Five years ago, I started this blog. GIS has graduated from a data capture and manipulation tool to SDIS and merged with the mainstream IT system. Today’s
GIS includes lots of technologies, from programming, remote sensing, web, html,
database, IT networking, server management, scripting or automation to route
and network analysis…and the list goes on. The problem is that we cannot have
every skill on the list in reality. I mean all of these are good skills to
GIS; we just cannot be an expert on all subjects. Additionally, GIS is not a
pure science, it rests applications. This means, on top of GIS, we will need
background knowledge of the discipline whatever the choice for the applications
of GIS.
Consider a planner in Public Works Department needs to
work on a roadway expansion project, or increase the posted speed limit. The
planner might use GIS to (a) identify where to put noise sensors measuring
noise impacts in the study, or (b) to use GIS to justify that the noise impacts
in an environmental study are within acceptable limits, (c) or use GIS to
produce maps explaining the road expansion project and related mitigations in a
public hearing. The planner might use GIS to determine the radius of area in
which affected homes would receive notifications to attend a coming public
hearing. Another planner works on airport expansion project might use GIS to
determine which homes can receive free triple-pane window replacement as
mitigation to noise impacts justified by an environmental impact report.
Examples go on and on.
When
looking at these examples, obviously GIS is used as a tool to achieve the
business objectives, to facilitate the operations or justify the legal
fulfillment of having environment impact studies done, or simply justify a ‘go
ahead’ for a project. The
output from the GIS becomes the input to the business process or reaching
business decisions. To implement and
build the roadway expansion, we will need planners, engineers. GIS is used as a
tool to assist reaching the goal. In reality, many engineering departments will assign
GIS duties to experience planners instead of creating a ‘pure’ GIS function.
Nevertheless,
there are areas that GIS has less emphasis on requiring background knowledge of
disciplines, such as creating geo-data for base map, or GIS function in
publishing maps in redevelopment agency. But when you think about sanitary base
map, don’t you think that the department would want someone who knows GIS and
at the same time has sanitary engineering background to understand and read the
sanitary construction engineering drawings to ensure accurate data are captured
into GI system?
If
you have engineering background, the engineering background will be
the core skills that lead you to the appropriate position in engineering
related job, and GIS skills would be the secondary skills that make you more
successful and ready for the peripheral GIS duties often added to the engineering tasks. GIS is good to have it, but you want to use it in
combining with your background and core skills. Out
of the GIS skills, you might want to focus on database queries, spatial
analysis, CAD interoperability and some mapping skills. As to almost all
disciplines programming is helpful. If you perceive you would have lots of
repeated tasks, programming in GIS helps to deal with that.
GIS
is still a very powerful and useful tool. Like many other professions, it’s a
matter of how to apply the technology, and that makes a difference. It is
important to find out where you stand in using a technology in combining with
other skills you have. GIS would not mean the same for everyone.
