A B.Sc. degree program in Geographic Information Science (major or honors) is proposed as a joint program of the Department of Geography and the School of Computing Science, to be administered under the Faculty of Applied Sciences. This program is proposed to be funded under the provincial "Double the Opportunity" (DTO) initiative.
While Geographic Information Systems are a collection of practices, hardware and software used to analyze spatial data, GIScience deals with the theoretical and intellectual issues that surround the use of GISystem technologies. GIScience is, in the simplest sense, the theory that underlies GISystems. It took several decades, however, for this alternate GIS identity to emerge. By the beginning of the 1990s, a sense prevailed among many academic researchers that GIS had forged new intellectual territory. There are unique characteristics of geographical data, and problems associated with its analysis, that differentiate GIS from other information systems. These properties include: the need to develop conceptual models of space; the sphericity of spatial data; problems with spatial data capture; spatial data uncertainty and error propagation; as well as algorithms and spatial data visualization and display. Questions about the underlying assumptions written into the code that comprises GISystems are the basis of GIScience. The emergence of Geographic Information Science as the preferred term for the scientific discipline underlying GISystem technologies and applications is now widely recognized and promoted by major university and institutional consoritia in both North America (UCGIS) and Europe (AGILE).
GIScience is a field that requires solid foundations in both computing science and geography. While GIScience graduates will be exceptionally well qualified to contribute to a rapidly growing industry, the aim of the GIScience major is not to provide a vocational degree, but a liberal education in the computational analysis of geographical phenomena. Students will explore the merits of different methods for digital representation of spatial entities on the earth's surface. They will learn how to model data effectively; how to visualize those models using computer graphics; and how to program in object environments. They will also investigate philosophical issues pertinent to GIScience, including the ontology, epistemology and ethical implications of spatial data representations.
The information science component of this degree is complemented by studies in geography. Majors are required to take courses in one or more subject areas in human or physical geography. Several domains of modern human and physical geography have been transformed by GISystems: resource management, for example, depends on GISystems to analyze and map resource inventories and environmental values, while modelling atmospheric processes like global warming requires strong foundations in climatology and computational theory. Other fields in Geography that are of particular interest to the GIScientist include hydrology and sub-surface modelling, location analysis, immigrant settlement patterns, epidemiology, urban growth, and the economic geography of telecommunications.
The development of a GIScience major at SFU will benefit the province and the nation through the training of future employees with the skills needed to compete in the $20 billion international Geomatics market. Ensuring that Canada can share information with other nations is a key component of our ability to participate in the industry. This is essential not only to Canada's competitiveness on the world market, but also to providing equality of access to geospatial information within Canada.
The Government of Canada has shown its commitment to the field by establishing a Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure and a funding agency (GEOIDE: Geomatics for Informed Decisions) to fund its ongoing development. The data infrastructure is expected to benefit Canada in at least six areas: jobs and economic growth; international competitiveness; rural and remote community access; public and private sector partnerships; new models of governance and collaborations on a national project. Canadians will benefit in many ways through the increased capacity to use geospatial data. These benefits include the routing of emergency services by the quickest routes, tracking criminal activity, locating businesses in the best areas and integrating information to improve public transportation and facilities management.
According to Industry Canada, Geomatics (which includes GISystems) is one of the five components of the rapidly growing information technology sector. The GISyestems industry is growing at double-digit rates and is expected to continue to grow in the future. The industry has proven resistant to boom-bust cycles in technology because both private firms and public sector agencies need to manage geographic information, and that need has continued to grow even as the dot-com bubble has deflated.
The employment prospects are bright for students with training in GIScience. Both private companies and public sector employers have growing needs for workers who can help them take advantage of their investments in spatial data infrastructure and management. Firms and agencies dealing with natural resources, energy production and distribution, transportation and waste management now require GIS training for many career paths. Other fields in which GIScience plays a large and growing role include public health, police services, and planning at all levels of government. More generally, any organization with spatially extensive resources and operations needs GIScience expertise to manage the proliferating spatial data that document and model the environments in which they work.
The following calendar entry is proposed for inclusion under the Faculty of Applied Sciences section of the calendar.
