The Growing Need for Hands-on Education in Geomatics

Geomatics is growing technically and economically at a rapid pace.  The need for skilled, knowledgeable workers is higher than ever.  Some may argue that the technical advancements of the industry reduce the need for skilled workers and will remove the event of human errors.  Others will argue that the very technology that is reducing human error can lead to increasing other errors and be a cause of delays on projects if the person operating the technology is not perceptive to the key elements of geomatics.  Education plays a role in reducing on-the-job errors as well as reducing the risk of delays to projects.  It also reduces the amount of training time to bring a worker into their position.  One example of a skill that is ideal in the field is the understanding of how to tie in interior and exterior control surveys; another example is knowing which tool is best to use for data collection and validation when in the field.  Geomatics work is often in remote areas where cell phone service is limited and therefore minimal support if something goes wrong, so a well educated geomatics graduate is beneficial to the employer and the client.  One challenge faced in post-secondary is the limited number of students going into geomatics and being retained throughout the program to provide the industry with the desired number of trained graduates.  Another challenge in recruiting students into geomatics programs is the lack of understanding of what geomatics is.  A hands-on educational experience will engage and retain students and give them the confidence to move into industry, and a solid outreach community will recruit more people into this exciting industry.