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The GEOIDE Students' Network links geomatics students from across
Canada and the world with top researchers from industry and university.
It's a unique national program that's giving university students the
skills and contacts they need to succeed here at home and abroad. These
students are also providing Canadian companies with a competitive edge
in the world's fastest-growing information technology market.
It's not often that students beat down the door to get into summer
school, but enthusiasm was running high for a unique program offered in
May by the GEOIDE Students' Network. For the 33 graduate students from
Canada and abroad who participated, it wasn't just an opportunity to expand
their knowledge of one of the hottest sectors in information technology.
It also provided a rare opportunity to meet face-to-face with students,
researchers and other professionals in geomatics.
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What Is Geomatics?
Geomatics is the science and technology of gathering, analyzing, interpreting, distributing and using geographic information. With its roots in surveying and mapping, the sector now encompasses a broad range of disciplines that are converging to create a detailed but understandable picture of the physical world.
Geomatics includes geodesy (precise measurements of Earth), photogrammetry (measurements taken from airborne photographs), remote sensing (measurements taken from satellite photographs), satellite positioning (to locate objects or phenomena on Earth), cartography, mapping, surveying, navigation, and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and geographical information systems (GIS) that store, visualize and analyze spatial data. Geomatics also involves basic sciences such as mathematics, spatial statistics, information technology, physics and law.
The applications are broad and growing every day. Designers can now use a computer model that shows how people use public parks to choose the best location for parking, playgrounds, and picnic areas. Geomatics is helping the Coast Guard choose the best location for stations by pinpointing where maritime accidents are most likely to occur. Data from a hyperspectral satellite are helping resource companies find minerals and other natural resources. In agriculture, farmers are using a fluorescence sensor that measures the metabolic changes in plant structure caused by lack of water or minerals.
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"From the student's point of view, this is an incredible networking opportunity," says Sylvain Théberge, a graduate student and Coordinator of the GEOIDE Summer School. "We meet people working in all areas of geomatics and see what new ideas and approaches they bring. It's a whole different pool of knowledge."
Geomatics is one of the world's fastest-growing technology sectors, with Canada ranked second only to the United States in technology development and global sales. One of the sector's greatest challenges, however, is training and retaining the skilled talent needed to grow this emerging industry. It's one reason the GEOIDE Students' Network was established in February 2000. Early results are encouraging: 75 percent of Canadian students and 50 percent of students from abroad are staying in Canada following graduation.
"It's all about supporting Canada's geomatics industry," explains Annie Laponsee, GeoSkills Program Leader at GeoConnections, a national partnership initiative that teamed up with GEOIDE in organizing the summer school held in Victoria BC. "Our GeoSkills program has two main objectives: to foster the growth of the geomatics industry by promoting geomatics and geomatics careers, and to help those already in the industry to enhance their skills and knowledge. We contributed toward the cost of this summer school because it offers courses by renowned researchers that may not be available at each university."
The summer school also gives students the opportunity to learn about something outside their area of concentration and is useful in their research. As well, relationships made at the summer school may strengthen future research alliances among government, academia and industry.
"There's a certain camaraderie at the school and lifelong contacts are made there. It's just the right size and format for that," adds Laponsee, whose program sponsored five Canadian students and four professionals to attend the summer event.
For Marie-Josée Fortin, GEOIDE's Associate Scientific Director (2001-2002) and the Network Coordinator for the Student Summer School both in 2002 and 2003, the summer school also gives students valuable lessons in leadership, management and initiative - subjects not readily covered in a university curriculum.
"Here in Canada," she says, "we are the envy of other researchers. There are similar programs and organizations elsewhere, but the NCE has flexibility and GEOIDE's success is just a reflection of that."
The GEOIDE Students Network (www.geoide.ulaval.ca/gsn/) is part of the Geomatics for Informed Decisions Network (GEOIDE), a Network of Centres of Excellence based at Université Laval. GEOIDE links 24 universities, 27 government agencies, 40 companies and 12 not-for-profit organizations in collaborative research projects covering natural resources, the environment, marine transport and commerce, and health and social sciences applications.
GeoConnections (www.geoconnections.org) is a national partnership initiative led by Natural Resources Canada to develop the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI), making Canada's geospatial data, tools and services accessible to Canadians over the Internet.
www.geoide.ulaval.ca
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