When I was assigned the topic of “a hot emerging employment
opportunity in your field”, in my field of Geographic Information
Systems (GIS), I thought, “well, it’s all hot!” Why is that? It
is because GIS is both a science and a set of tools. It is comprised
of a database that is linked to a map, and that “geo-database” enables
people to make smart decisions about the “whys of where”.
Because so
many careers in the environmental issues are focused on the
“where”–whether it is water quality in a specific watershed, invasive
species in a region, land use in a country, or climatic patterns around
the world, decision makers and researchers need a set of tools that
allow them to model spatial patterns at multiple scales.
They won’t be
doing that with paper maps these days, but rather, with a GIS.
Furthermore, because environmental issues are complex, powerful tools
are needed that can handle multiple layers and inputs. GIS allows
people to do just that. Finally, because many environmental issues
require scenarios to be modeled and tested, GIS is valued because it was
created to be a tool that can foster decision-making.
As the years pass, and environmental issues become more of concern,
and more complex, GIS becomes more and more valued. And as it becomes
more valued, it becomes more in demand by employers filling vacancies.
In 2004, the US Department of Labor identified 3 “hot fields” for the
21st Century: Biotechnologies, nanotechnologies, and geotechnologies.
GIS is firmly anchored in the geotechnologies.
Dip a toe into the GIS waters! One way to do it is to go to ArcGIS Online and create, save, and share some maps today! Or come for one of our half day free GIS sessions!
Labels: ArcGIS Online, Geographic Information Solutions, Geotechnologies, GIS Carreer, GIS in Uganda, Omara Samuel, Uganda, US Department