The School of Computing Science and the Department of Geography cooperate in offering the program in Geographic Information Science. Students may pursue major or honours options leading to the BSc or BSc (Honours) degrees under the Faculty of Applied Sciences.
The program is administered by a coordinating committee consisting of two members each from computing science and geography. The committee chair serves as program director and alternates between computing science and geography every two years. Curriculum changes proposed by the committee require the support of both computing science and geography.
Entry into geographic information science programs is possible via
Admission is competitive. A separate admission average for each entry route is established each semester, depending on the number of spaces available and subject to the approval of the Dean of Applied Sciences.
Requirements for direct admission (either high school or post-secondary) follow the corresponding requirements for admission into computing science using the same admission averages and calculations.
SFU students applying for internal transfer into the geographic information science program are assessed based on grade point average over the courses listed under lower division requirements below. Only courses taken at SFU are used in the average. If one or more courses have been duplicated (repeated), the grades from all course attempts will be used equally in calculating the average. Application may be made at any time after at least 18 SFU credits of this coursework have been completed and all 100-level requirements have been satisfied.
Students must maintain a CGPA of 2.5 to remain in the program.
Co-op is strongly encouraged. Students taking the major in Geographic Information Science will be in great demand while they are still in the program. The current number of co-op postings for students exceeds the supply by a large margin. Co-op employers are actively seeking students with a broad range of GIS skills, especially those with a solid foundation in programming, database management, and statistics, in addition to substantive knowledge in geography and resource management.
Students must complete all of
CMPT 120-3 Introduction to Computing Science and Programming I
CMPT 125-3 Introduction to Computing Science and Programming II
CMPT 225-3 Data Structures and Programming
GEOG 100-3 Human Geography I
GEOG 111-3 Physical Geography
GEOG 250-3 Cartography I
GEOG 253-3 Aerial Photographic Interpretation
GEOG 255-3 Geographical Information Science I
MACM 101-3 Discrete Mathematics I
MACM 201-3 Discrete Mathematics II
MATH 151-3 Calculus I
MATH 152-3 Calculus II
MATH 232-3 Linear Algebra
and one of
GEOG 213-3 Geomorphology I
GEOG 214-3 Climatology I
GEOG 215-3 Biogeography
GEOG 221-3 Economic Geography
GEOG 241-3 Social Geography
GEOG 261-3 Introduction to Urban Geography
and one of
GEOG 251-3 Quantitative Geography
STAT 270-3 Introduction to Probability and Statistics
(Total: 45 credits)
Students must complete all of
CMPT 307-3 Data Structures and Algorithms
CMPT 354-3 Database Systems I
CMPT 361-3 Introduction to Computer Graphics
and one of
CMPT 300-3 Operating Systems I
CMPT 363-3 User Interface Design
CMPT 371-3 Data Communications and Networking
CMPT 384-3 Symbolic Computing
and two of
CMPT 406-3 Computational Geometry
CMPT 412-3 Computational Vision
CMPT 454-3 Database Systems II
CMPT 461-3 Advanced Computer Graphics
CMPT 470-3 Web-based Information Systems
and three of
GEOG 351-4 Cartography and Visualization
GEOG 352-4 Spatial Analysis
GEOG 353-4 Remote Sensing
GEOG 355-4 Geographical Information Science II
and two of
GEOG 451-4 Spatial Modelling
GEOG 453-4 Remote Sensing of Environment
GEOG 455-4 Theoretical and Applied GIS
and four additional upper division credits in physical or human geography (students should consult with the program advisor in choosing these credits);
and three additional upper division credits of CMPT or MACM coursework.
