 Rodney Jackson | The Geospatial Technology Competency Model (GTCM) has become an important resource for defining the geospatial industry and a valuable tool for educators creating programs since its finalization in 2010. The GTCM defines the key knowledge and skills included within the domain of geospatial technology. The University of Southern Mississippi’s Geospatial Workforce Development Center conducted an initial effort in the early 2000s to define skills and competencies. This effort led to the first draft of the GTCM. This draft GTCM was reviewed by the Spatial Technologies Information Association with broad competency definitions. Work continued under direction of the Geographic Information Technology Association (GITA), the Association of American Geographers (AAG) and the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania (DiBiase et al 2010, p.56)* but it remained a draft. In early 2009 members of the National Geospatial Technology Center of Excellence (GeoTech Center) became involved in the effort to complete the GTCM. A broad-based panel of geospatial experts were convened and suggested that shared industry-wide competencies become Tier 4 and industry-sector competencies become Tier 5. Public comments were sought and comments were addressed with a final GTCM draft submitted to the US Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration’s (DOLETA) Geospatial Technology Competency Model. The draft was approved by DOLETA in 2010. The industry has continued to evolve and grow and the GeoTech Center has undertaken the work to update the 2010 version of the GTCM. The GTCM update is focused on Tiers 1-5 as defined below: |
Industry-Related Technical Competencies
Foundational Competencies
* DiBiase, David, Corbin, Tripp, Fox, Thomas, Francica, Joe, Green, Kass, Jackson, Janet, Jeffress, Gary, Jones, Brian, Jones, Brent, Mennis, Jeremy, Schuckman, Karen, Smith, Cy, and Van Sickle, Jan. 2010. The new geospatial technology competency model: Bringing workforce needs into focus. URISA Journal 22(2): 55-72. December.
Information regarding prior work on the GTCM can be found in the documents provided below.
- Tier 5 -- Industry-Specific Technical Competencies
- Tier 4 -- Industry-Wide Technical Competencies
Foundational Competencies
- Tier 3 -- Workplace Competencies
- Tier 2 -- Academic Competencies
- Tier 1 -- Personal Effectiveness
* DiBiase, David, Corbin, Tripp, Fox, Thomas, Francica, Joe, Green, Kass, Jackson, Janet, Jeffress, Gary, Jones, Brian, Jones, Brent, Mennis, Jeremy, Schuckman, Karen, Smith, Cy, and Van Sickle, Jan. 2010. The new geospatial technology competency model: Bringing workforce needs into focus. URISA Journal 22(2): 55-72. December.
Information regarding prior work on the GTCM can be found in the documents provided below.
| The New Geospatial Technology Competency Model - Bringing Workforce Needs into Focus |
| Geospatial Workforce Training And Development - Building Tomorrow's Workforce for Spatial Information Technologies |
The GeoTech Center is collaborating with the US Department of Labor to update the current GTCM. The first step in this process was to contact geospatial professional through various organizations, agencies, etc. and solicit them to complete a review of the GTCM. The evaluation, which consisted of a separate survey for each tier, asked about the relevancy of each competency to the current geospatial technology industry. The results were summarized and then evaluated by subject matter experts (representing different areas within the industry) through surveys and on–line discussions. The results of this evaluation were brought to a workforce panel for evaluation and review in a workshop. The proposed updates to the GTCM are now being released to the wider geospatial community for comment. Please evaluate the offered changes and comment, as needed.
Tier 1: Personal Effectiveness Competencies
No competencies edited, added, or removed
Tier 2: Academic Competencies
Science and Engineering: Subject-specific Engineering Knowledge
Architecture and Architectural Engineering - design and construction of buildings; Civil Engineering - design and construction of public and private works, such as infrastructure (roads, railways, water supply and treatment), bridges, and buildings; Environmental Engineering - application of science and engineering principles to improve the environment were replaced with…Familiarity with applications of science and engineering principles
Landscape Architecture - design of outdoor and public spaces was removed
Tier 3: Workplace Competencies
Business Fundamentals: Economic/Business/Financial Principles
Characteristics of Markets; Cost and Pricing of Products; Economic Terminology; Profit and Loss were replaced with…Basic understanding of markets, economic terminology, and business principles
Fundamentals of Accounting was removed
Supply/Demand was removed
Business Fundamentals: Business Ethics
Practice sustainability by using processes that are non-polluting, conserving of energy and natural resources, economically efficient, that use local materials, and safe for workers, communities, and consumers was removed
Business Fundamentals: Entrepreneurship
Explain the entrepreneurial process, including discovery, concept development, resourcing, actualization, harvesting was removed
Business Fundamentals: Geospatial Business Fundamentals
Discuss the historical origins of geospatial technology was replaced with…Be familiar with the historical origins of geospatial technology
In addition, it was recommended that we move the competency to Tier 4.
