King
County GIS Training Express:
Vision and Goals
The vision
of King County’s GIS
Training Express program
is to provide a framework for
ongoing and relevant GIS education,
to empower current and potential
GIS community members as proactive
spatial thinkers who can visualize
their data, support better
decision-making, and deliver
superior public service using
GIS tools.
The GIS
Training Express program
implements this vision
with GIS training that is
modular, customized, and
geared toward defined categories
of users within the GIS community.
The curriculum is designed
to be specific and detailed,
yet broad enough to suit
the business needs of individuals
from many different agencies.
A range of offerings allows
users to stick to GIS basics,
or to expand their knowledge
with advanced or highly specialized
topics.
Why GIS
Training Express
Software
vendors offer a vast array
of GIS classes, both online
and instructor-led. Software-focused
training is extremely valuable
but generally based on a one-size-fits-most
philosophy. Some classes and
courses are too technical and/or
too long for the casual GIS
user, some are not comprehensive
enough to meet the needs of "power" GIS
users, and others are just
too costly for agencies.
The King
County GIS Training Workgroup
identified thirty-three GIS
classes to be developed
and offered as part of a comprehensive
GIS curriculum. Depending on
GIS user needs, this curriculum
can replace and/or supplement
GIS software vendor training
and is considered integral
to maintaining a high-performance
GIS workforce for King County
or other agencies. Many of
the KCGIS classes deal with
the particulars of accessing,
editing, and querying King
County data. Others are intended
to introduce non-GIS staff
to the concepts of GIS and
its implementation. A few of
the classes are already being
taught, but most will be developed
from the ground up. The result
will be an economical, targeted,
comprehensive GIS training
curriculum that can meet the
defined business needs of GIS
professionals and users for
King County and other agencies.
GIS
User Categories
Six categories
of GIS users have been identified
for the purpose of organizing
the GIS Training Express training
curriculum. Four are technical
user categories that require
varying levels of GIS skill
and knowledge. The other two
categories comprise individuals
who do not personally use GIS,
but deal with GIS issues as
decision-makers or as technical
support staff. The GIS Training
Express training plan is
based on placing users into
one of these six categories,
with an associated curriculum
of recommended and optional
classes.
• Data
User
These are GIS end-users, who query and
view GIS data, and may create hardcopy
output of GIS maps and associated information.
• Data
Analyst
Analysts can be either GIS professionals
or end-users. Like the Data Users, they
also query and view GIS data, and likely
create hardcopy output using GIS resources.
However, they tend to employ more sophisticated
GIS methods and create more complex and
technically demanding maps than Data Users.
• Data
Maintainer (Steward)
Maintainers are GIS professionals who are
usually analysts, but are also stewards
of GIS data. They deal with data development
and conversion, quality assurance, and
metadata.
• Developer
These are GIS professionals
who develop GIS scripts, programs,
and applications that are used
by others. They deal with software
development issues, including
definition of requirements,
design, testing, deployment,
troubleshooting, and operation.
• Decision-Maker
This category is for
individuals who have little
or no experience with GIS,
but must still deal with GIS
issues. They may be managers
with GIS staff working for
them, or project managers whose
projects have a GIS component.
• Database
Administrators / System Administrators
DBAs, system administrators, and other
IT support staff may or may not be familiar
with GIS, yet need to deal with GIS issues
as part of the IT support services they
provide.
User-Focused
GIS Education
King County’s GIS
Training Express program
is a user-focused, module-based
approach. The GIS Training
Express curriculum is
designed to support the long-term
educational goals of both
agencies and individuals.
Agencies must consider their
business needs, timelines,
and project requirements
for the GIS training they
obtain for their staff. Individuals
focus on personal professional
development to support long-term
career goals.
The GIS
Training Express curriculum
is not meant to be rigid
or pedantic, but rather a
set of recommended guidelines.
Some classes are highly
recommended for the specific GIS user
category, while others are
listed as optional. The result
is a cost-effective, flexible
system that will allow GIS
users, professionals, and
the agencies they serve to
obtain highly effective user-based
business-focused GIS training.
Future
GIS Training Express Classes
Look
for additional GIS Training
Express classes in 2007.
Currently under development are: "ArcGIS
Essentials for Editing King County Data" and "Exporting
Data and Maps to Business Applications."
Visualize
Your Data
Better
Decisions
Superior
Public Service!
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