Comments on: Help with GIS,… https://habitablezone.com/2011/04/30/help-with-gis/ Fri, 03 Apr 2026 22:41:18 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Ainz https://habitablezone.com/2011/04/30/help-with-gis/#comment-309 Ainz Sun, 01 May 2011 05:48:56 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=469#comment-309 Dang. I've just about worn google out, and not found a site with that much good stuff. Thanks TB! Dang. I’ve just about worn google out, and not found a site with that much good stuff.
Thanks TB!

]]> By: Ainz https://habitablezone.com/2011/04/30/help-with-gis/#comment-308 Ainz Sun, 01 May 2011 05:40:20 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=469#comment-308 Really just skills for the toolbox. Certification doesn't sound like a good fit for me right now, but I do have AutoCAD Map 3D (2008) and only recently discovered the GIS tutorial. I'll follow that route for now. Thanks Pod! Really just skills for the toolbox. Certification doesn’t sound like a good fit for me right now, but I do have AutoCAD Map 3D (2008) and only recently discovered the GIS tutorial. I’ll follow that route for now.

Thanks Pod!

]]> By: Ainz https://habitablezone.com/2011/04/30/help-with-gis/#comment-307 Ainz Sun, 01 May 2011 05:27:45 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=469#comment-307 Wow! Fantastic information, thank you for giving it to me straight. I'd heard some scuttlebutt along those lines, but I'd much rather hear it from a pro, who's been there, done that. It certainly sounds like I'm late to the party. :) Oh well, I think I'll try to learn it anyway, just for grins, and maybe it'll sweeten the resume a little, even if I never wind up in a specific GIS position. Thank you very much for the straight shooting, and I love your analogy of a degree requirement for word processing. :) Wow! Fantastic information, thank you for giving it to me straight. I’d heard some scuttlebutt along those lines, but I’d much rather hear it from a pro, who’s been there, done that.

It certainly sounds like I’m late to the party. :)

Oh well, I think I’ll try to learn it anyway, just for grins, and maybe it’ll sweeten the resume a little, even if I never wind up in a specific GIS position.
Thank you very much for the straight shooting, and I love your analogy of a degree requirement for word processing. :)

]]> By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2011/04/30/help-with-gis/#comment-305 ER Sun, 01 May 2011 04:29:21 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=469#comment-305 I hope this helps. Until I retired last year, I have been doing GIS since the early nineties, both as an analyst and as a GIS manager. I worked on ESRI software, using their ArcInfo, ArcView and ArcMap products. Their software dominates the industry. Most of the jobs will be in the municipal or government area. Job competition is keen, there are degree programs in GIS, and its getting hard to break into the field as I did 20 years ago with no formal training at all. (My prior job experience was in remote sensing and photogrammetry, and that and my Geography degree got me in the door.) They even have Master's programs in GIS, which I find outrageous. GIS is software; complex, powerful and useful software, but its just software. It's not science or engineering. It's like giving out degrees in Word Processing. It is also hard to get a decent job nowadays without certification, and it takes about 5 years to get one of those. I had a GIS Certificate from the American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (Certified Mapping Scientist), but now an outfit called URISA has taken over the Certification Biz, and they peddle a product called G.I.S.P. (It's all over the Net). I might as well warn you, I was personally opposed to the URISA program and engaged in a long and losing battle to stop it, with journal articles, at professional panels and round tables at conferences, and "letters to the editor" in the trade rags. I hesitate to advise you on it since I can't be really objective about it. But read URISA's material very carefully before you sign up. GIS was a great place to be until about 10 years ago, but now you will be facing a lot of strong competition for jobs in an area that is hiring less and less (local government). Once you're hired, the work has potential for advancement, but right now things are tough, and getting and keeping a job in the field will be difficult. When I started in GIS it was considered a technical tool for earth scientists, something you picked up on your own to manage, process , analyze and display spatial data and relationships. Today, GIS is evolving into a major branch of IT, and is more concerned with the software and systems aspects than it is the applications end. I hope this helps. Until I retired last year, I have been doing GIS since the early nineties, both as an analyst and as a GIS manager. I worked on ESRI software, using their ArcInfo, ArcView and ArcMap products. Their software dominates the industry. Most of the jobs will be in the municipal or government area.

