, safety, and welfare (Obermeyer 1997).
Certification Available Today Top
The American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASRPS) is the only organization that now offers certification in GIS. ASPRS’s program is voluntary and was established with the goal of maintaining high standards of ethical conduct and professional practice. The program’s objective is to identify and recognize professionals, to provide a basis for evaluating the validity of allegations or complaints, and to encourage persons to seek specific levels of professional achievement (ASPRS 2000). Certified Mapping Scientists, GIS/LIS must possess a minimum of four years of experience in the mapping science or photogrammetry and five years of experience in GIS or land information systems. In addition, applicants must pledge compliance with a code of ethics, pass an examination, and be approved by a committee of mapping professionals. ASPRS’s certifications are for life unless the certification holder violates the Code of Ethics. The program also requires that certificate holders recertify every 5 years to ensure that they remain current in the field (Huxhold 2000). Those who do not recertify are automatically assigned to inactive or retired status.
Implementing GIS Certification Top
Cortis (1985) suggests that it must fall to professionals within a field to determine standards, evaluation criteria, and administration for certification. However, given the tremendous breadth of GIS applications it may be impossible to develop a single certification program that is suitable to all professional areas. There are other practical issues that must be considered such as the procedure in cases when an individual is denied certification and the development of mechanisms to ensure that professional ethics are being adhered to by certification holders. Other questions that must be addressed include: 1) identifying standards for knowledge and skills that should be common among all GIS professionals, 2) developing skill or knowledge assessment instruments including examinations, coursework, portfolio reviews, or evaluations of work experience, and 3) determining who will administer certification. Another issue is whether certification should be available at a single level or multiple levels of knowledge and experience. In addition to the broad range of GIS application areas such as natural resource management and network routing are vertical levels having unique types of knowledge and skill requirements. For example, GIS managers may differ in required skill sets from managers or programmers. Obermeyer (1993) recommends that the Core Curriculum in GIScience available through the National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis might provide a starting point for identifying basic knowledge needed by all GIS professionals.
With several organizations taking an interest in promoting GIS, the establishment of rival and competing certification programs could be problematic and would almost certainly create confusion for persons entering the profession, as well as employers and the public. One possibility noted by Obermeyer (1993) is the development of a certification program managed by a consortia of existing associations or through an umbrella organization.
A Framework for CertificationTop
For GIS the greatest barrier to the establishment of certification programs is the broad nature of GIS applications. Ideally, certification should represent an individual’s commitment to GIS as a profession. Rather than address proprietary hardware and software packages, it should emphasize GIS fundamentals and principles. Likewise, instead of being viewed as a pinnacle of achievement, certification should represent experience and competency coupled with a commitment to quality and integrity. A possible model for certification involves identification of two categories of knowledge and competencies associated with GIS: 1) core knowledge needed by all GIS professionals, and 2) specialized knowledge and experiences needed by individuals working in more narrowly defined GIS application areas.
Formation of an Umbrella Certification Organization
GIS Certification will not become widely accepted unless organizations representing the range of GIS professionals agree to participate in establishing certification standards and methods of evaluation. One method to accomplish this task would be for representatives from existing organizations with substantial interest in GIS to form an umbrella organization for the purpose of administering certification (Figure 1). Additional delegates to this group should include persons from academia and especially government and industry. For certification to ultimately succeed among the entire spectrum of GIS professionals, these widely different groups must work together to build a cohesive set of standards and general testing criteria that are applicable and acceptable to all constituencies.
Core Competencies and Standards of Professional Behavior
The first step towards developing a certification program is defining a set of core knowledge and competencies that are considered essential for all GIS professionals. Although the NCGIA Core Curriculum in GIScience could provide a starting point for this effort, GIS professions in industry and government must take the lead in this process. The core set of competencies and standards must be applicable throughout the broad range of GIS applications and professions to lend credibility to the certification process. If the core competencies are not applicable to all professionals, then various groups may choose to opt out of the program.
Defining Competencies for Specializations within GIS
Representatives from application areas must be willing to assist in identifying experience and competency needed for GIS professionals involved in specialty fields such as natural resources management, surveying, or the analysis of socioeconomic data. Using guidelines provided by the umbrella certification organization, professional associations should be invited to develop explicit criteria for certification in the form of knowledge, work experience, and professional development. While the core competencies must address those criteria deemed necessary for all GIS professionals there must also be a system for testing and evaluating knowledge and experience within specific GIS application areas. Figure 2 provides a diagrammatic view of how the core competencies and the specializations could work in concert.
Programs for Ongoing Professional Development
An important function of certification is to provide incentives for GIS professionals to continue developing or improving skills and knowledge. This is critical in a field experiencing rapid change such as GIS. A program to recertify GIS professions by requiring them to present evidence of professional development and continuing work experience should become a component of an overall plan for implementing certification. GIS Certification must include an “updating” critieria, in that while the applications and development of GIS technology may not be in their infancy any longer, the field continues to experience rapid growth and change. Knowledge of the application and use of GIS today does not guarantee that the professional will continue to be adequately prepared in the future.
The Need for a Code of Ethics
Although most GIS practitioners earn profits honestly, at times all GIS professionals are faced with choices influenced by personal ethics. Goodchild and Kemp (1992) note that the nature of GIS means that its results can easily be misconstrued or distorted. The minority of GIS professionals who are unconcerned with the use of questionable data, the application of inappropriate or poorly applied analyses, or the integrity of interpretations have the potential for damaging the reputation of all persons involved in GIS. Professional ethics and behavior must be a centerpiece within the development of standards for certification and recertification.
GIS application areas range from engineering to computer and information sciences, geography, business, logistics, forestry, and many other academic and professional preparation fields. Because GIS professionals come from a wide variety of backgrounds and academic preparation, no one group can claim to represent all approaches and applications within the GIS community. Also, given the volatile nature of the field, and the rapid change currently underway in software development and application deployment, adequate preparation today does not guarantee competency in the future. For these reasons, an overarching program to ensure appropriate professional preparation and competency must be developed by those parties interested in safeguarding the viability of the field and the competency of those claiming professional status.
It is unlikely that voluntary certification can assure competency across the profession if most practitioners choose not to be certified or if employers don’t insist that their employees be certified. Therefore, it is essential that benefits of certification be clearly articulated. By including a wide range of professional organizations within the certification development process, and working to include the interests of all GIS professionals by developing both a reasonable core set of competencies and appropriate specialized evaluations within the certification process, all groups will benefit from certification.
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G. Allen Finchum, Assistant Professor
Department of Geography
Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, Oklahoma 74078
Phone: 405/744-6250
FAX: 405/744-5620
E-Mail: finchum@okstate.edu
Halil I. Tas, Graduate Student
Department of Geography
Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, Oklahoma 74078
Phone: 405/744-6250
FAX: 405/744-5620
E-Mail: halilt@hotmail.com
Thomas A. Wikle, Professor
Department of Geography
Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, Oklahoma 74078
Phone: 405/744-6250
FAX: 405/744-5620
E-Mail: geogtaw@okstate.edu
