Building an Academic Pathway for the Aerial Sensing Data Analyst

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Sinclair Community College (Dayton, Ohio) and partners will fill a workforce need for data analysts working with data collected from remote sensors flown on unmanned aircraft. These individuals will be increasingly employed in the Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)/Geospatial Intelligence Systems (GIS) sectors. Fueling the demand for Aerial Sensing Data Analysts are technological advances and the affordability and higher resolution of UAS compared to manned-aircraft and satellites. This project will develop a competency-based, hybrid post-secondary certificate for a new Aerial Data Sensing Analyst program to increase preparedness for entry-level employment in UAS/GIS, provide post-secondary professional development related to recruiting and retaining underrepresented populations, and conduct outreach and orientation activities for high school teachers and students regarding UAS/GIS educational pathways.Due to an increasing number of civil and commercial applications for UAS/GIS methods, there is a growing demand for analysts who have the competencies needed to correct, calibrate, process, store, and analyze the numerous terabytes of data collected from UAS flight. This project will provide community college students an opportunity to master competencies in the growing field of UAS/GIS through the development of a new competency-based, online post-secondary certificate program, Aerial Sensing Data Analyst. The program also seeks to expand awareness of UAS/GIS careers and educational pathways among high school students and teachers, and increase the number of underserved students enrolled in targeted undergraduate programs, including military veterans who may have applicable prior experience for this growing commercial industry. In addition, the project will help advance understanding of how such competency-based certificate programs promote access to post-secondary opportunities, with attention to their influence on increasing recruitment and retention of students from underrepresented groups.