Geospatial Technology Center of Excellence: Growing the Workforce

国家地理空间技术卓越中心（GeoTech中心）是两年制学院，大学和行业的合作努力，以实现增加拥有行业定义的地理空间技术（GST）技能和能力的学习者和工作者的数量和多样性的愿景。对拥有当前行业定义的技能和能力的GST劳动力的需求正在迅速扩大。 今天，GST正在成为包括（但不限于）应急响应，可持续发展，农业科学，能源和各种STEM学科领域的重要工具。这些职业需要在空间数据和地理可视化的分析技能。 该项目的一个影响将是拥有相关和当前行业定义的GST技能和能力的GST劳动力的全国扩张和多样化。地球技术中心的研究发现，缺乏教育材料，以满足广大地理空间社区的用户的需求。迫切需要标准化和上下文相关的课程，可以在传统的大学学习环境中使用，也可以用于个人自我完善。GeoTech中心将设计和开发与行业一致的教材，这些教材可以模块化的形式使用，并可移植到不同的学习环境中。GeoTech中心有四个综合目标：1）研究GST的新兴趋势和用途; 2）为GST的新用户和现有用户开发与行业一致的课程; 3）调查最佳实践以增加（并保持）服务不足和代表性不足的人口数量（包括退伍军人、妇女、少数群体和残疾人）进入GST和STEM领域;以及4）为中学和中学后教师开发和实施专业发展机会和资源。为了成功地实现其目标，该中心将建立在强大的，有记录的关系与专业的GST组织，并提供新的和现有的工人获得教育资源，以帮助他们填补他们的GST技能的任何差距（并为他们获得这些技能的认可通过微证书和专业认证）。该中心将扩大其实践社区，并解决目标受众的特定教育需求，包括服务不足和代表性不足的学生，退伍军人和STEM学科的教师。该中心为实现其目标所做的努力将提供最佳框架和资源，以增加拥有行业定义的GST技能和能力的学习者和工人的数量和多样性。

The National Geospatial Technology Center of Excellence (GeoTech Center) is a collaborative effort of two-year colleges, universities, and industry to accomplish the vision of increasing the number and diversity of learners and workers who possess industry-defined geospatial technology (GST) skills and competencies. The need for a GST workforce that possesses current industry-defined skills and competencies is expanding at a rapid rate. Today, GST is becoming an essential tool in fields including (but not limited to) emergency response, sustainability, agro-science, energy, and a variety of STEM disciplines. These occupations require a skillset in the analysis of spatial data and geo-visualization. One impact of this project will be the national expansion and diversification of a GST workforce that possesses relevant and current industry-defined GST skills and competencies. GeoTech Center research has identified a lack of educational materials to meet the needs of the broad geospatial community of users. Curricula that are standardized and contextual, and that can be used in traditional college learning environments, as well as by individuals for self-improvement, is desperately needed. The GeoTech Center will design and develop industry-aligned educational materials that can be used in a modularized format and portable to different learning environments.The GeoTech Center has four integrated Goals: 1) Research emerging trends and uses of GST; 2) Develop industry-aligned curriculum for new and incumbent users of GST; 3) Investigate best practices to increase (and retain) the number of underserved and underrepresented populations (including veterans, women, minority groups, and persons with disabilities) into GST and STEM fields; and 4) Develop and implement professional development opportunities and resources for secondary and post-secondary faculty. In order to successfully accomplish its Goals, the Center will build on strong, documented relationships with professional GST organizations and provide new and current workers access to educational resources to assist them in filling any gaps in their GST skillset (and for them to receive recognition of those skills through micro-credentials and professional certifications). The Center will expand its Community of Practice and address specific educational needs of targeted audiences, including underserved and underrepresented students, veterans, and faculty in STEM disciplines. The efforts of the Center to accomplish its Goals will provide the optimum framework and resources to increase the number and diversity of learners and workers who possess industry-defined GST skills and competencies.