(Total: 45 credits)
Students must complete all of
CMPT 120-3 Introduction to Computing Science and Programming I
CMPT 125-3 Introduction to Computing Science and Programming II
CMPT 150-3 Introduction to Computer Design
CMPT 225-3 Data Structures and Programming
CMPT 275-4 Software Engineering I
GEOG 100-3 Human Geography I
GEOG 111-3 Physical Geography
GEOG 250-3 Cartography I
GEOG 253-3 Aerial Photographic Interpretation
GEOG 255-3 Geographical Information Science I
MACM 101-3 Discrete Mathematics I
MACM 201-3 Discrete Mathematics II
MATH 151-3 Calculus I
MATH 152-3 Calculus II
MATH 232-3 Linear Algebra
and one of
GEOG 213-3 Geomorphology I
GEOG 214-3 Climatology I
GEOG 215-3 Biogeography
and one of
GEOG 221-3 Economic Geography
GEOG 241-3 Social Geography
GEOG 261-3 Introduction to Urban Geography
and one of
GEOG 251-3 Quantitative Geography
STAT 270-3 Introduction to Probability and Statistics
(Total: 55 credits)
Students must complete all of
CMPT 300-3 Operating Systems I
CMPT 307-3 Data Structures and Algorithms
CMPT 354-3 Database Systems I
CMPT 361-3 Introduction to Computer Graphics
CMPT 406-3 Computational Geometry
CMPT 454-3 Database Systems II
MACM 316-3 Numerical Analysis I
and three of
CMPT 363-3 User Interface Design
CMPT 371-3 Data Communications and Networking
CMPT 384-3 Symbolic Computing
CMPT 412-3 Computational Vision
CMPT 461-3 Advanced Computer Graphics
CMPT 470-3 Web-based Information Systems
and three of
GEOG 351-4 Cartography and Visualization
GEOG 352-4 Spatial Analysis
GEOG 353-4 Remote Sensing
GEOG 355-4 Geographical Information Science II
and four additional upper division credits in physical or human geography (students should consult with the program advisor in choosing these credits);
and two of
GEOG 451-4 Spatial Modelling
GEOG 453-4 Remote Sensing of Environment
GEOG 455-4 Theoretical and Applied GIS
and
GEOG 491-4 Honours Essay
(Total: 58 credits)
Admission, continuation and graduation are contingent upon maintaining 3.00 or better on all relevant grade point averages (CGPA, UDGPA, CMPT GPA, CMPT UDGPA, GEOG GPA, GEOG UDGPA).
The following sample schedule provides one possible example of an 8-semester program of courses satisfying the requirements of the GIS program. Electives are assumed to carry 3 credits.
CMPT 120-3 Introduction to Computing Science and Programming I
GEOG 111-3 Physical
Geography
MATH 151-3 Calculus I
elective
CMPT 125-3 Introduction to Computing Science and Programming II
MATH 152-3 Calculus II
GEOG 255-3 Geographical
Information Science I
elective
CMPT 225-3 Data Structures and Programming
GEOG 250-3 Cartography I
GEOG 100-3 Human
Geography
MACM 101-3 Discrete
Mathematics I
elective
CMPT 307-3 Data
Structures and Algorithms
GEOG 253-3 Aerial
Photographic Interpretation
GEOG 251-3 / STAT 270-3
MACM 201-3 Discrete
Mathematics II
elective
CMPT 354-3 Database
Systems I
one of GEOG 21x/2x1-3
one of GEOG 351/2/3/5-4
MATH 232-3 Linear
Algebra
elective
CMPT 361-3 Introduction
to Computer Graphics
one of CMPT
300/363/371/384-3
one of GEOG 351/2/3/5-4
one of GEOG 351/2/3/5-4
elective
one of CMPT
406/412/454/461/470-3
one of GEOG 451/3/5-4
one upper-division course in human or
physical geography
elective
elective
one of CMPT
406/412/454/461/470-3
one of GEOG 451/3/5-4
one additional upper division CMPT or MACM course
elective
elective
An enrolment of 15 FTE students per year is planned for this program, building to a steady state enrolment of 60 FTE students after four years.
Under the DTO funding model (60% of DTO funding plus tuition made available to academic units), approximately $9500 per FTE student is expected to be made available to academic units in support of this program. Based on requirements for course delivery and administration, a distribution of 40% of this funding to each of Computing Science and Geography is proposed for instructional delivery, with an additional 3% provided to the Faculty of Applied Sciences for program administration. Based on this breakdown the following table provides a proposed budget distribution to academic units, culminating in the steady-state annual budget in 2007-8.
| Year | CMPT | GEOG | Applied Sciences |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-5 | $57000 | $57000 | $4275 |
| 2005-6 | $114000 | $114000 | $8550 |
| 2006-7 | $171000 | $171000 | $12825 |
| 2007-8 | $228000 | $228000 | $17100 |