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Foothill Gears Up to Offer GIS Certificate

This image was derived from GIS tools and reflects the characteristics of building rooftops, parking lots, concrete surfaces and asphalt roads. The area covered in the image is currently home to more than six million people.

Foothill College is on the forefront of offering instruction in the expanding field of geographic information systems (GIS), a computer-based tool for mapping and analyzing trends and events. GIS are changing the business, industry and government work place by providing new ways of accessing and retrieving vital information in all professions. By integrating database operations with the unique visualization and geographic analysis benefits offered by maps, GIS technology can be used by public and private enterprises for explaining events, analyzing trends and implementing planning strategies.

“GIS are a suite of software products. Just as Lotus Works and Microsoft Word are types of word processors that you can use to write a paper, you can use GIS software products to create maps and manage spatial information,” says Foothill’s new GIS/Geography Instructor Allison Lenkeit. “Students who enroll in Foothill GIS classes will learn to use GIS tools, such as ESRI's Arc View, Intergraph's GeoMedia and Geo Media Pro and IDRISI 3.2.”

When GIS are used as information management systems, each map layer of the GIS has an entire spreadsheet of data associated with it, and the user can ‘drill down’ through the map layers to find out more about what features are associated with a particular location.

“It’s fantastic to find a community college like Foothill with such a commitment to incorporating technologies such as GIS in the classroom. GIS is a valuable job skill for Silicon Valley professionals, and an essential element of many academic disciplines at the university level,” Lenkeit says.

Foothill College is developing two GIS certificate programs. Both programs are set to begin this fall. However, students can enroll now in a variety of geography courses that feature GIS-related instruction.

GIS is not limited to research labs. Jobs that use state-of-the-art GIS technology include real estate, engineering, remote sensing, transportation and urban planning, marketing, research and others.

Lenkeit was a research scientist at the Center for Technology & Learning at SRI International and developed computer-aided visualizations and associated curriculum for middle- and high-school science classes. She also worked at the U.S. Geological Survey, and a San Francisco-based urban planning firm. She holds a master’s degree from Cambridge University and a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University.

For information about the GIS certificate, call (650) 949-7166. For registration
instructions, access www.foothillcollege.org or call (650) 949-7325.

New Course

Get the Career Communication Edge
Foothill debuts its new four-unit SPCH 55: Professional & Career Communication course when winter classes begin Jan. 8.

Students will focus on organizational communication, including interviewing, professional presentations, and interpersonal, intercultural and group interaction. The class will be taught by faculty who are experienced in corporate consulting.

For more information, call (650) 949-7262. For registration instructions, access www.foothillcollege.org or call (650) 949-7325.