Geographic Information Science Citation Program

The University of Maryland has approved the Geography Department’s proposal to offer a Citation in Geographic Information Science effective in the Fall 2001 semester. The Citation Program in Geographic Information Science is designed to give students the technical skills needed to acquire, manage, and analyze huge amounts of geographic data. Almost everything we do involves geographic information: deciding where to live and travel, environmental monitoring, and urban planning. Influenced by computer technology, the academic disciplines of geographic information science such as remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), and computer cartography have evolved dramatically in the past few decades. The fields of remote sensing, the science of obtaining geographic information from aircraft and satellites, and GIS, a computer technology that manages and analyzes different forms of digital geographic data, have been growing at an extraordinary rate. Computer cartography has revolutionized traditional cartography to vastly improve mapmaking and visualization of geographic information in a multimedia environment. Students in the citation program will get extensive computer training in digital processing of remote sensing observations and cartographic vector data, spatial analysis, and the display of information products.

These skills are in great demand in Metro Washington, DC, and wherever the information technology industry is an important employer. The Citation Program reflects the Department’s effort to meet this challenge. The program is open to all majors on campus. There are no special admission requirements for the Geographic Information Science Citation Program. Geographic science methods are applicable to many diverse fields, such as agriculture, marketing, and archaeology. The Department of Geography welcomes students from every area of study.

The Department will monitor the program. Applications and advising will be available in the Undergraduate Advising Office. All credits for the citation must be taken in the Department of Geography at the University of Maryland, College Park. No course with an earned grade below "C" may count towards a Citation. Upon successful completion of the program, a notation is placed on the student’s transcript indicating they have completed the Citation Program in GIS.

The approval of the Citation Program reflects the role of the Department in fostering the Information Technology agenda of the university and the state. The Department has been part of the Maryland Information Technology Initiative (MAITI), receiving funds to expand course offerings in GIS, remote sensing, and computer cartography. The Citation Program provides a structure to further enhance the goals of MAITI to meet the information technology challenge in Maryland.