A certificate program in geographic information systems (GIS) teaches students how to combine specialized software with demographic data to create coherent, multidimensional reports. GIS software, which combines topographic features and mapping capabilities, allows trained GIS professionals to integrate mapping features such as municipal boundaries, street names, state borders, governmental entities, and other official designations. A GIS certificate from a reputable organization demonstrates that the recipient is an expert in the field. A certificate can also aid a certified GIS professional’s advancement in his or her career.
Colleges and universities occasionally offer GIS certificate programs. Other GIS certificate programs are offered independent institutions. Adult students frequently pursue certificate programs rather than full-fledged degree programs in order to obtain the training they require without having to leave their jobs. GIS certificate programs include core courses in geography and cartography, in addition to teaching students how to use the software. Many GIS certificate programs include political science, sociology, and environmental studies courses in addition to these core courses and specialized software training.
Students sometimes pursue GIS training after several years of experience in a related field, as they do with other certificate programs. GIS certificate programs are ideal for such professionals because they allow students to obtain the specialized training they require without devoting years to classroom instruction. Nonetheless, admission to GIS certificate programs, particularly those affiliated with colleges and universities, is frequently competitive.
GIS software is used to generate data related to policy and social services in addition to its mapping capabilities. Municipalities employ GIS professionals in planning departments and other departments that determine or provide social services, such as health departments. They put their training to work studying issues like traffic patterns to see if traffic lights are needed at certain intersections or demographic neighborhood data to see where new schools or hospitals should be built.
Students who complete a GIS certificate program are frequently eligible to apply for formal certification as GIS professionals. Some people learn to use GIS software on their own or in the workplace. Self-trained individuals often find it difficult, if not impossible, to obtain certification, in addition to the risk of not learning how to use the software properly.