Training and Events
The following are links to educational opportunities
web sites. Descriptions of the opportunities and point-of-contact information
are generally provided at the site.
GIS experts from Africa are invited to join a "Vetting Circle Membership for the Geospatial Generalist Certificate of Completion".
The curriculum can be downloaded at http://www.geospatial21.org/curriculum/index.asp
online. The downloadable PDF file includes lessons covering information from four areas of geospatial technologies: an
introduction unit to the technologies in general, a Geographic
Information Systems unit, a unit covering GPS, and a remote sensing unit.
We are asking for experts in these areas from around the
world to review our lessons and provide feedback and
comments on the content. Once we have the feedback,
we are going to go into production to produce various
videos, interactive graphics, labs, assignments, quizzes,
and demos based on the lessons in the curriculum.
Our goal is to create an interactive online curriculum
that will provide a gateway for students to pursue further
education and careers in the geospatial industry.
We hope you will recommend several candidates to participate to give this certificate more global significance.
Submitted by Phil Cruver,
President, Kidz Online
One of GEO/CEOS's key responsibilities is to acquire and disseminate data from many sources and to assure the end-users the quality of that data, so that they can have faith in its veracity.
The veracity and harmony of multi-source data cannot be assured without the proper calibration and validation of sensor outputs at various stages along the data processing chain. Developing quality assurances for Cal/Val data and processes leads to the need, by the WGCV, to develop a corresponding set of standards and common "best" practices.
WGCV recent goals on Standards and Best Practices
(WGCV meeting, Oct.
2007)
- Develop best procedures and practices for Cal/Val based on a set of approved standards.
- WGCV action item #11 (Oct. 2007): A committee should be formed "to explore options on how we are able to establish authority for the endorsement of best practices for Cal/Val.
- The technical underpinnings of any recommended Cal/Val best practices will, for the most part, be driven by CEOS expertise in Cal/Val procedures (e.g., highly accurate radiometric calibration methods based on "on-orbit" radiometric reference standards).
Request for Input from IEEE and related organizatons
At the recent WGCV meeting last fall, IEEE participation in a "Cal/Val best practices and standards" sub-committee was encouraged. On behalf of the ICEO, I volunteered to work with IEEE and other international standards groups and to ask for their assistance in supporting the committee.
We affirmed that IEEE/ICEO should avoid "re-inventing the wheel" by adapting whatever standardization work has already been done, such as working with and requesting input from several international standards organizations (e.g., IEEE standards groups, ISO TC211, OGC, etc.)
We thus arrived at the following important near-term action to be undertaken by the IEEE/ICEO with support from IEEE/GRSS and related organizations:
- Produce a short-term survey of existing standards and best practices for calibration/validation processes.
- Inputs from supporting organizations to be forwarded to ICEO lead for Cal/Val by April 1, 2008 to support the May 5, 2008, WGCV workshop.
I kindly request the support of any *_IEEE_* person that has knowledge of, or experience with, the development or the hosting of any existing Standards and Best Practices that directly or indirectly relate to the Cal/Val issues noted above. Related work in the areas of _interoperability_ and _data standards_ is also solicited.
Please e-mail me at irwin.alber@sbcglobal.net
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