Unmanned Aircraft Systems Technology Education Consortium (UASTEC)

地理空间技术（GST）是一个通用术语，涉及在各种环境和应用中使用技术收集和处理地理空间数据。GST的应用范围从环境监测和遥感到毒品和执法、管道检查、农业和牧场管理。随着高分辨率卫星图像设备、地理信息系统桌面软件和廉价的全球定位系统接收器的广泛提供，地理空间技术目前处于获取和分析影响日常生活的关键数据的革命的最前沿。地理空间技术设备的一个组成部分是无人驾驶飞机系统，也称为“无人机”。无人机系统是用于收集空中数据的子系统，因此包括数码相机、传感器和辐射计等仪器。 拟议项目的目标是改善社区和技术学院一级的地理空间技术教育，以增加地理空间技术专业人员的数量、多样性和质量。这主要是通过建立一个独特的基础广泛的关键利益相关者联盟来实现的，该联盟称为无人机系统技术教育联盟（UASTEC）。 该联盟的成员是德尔马尔学院（DMC，一所两年制公立社区学院）、德克萨斯农工大学-科珀斯克里斯蒂分校（TAMUCC）（一所四年制院校）、坎伯公司（国防部承包商）和孤星星星UAS卓越中心。UASTEC项目将创建一个新的四门课程的DMC证书，可以在短短两个学期内获得。 新的UAS课程将使技术人员能够协助维护和操作昂贵的UAS设备，并对其法律的商业运营的技术和监管要求有深入的了解。该项目同时强调职业和技术教育以及劳动力专业发展。通过与TAMUCC的衔接协议，DMC UAS证书将无缝转移。GST员工将能够通过继续教育安排参加UAS证书计划，该安排绕过繁琐的大学申请程序，同时允许收取象征性费用的学术学院学分。此外，该项目还深入到高中，对中学教师进行无人机系统培训，以便让高中学生有机会通过注册双学分大学地理信息系统课程获得大学学分。

Geospatial Technology (GST) is a general term that relates to the use of technology for collection and processing of geospatial data in a variety of contexts and applications. GST applications range from environmental monitoring and remote sensing to drug and law enforcement, pipeline inspection, agriculture and ranch management. With the widespread availability of high resolution satellite imagery equipment, desktop software for Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and inexpensive Global Positioning Systems (GPS) receivers, geospatial technologies are currently at the forefront of the revolution in the acquisition and analysis of critical data that impacts daily life. An integral part of geospatial technology equipment is the unmanned aircraft system (UAS) also known as the "drone". UAS are subsystems used to collect aerial data, hence they include instruments such as digital cameras, sensors and radiometers. The goal of the proposed project is to improve geospatial technology education at the community and technical college level to increase the number, diversity, and quality of geospatial technology professionals. This is achieved primarily through the establishment of a unique broad-based consortium of key stakeholders called the Unmanned Aircraft System Technology Education Consortium (UASTEC). The members of the consortium are Del Mar College (DMC, a public two year community college), Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi (TAMUCC) a 4-year institution, the Camber Corporation (a DOD contractor) and the Lone Star UAS Center of Excellence. The UASTEC project will create a new four-course DMC certificate in UAS Technology that can be earned in as little as two semesters. The new UAS curriculum will prepare technicians to assist in the maintenance and operation of expensive UAS equipment with a solid understanding of the technology and regulatory requirements for their legal commercial operation. The project simultaneously emphasizes both career and technical education and workforce professional development. Through an articulation agreement with TAMUCC, the DMC UAS certificate will transfer seamlessly. The GST workforce will be able to enroll in the UAS Certificate program through a continuing education arrangement that bypasses tedious college application processes while permitting academic college credit for a nominal fee. Additionally, the project reaches out to high schools to train secondary school teachers in UAS in order to give high-school students the opportunity to earn college credit by enrollment in dual-credit college level GIS courses.