Contra Costa Community College District Technology Website:

GIS (Geographic Information Systems), GPS (Global Positioning System), and RS (Remote Sensing), technologies help us collect, organize, and process information with reference to location. One example with which many people are familiar is Google Earth, which integrates elements of GIS, GPS and Remote Sensing. Other everyday applications are Mapquest and YahooMaps.

	GIS is a tool for integrating information with spatial location.
Source: Kenneth Foote and Margaret Lynch; University of Texas

GIS, GPS, and RS are collectively known as spatial technologies. In GPS, we collect information about any location which we can use for navigational purpose- such as finding direction, or the information can be used as part of a digital map. In GIS, we integrate data collected from various sources, organize and analyze the information and find solutions to spatial (locational) questions. For example, a city government may want to know the best site for opening a new shopping mall or a baseball park, and GIS can be utilized as a tool to find the answer. Similarly, an insurance company may want to know how many houses will be affected in the event of flood. Using a combination of both GPS (to locate the boundaries of the flood zone) and GIS to display that information along with property lines they can locate those houses. GIS is largely used for decision-making and planning purposes.

In Remote Sensing, we collect information about the earth’s surface from a distant location such as taking pictures from an airplane (aerial photography) or satellites (satellite imagery) or even RADAR (Radar imagery). These photographs and imagery are then integrated with other data and processed for further analysis all linked together by their location.

Features of Spatial Technologies

Relating information from different sources
Data Analysis
Problem Solving
Display and Mapping

Integration of information from GPS and Remote Sensing and other sources takes place in GIS:

Software:

At DVC we use industry-standard software. Currently we use ArcGIS-ArcInfo for GIS, Leica ERDAS Imagine for Remote Sensing and we use mapping-grade Leica GPS receivers. We periodically update the software and equipment as needed to maintain industry-standard.

Career opportunities:

Though GIS, GPS and Remote Sensing work as integrated technologies, as a career one can choose a particular area. Some people choose to be a GPS technician (principally a field job), others can be a GIS technician or analyst or choose to work with analysis and processing of remote sensing data. Jobs are listed under a variety of titles such as- GIS/GPS Technicians, GIS/GPS Analyst, Surveyor, GIS Coordinator, Manager etc.

How to build a Career in GIS

The following steps are necessary in building a career in the field of Spatial Technologies:

Science, Math and Geography

Basic skills in computers

College-level training

Internships

How much money do I make in a Spatial Technologies career?

Depending on the level of academic degree and professional experience, annual salaries may range from $ 30,000 (Technician/Digitizer) to $100,000+ (Analyst/ Manager/GIO) for a full-time career in GIS. Again, depending on your level of academic preparation and professional experience, salaries for GPS positions range from $30,000 to over $100,000 per year.

Credit:

U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Flagstaff, AZ, USA

URL: http://webgis.wr.usgs.gov/globalgis/what_is_gis.htm

http://gislounge.com/features/Related information about jobs in Bay Area: www.baama.org

More jobs at www.gisjobs.com and www.geocomm.com