Job competition is keen, there are degree programs in GIS, and its getting hard to break into the field as I did 20 years ago with no formal training at all. (My prior job experience was in remote sensing and photogrammetry, and that and my Geography degree got me in the door.) They even have Master’s programs in GIS, which I find outrageous. GIS is software; complex, powerful and useful software, but its just software. It’s not science or engineering. It’s like giving out degrees in Word Processing.

It is also hard to get a decent job nowadays without certification, and it takes about 5 years to get one of those. I had a GIS Certificate from the American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (Certified Mapping Scientist), but now an outfit called URISA has taken over the Certification Biz, and they peddle a product called G.I.S.P. (It’s all over the Net). I might as well warn you, I was personally opposed to the URISA program and engaged in a long and losing battle to stop it, with journal articles, at professional panels and round tables at conferences, and “letters to the editor” in the trade rags. I hesitate to advise you on it since I can’t be really objective about it. But read URISA’s material very carefully before you sign up.

GIS was a great place to be until about 10 years ago, but now you will be facing a lot of strong competition for jobs in an area that is hiring less and less (local government). Once you’re hired, the work has potential for advancement, but right now things are tough, and getting and keeping a job in the field will be difficult.

When I started in GIS it was considered a technical tool for earth scientists, something you picked up on your own to manage, process , analyze and display spatial data and relationships. Today, GIS is evolving into a major branch of IT, and is more concerned with the software and systems aspects than it is the applications end.

]]> By: podrock https://habitablezone.com/2011/04/30/help-with-gis/#comment-303 podrock Sun, 01 May 2011 02:51:00 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=469#comment-303 Are you looking to pick up new skills or working towards some sort of degree or certification? The University of Denver has an online master's program in GIS that I've considered. The concept of certification is something I haven't dug into, but I know it's sort of controversial. Sounds like you've the experience to add GIS skills to your toolbox. ER is the GIS expert here, I'm on the learning curve myself. Fundimentally, GIS is linking spacial entities to a database that can easily query that database. Since you know Cad, can you get your hands on their 3D map program? Governments and academia typically use the ARC products while industry (mine, at least) tends to use AutoCad. I'm learning tons using the AutoCad tutorials. Also, the local authorized AutoDesk dealer has all kind of classes on GIS. I've not taken advantage of these classes myself, but if you decide to invest in the software, there are training options through AutoDesk. Oh, here's the link to DU's master's program: <a href="http://universitycollege.du.edu/grad/inq/gis.cfm?gclid=CNaGobLaxagCFQEHbAodWQHWog" rel="nofollow">University of Denver</a> Are you looking to pick up new skills or working towards some sort of degree or certification? The University of Denver has an online master’s program in GIS that I’ve considered. The concept of certification is something I haven’t dug into, but I know it’s sort of controversial.

Sounds like you’ve the experience to add GIS skills to your toolbox. ER is the GIS expert here, I’m on the learning curve myself. Fundimentally, GIS is linking spacial entities to a database that can easily query that database. Since you know Cad, can you get your hands on their 3D map program? Governments and academia typically use the ARC products while industry (mine, at least) tends to use AutoCad.

I’m learning tons using the AutoCad tutorials. Also, the local authorized AutoDesk dealer has all kind of classes on GIS. I’ve not taken advantage of these classes myself, but if you decide to invest in the software, there are training options through AutoDesk.

Oh, here’s the link to DU’s master’s program:
University of Denver

]]> By: TB https://habitablezone.com/2011/04/30/help-with-gis/#comment-302 TB Sun, 01 May 2011 01:53:31 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=469#comment-302 Maybe something <a href="http://spatialnews.geocomm.com/education/" rel="nofollow">here</a> would be helpful? Maybe something here would be helpful?

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