Tier 4: Industry-Wide Technical Competencies
Satellite Positioning and Other Measurement Systems
Explain the distinction between GNSS data post-processing (such as U.S. National Geodetic Survey's Online Positioning User Service) and real time processing (such as Real-Time Kinematic) was replaced with…Explain the role of GNSS in location-based services
Plan a GNSS data acquisition mission that optimizes efficiency and data quality was replaced with…Explain how a mobile device calculates location coordinates (e.g., GNSS, triangulation, trilateration, etc.) - In addition, it was recommended that we move the competency to Tier 5.
It was recommended that we move Compare differential GNSS and autonomous GNSS to Tier 5.
Identify and describe characteristics of inertial measurement systems and other geospatial measurement systems was replaced with…Describe characteristics and appropriate uses of inertial measurement systems
It was recommended that we change the title of the critical work function category from Satellite Positioning and Other Measurement Systems to Positioning Systems
Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry
Acquire information needed to compare the capabilities and limitations of various sensor types in the context of project requirements was replaced with…Compare the capabilities and limitations of various sensor types in the context of project requirements
Explain the difference between active and passive remote sensing, citing examples of each was replaced with…Describe characteristics and appropriate uses of active and passive sensors
Use the concept of the "electromagnetic spectrum" to explain the difference between optical sensors, microwave sensors, multispectral and hyperspectral sensors was replaced with…Use the concept of the electromagnetic spectrum to explain the difference between sensors (e.g. optical, microwave, multispectral, hyperspectral, etc.)
Tier 5: Industry-Sector Technical Competencies
Positioning and Data Acquisition
Design a questionnaire and interview protocol for acquiring georeferenced socio-economic data was replaced with…Understand how to conduct primary research and implications of data privacy and confidentiality
Make and justify a choice between Real time Standard Positioning Service (SPS) and Real time Precise Positioning Service (PPS) for a given objective was replaced with…Differentiate between Real time Precise Positioning Service (PPS) and Real time Standard Positioning Service (SPS)
Explain how an online real estate site acquires and integrates public information about nearly 100 million property parcels in the U.S. was replaced with…Explain the process of acquiring and integrating large and heterogeneous datasets (spatial or nonspatial)
Diagram the sequence of functions involved in producing georeferenced textual information harvested from social media sites and the World Wide Web was replaced with…Describe how textual information can be harvested and geocoded from social media sites
Describe the components and operation of an aerotriangulation system was replaced with…Explain aerotriangulation
Compare how land records are administrated in the U.S. in comparison with other developed and developing countries was replaced with…Recognize that land records are administered differently around the world
Analysis and Modeling
Assess the current state of the art in coupling predictive models and simulations with GIS software was replaced with…Demonstrate familiarity with the existence of predictive models and their applications
Define the sampling theorem in relation to the concept of spatial resolution of remotely-sensed imagery was removed
Compare characteristics and appropriate uses of geospatial modeling techniques, such as neural networks, cellular automata, heuristics, agent-based models, and simulation models such as Monte Carlo simulation was replaced with…Explain characteristics and appropriate uses of geospatial modeling techniques (e.g. neural networks, cellular automata, heuristics, agent-based models, and simulation models)
Explain the Modifiable Areal Unit Problem in relation to the "ecological fallacy" was replaced with… Explain the Modifiable Areal Unit Problem (e.g. ecological fallacy, choropleth mapping, etc.) with relation to data aggregation
Software and Application Development
No competencies edited, added, or removed
No competencies edited, added, or removed
Tier 2: Academic Competencies
Science and Engineering: Subject-specific Engineering Knowledge
Architecture and Architectural Engineering - design and construction of buildings; Civil Engineering - design and construction of public and private works, such as infrastructure (roads, railways, water supply and treatment), bridges, and buildings; Environmental Engineering - application of science and engineering principles to improve the environment were replaced with…Familiarity with applications of science and engineering principles
Landscape Architecture - design of outdoor and public spaces was removed
Tier 3: Workplace Competencies
Business Fundamentals: Economic/Business/Financial Principles
Characteristics of Markets; Cost and Pricing of Products; Economic Terminology; Profit and Loss were replaced with…Basic understanding of markets, economic terminology, and business principles
Fundamentals of Accounting was removed
Supply/Demand was removed
Business Fundamentals: Business Ethics
Practice sustainability by using processes that are non-polluting, conserving of energy and natural resources, economically efficient, that use local materials, and safe for workers, communities, and consumers was removed
Business Fundamentals: Entrepreneurship
Explain the entrepreneurial process, including discovery, concept development, resourcing, actualization, harvesting was removed
Business Fundamentals: Geospatial Business Fundamentals
Discuss the historical origins of geospatial technology was replaced with…Be familiar with the historical origins of geospatial technology
In addition, it was recommended that we move the competency to Tier 4.
