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Unlike traditional GIS programs which educate students in the techniques of GIS, this program is designed to educate professionals in bringing the power of geospatially-referenced information to the problems and decisions of today. Geospatial information, technology, and analysis are integrated into and across an increasing number of fields beyond the traditional areas of geography and natural resources. A key educational component that has recently evolved is the education of emerging and working professionals in the integration, interpretation, use, and limitations of geospatial information as it is transformed into knowledge for decision making in such diverse areas as intelligence and homeland security, public health, civil engineering, and veterinary medicine. A need exists to provide the necessary education to these professionals at the graduate level because of the complexities involved in correctly generating, understanding, and interpreting this transformation. This is distinct from the more traditionally understood education for GIS which 1) trains and educates geospatial technicians, data providers, and technologists, 2) graduate programs in geography and computer science which focus on developing and expanding the core science and capabilities of geospatial science, or 3) domain-specific problem solving within individual disciplines. This program provides professionals with the necessary education to understand, explore, and integrate geospatial and geospatially-referenced data into information which is then transformed into knowledge through analysis and reasoning for making informed decisions.
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Overview |