Mapping the next population boom or a cure for cancer?
Geographic Information Systems credential program will lead you in the right direction
Have you ever wondered what a Tuscan winemaker, the Census Bureau and a cancer researcher have in common? They all depend on Geographic Information System (GIS) technology to view, analyze, interpret and share spatial data.
Say "GIS," and most people think map-making. But the capabilities of GIS technology are far broader and deeper — GIS users not only view geographic data, they use the technology to create integrated systems of visual and statistical information that can help them answer critical questions about everything from vineyard planning to population trends to disease occurrence.
Researchers at the Silent Spring Institute in Massachusetts used GIS to develop a database that integrates maps of breast cancer rates, historical environmental data, drinking water safety statistics, pesticide use and land use. By mapping all the variables, they're able to discern trends and potential triggers for the higher-than-average occurrence of breast cancer in the Cape Cod region.
When the Census Bureau needs to know the population density of any given census tract, they find out by using GIS. But GIS maps can also reveal anomalies, such as smaller tracts of land that have more people per square mile than larger tracts.
Tuscan winemaker Marcello Bidini uses the ArcGIS Vineyard Planning application to assist with the installation of new vineyards and the renovation of old ones. The technology helps him calculate variables in materials and machinery needs, but also the distance between rows of grapevines, a factor that determines the amount of foliage exposure to the sun, which in turn determines the sweetness of the grapes and, ultimately, the character of a celebrated wine.
Whatever your professional use for GIS technology may be, the University of Washington Tacoma KeyBank Professional Development Center offers a GIS Credential program that gives participants a foundation for becoming successful ArcGIS users.
Classes begin January 7, 2010, and will be held Wednesday and Thursday evenings, from 6-9 p.m., on the University of Washington Tacoma campus. Participants earning the credential must successfully complete three courses over nine months. The instructor, Catherine Crook, is the GIS analyst for the Port of Tacoma and has taught GIS classes for the Department of Forestry.
For more information and to apply, visit the University of Washington Tacoma KeyBank Professional Development Center's website or call 253-692-4618.
