GIS workshop points top students in the right direction

Dec 05, 2006

The University of Wollongong’s top third year Geographic Information Systems (GIS) students have been rewarded with a two day training course on an alternative software package to the one they used throughout their course.

Lagen Spatial and MapInfo Corporation provided the training workshops in MapInfo Professional free of charge in late November at the University’s Spatial Analysis Laboratory, so that the top students could learn how to use the software.

UOW uses ESRI ArcGIS software in teaching, so the two-day training course allowed the top GIS students in the Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Environmental Science courses to graduate with exposure to both leading GIS packages used in government and business in Australia.

“Offering the free training to the top students not only provides a valuable opportunity for them to multi-skill for the workplace, but also offered motivation to students to study hard during their third year in order to compete for a place in the course," said course coordinator Dr Marji Puotinen.

Lagen Spatial Managing Director Brett Madsen said offering the course allowed the company to foster a closer relationship with the University and its students.

“It is enabling those participants, who have achieved excellence in their subject, valuable exposure to a great business tool that can be used in a wide variety of working environments,” Mr Madsen said.