Tier 4: Industry-Wide Technical Competencies
Satellite Positioning and Other Measurement Systems
Explain the distinction between GNSS data post-processing (such as U.S. National Geodetic Survey's Online Positioning User Service) and real time processing (such as Real-Time Kinematic) was replaced with…Explain the role of GNSS in location-based services
Plan a GNSS data acquisition mission that optimizes efficiency and data quality was replaced with…Explain how a mobile device calculates location coordinates (e.g., GNSS, triangulation, trilateration, etc.) - In addition, it was recommended that we move the competency to Tier 5.
It was recommended that we move Compare differential GNSS and autonomous GNSS to Tier 5.
Identify and describe characteristics of inertial measurement systems and other geospatial measurement systems was replaced with…Describe characteristics and appropriate uses of inertial measurement systems
It was recommended that we change the title of the critical work function category from Satellite Positioning and Other Measurement Systems to Positioning Systems
Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry
Acquire information needed to compare the capabilities and limitations of various sensor types in the context of project requirements was replaced with…Compare the capabilities and limitations of various sensor types in the context of project requirements
Explain the difference between active and passive remote sensing, citing examples of each was replaced with…Describe characteristics and appropriate uses of active and passive sensors
Use the concept of the "electromagnetic spectrum" to explain the difference between optical sensors, microwave sensors, multispectral and hyperspectral sensors was replaced with…Use the concept of the electromagnetic spectrum to explain the difference between sensors (e.g. optical, microwave, multispectral, hyperspectral, etc.)
Tier 5: Industry-Sector Technical Competencies
Positioning and Data Acquisition
Design a questionnaire and interview protocol for acquiring georeferenced socio-economic data was replaced with…Understand how to conduct primary research and implications of data privacy and confidentiality
Make and justify a choice between Real time Standard Positioning Service (SPS) and Real time Precise Positioning Service (PPS) for a given objective was replaced with…Differentiate between Real time Precise Positioning Service (PPS) and Real time Standard Positioning Service (SPS)
Explain how an online real estate site acquires and integrates public information about nearly 100 million property parcels in the U.S. was replaced with…Explain the process of acquiring and integrating large and heterogeneous datasets (spatial or nonspatial)
Diagram the sequence of functions involved in producing georeferenced textual information harvested from social media sites and the World Wide Web was replaced with…Describe how textual information can be harvested and geocoded from social media sites
Describe the components and operation of an aerotriangulation system was replaced with…Explain aerotriangulation
Compare how land records are administrated in the U.S. in comparison with other developed and developing countries was replaced with…Recognize that land records are administered differently around the world
Analysis and Modeling
Assess the current state of the art in coupling predictive models and simulations with GIS software was replaced with…Demonstrate familiarity with the existence of predictive models and their applications
Define the sampling theorem in relation to the concept of spatial resolution of remotely-sensed imagery was removed
Compare characteristics and appropriate uses of geospatial modeling techniques, such as neural networks, cellular automata, heuristics, agent-based models, and simulation models such as Monte Carlo simulation was replaced with…Explain characteristics and appropriate uses of geospatial modeling techniques (e.g. neural networks, cellular automata, heuristics, agent-based models, and simulation models)
Explain the Modifiable Areal Unit Problem in relation to the "ecological fallacy" was replaced with… Explain the Modifiable Areal Unit Problem (e.g. ecological fallacy, choropleth mapping, etc.) with relation to data aggregation
Software and Application Development
No competencies edited, added, or removed
