The new municipal GIS course will cover three key skill sets using ArcGIS software and introducing some low- and no-cost GIS software options, as well:
1. Creating and editing tax parcel layers and maps 2. Strategies for making and using maps and data in planning and decision-making, including comprehensive planning maps and options for posting GIS maps on the web 3. Analysis techniques for creating zoning layers and conducting suitability analysis
This three-credit course will be taught online with five face-to-face Saturday sessions, one per month, in our lab in Machias. The class will include streaming lectures, hands-on lab exercises and real-world assignments and projects. For the pilot, this course will be listed as GIS 301 Special Topics in Geographic Information Systems (GIS): GIS for Municipal Applications. In future years it will have its own course designator.
Again, GIS 1 or equivalent will be a prerequisite for the municipal GIS course. We still have some room in the fall GIS 1 course that begins August 30th, both hybrid (GIS 230-0020) and face-to-face (GIS
230-0010) sections. The hybrid version of the GIS 1 class is online plus three face-to-face Saturday sessions in Machias on 9/11, 10/23 and 12/18. If you'd like to register for the class, visit this site for instructions: http://machias.edu/mainestreet_register.html. Also, universities and community colleges all over the state offer introductory GIS courses, so you may wish to take the first course in the sequence through a nearby institution.
Our courses come with a free one-year student version of ArcGIS software and extensions, so you don't need to have a software license to enroll in courses, just a computer that can run the software. Both these courses count toward UMM's GIS certificate, UMM's environmental studies/GIS bachelors degree, and the Associates in GIS Applications at Washington County Community College. They may also transfer to programs at other institutions, and we'd be happy to help explore transfer options.
We hope that the two-course sequence (GIS 1 and Municipal GIS) will provide a solid foundation to enable municipal employees to efficiently and effectively use GIS in their work, and some may choose to go on to earn certificates or degrees in the field.
Please spread the word, and let us know if you have any questions!
Tora Johnson
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Tora Johnson
Director/ Instructor
GIS Service Center & Laboratory
Torrey 223
University of Maine at Machias
tjohnson@maine.edu / tora@svbetsy.com
(207) 255-1214