Sharing and cooperation in geo-information technology

Aziz, T. Lukman

Bibliographic data

Monograph

Persistent identifier:: 856479470

Author:: Aziz, T. Lukman

Title:: Sharing and cooperation in geo-information technology

Sub title:: ISPRS Commission VI Symposium, April 15 - 17, 1999, Bandung, Indonesia

Scope:: 1 Online-Ressource (130 Seiten)

Year of publication:: 1999

Place of publication:: London

Publisher of the original:: RICS Books

Identifier (digital):: 856479470

Illustration:: Illustrationen, Diagramme

Language:: English

Usage licence:: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Publisher of the digital copy:: Technische Informationsbibliothek Hannover

Place of publication of the digital copy:: Hannover

Year of publication of the original:: 2016

Document type:: Monograph

Collection:: Earth sciences

Chapter

Title:: WG VI/1: EDUCATION

Document type:: Monograph

Structure type:: Chapter

Chapter

Title:: RECOLLECTIONS OF THE TRANSITION TO GEOMATICS. Clive S Fraser

Document type:: Monograph

Structure type:: Chapter

International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Vol. XXXII, Part 6. Bandung-lndonesia 1999 RECOLLECTIONS OF THE TRANSITION TO GEOMATICS Clive S Fraser Department of Geomatics The University of Melbourne Parkville Vie 3052 Australia Email: c.fraser@eng.unimelb.edu.au AUSTRALIA Commission VI, Working Group VI/1 KEY WORDS: educational transition, geomatics, geomatics degree program ABSTRACT In mid 1993, the then Department of Surveying and Land Information at The University of Melbourne initiated the process of changing its name to the Department of Geomatics. The hope offered by a name change was that “geomatics” would be seen as a discipline encompassing much more than measurement science. Indeed, the aim was that geomatics would indicate to prospective students and associated professions the science of acquisition, management, modelling, analysis and presentation of spatial data over a range of activities focussed on land and environmental management. In this the 50th year of operation of the Department, we look back upon a successful transition to geomatics over the past half decade and reflect upon both the compelling reasons for the transition and the impact of the rapidly evolving spatial information industry. 1. INTRODUCTION In mid 1993, the then Department of Surveying and Land Information at The University of Melbourne initiated the process of changing its name to the Department of Geomatics. The reasons for the change have been well documented by the present author and others (e.g. Gagnon & Coleman, 1990; Trinder & Fraser, 1994). Basically, they hinged upon the fact that the academic program in “surveying” was offering much more than the traditional measurement science focus of surveying education. Thus, while the degree programs had broadened to embrace emerging new fields such as GIS, environmental planning, land and resource management, and other elements of spatial information technology, there was limited recognition of this by either potential students or associated professions. The hope offered by a name change was that “geomatics” would be seen as a discipline encompassing much more than measurement science. To quote from Gruen (1998): "the task of the geomatic engineer consists of recording, managing, designing, developing and securing the structures inherent in our living space and economic environment”. One could go further and say that geomatics is about “designing, building and managing the spatial dimension of our natural and built environment" (Williamson, 1999). This year The Department of Geomatics celebrates its 50 l h anniversary as a stand-alone program in ‘surveying’ education at the University of Melbourne. In the 44 years prior to the name change to Geomatics, the Department changed its name only once, in the mid 1980s, when it became the Department of Surveying and Land Information. This name change attracted little attention, whereas the change to geomatics initially met with a reasonable measure of resistance from within both the traditional surveying profession and in quarters of academia. Indeed, in Australia a debate over the transition to geomatics raged via the pages of The Australian Surveyor for almost two years following program name changes at the Universities of Melbourne (Geomatics) and New South Wales (Geomatic Engineering). Now that the acrimony of this debate is but a memory, and there has been half a decade or so for the transition to geomatics to come to full fruition, it is useful to reflect. In this paper we both look back upon the process to assess whether the explicit and implicit aims of this transition have been realised, and we also touch upon the future. A number of measures, both internal to the university, and external within the professions, can be called upon to quantify the success or otherwise of the transition to geomatics. For example, we could look at changes in student numbers and quality, changes in curricula, changes in employment trends and prospects for graduates, and also possible changes in the overall professional standing of recent graduates. It is never easy to bring forth compelling quantitative evidence to back up assertions that are in large part qualitative. Yet we are in an era in education where such quantitative data is being increasingly replied upon as an essential component in the determination of both the resources given to academic programs, and their prospects for longevity. At the University of Melbourne the transition to geomatics was couched in long-term goals of building a better academic program in spatial information science and management, but it also had the very real imperatives of boosting student quality and numbers in order to arrest talk of possible future program closure.

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