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The development of a doctoral
program in Geospatial Information
Sciences at the University of Texas at
Dallas
Ronald Briggs
Director, GIS Programs
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Geospatial Information
Sciences
Our first GIS courses, using that name,
were initiated in the political economy/
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GISaffairs program in 1989
public
Ph.D. in Geospatial Information Sciences to
be initiated in Fall, 2005 at UT-Dallas
• Rationale underlying its creation
• Circumstances behind its development
• Objectives of the degree program
• Its unique interdisciplinary structure
And if it sounds a bit like an ad.,
that’s not totally unintentional!
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GIS PhD Models
• Focused department model
– GIS as the focus of the geography Ph.D. degree
– UC Santa Barbara
• Distributed department model
– GIS available as a specialization within multiple traditional
Ph.D. degrees: geography, engineering, planning, etc..
– Buffalo
• Multi-department model
– GIS offered as a joint degree involving multiple departments
– The model being implemented at UT-Dallas
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Rationale: generic
• GIS itself grew from the confluence of work in
multiple disciplines
– Geography, CS, engineering, geology, etc..
• Doctoral programs in which it is incorporated
invariable based in traditional academic disciples
• Why not have a truly interdisciplinary degree?
– One degree incorporating multiple disciplines
The UTD degree is a joint program offered by three Schools:
Engineering, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences
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Rationale: specific
• Many students came to our GIS Certificate and
Master’s programs with skills highly relevant to
GIS
– masters degrees in CS, engineering, geology,
planning, economics, etc.
• Why just a second master’s degree?
• Why not capitalize on these skills and apply
them to advanced work in GIS?
Rather than retrofit geographers with IS skills,
What not postfit computer scientists with spatial skills?
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Rationale: practical
• Faculty with GIS interests existed in
departments distributed across campus
– Few new faculty needed to be hired
• Many courses needed for GIS already being
taught across campus
– Few new courses needed to be taught
The challenge was administrative:
how to harness these existing
resources to create a new program
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Impediments
• Faculty cannot disconnect degree program from the
department offering the degree
– One to one relationship is not required!
• Departments who bean-count enrollments discourage
students going outside
– We won’t get the credit!
• A mercantilist view
– Perhaps they could get more credits by allowing others in?
• A free trade perspective
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There are existing models
• Public affairs/public administration degrees often use a
similar model
– Faculty/courses drawn from multiple existing departments
• School of Social Sciences at UTD was one such model
– One administrative unit, no departments, and multiple
degree programs
– Economics, sociology, geography, etc.. at the undergrad.
level
– Public affairs, political economy, geographic information
sciences, etc.. at the grad. level
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Unique Characteristics of UTD
• Schools offering multiple degrees, but without
departments, already existed
• Strong interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary tradition
• Empahasis on non-traditional student:
– older rather than straight from high school
– already employed rather than 1st time job seekers,
– re-tooling not just first degree
• Rapid growth
– enrollment almost doubled in last 10 years to 14,000
• Desire to add new degree programs
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A fertile ground existed for
growing something different
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Individual Circumstances
• Graduate dean (a physicist) married to a
geographer
• Dean of Social Sciences a spatial
econometrician who was using ArcInfo 15
years ago
• UTD’s only NAS member was a geographer
• Former IR director
We were able to capitalize on
some unique circumstances
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Graduate Certificate in
Geographic Information Systems
Initiated in 1994
Master of Science in
Geographic Information Sciences
Jointly offered between two Schools:
Social Sciences and Natural Sciences (Dept. of Geosciences)
Some of the kinks with joint degrees already worked out.
Initiated in 1998
Doctor of Philosophy in
Geospatial Information Sciences
Added a third school to the partnership:
School of Engineering and Computer Science
To begin in 2005
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Bachelor of Arts in
Geography
Graduate Certificate in
Geographic Information Systems
Master of Science in
Applied Economics
Master of Public Affairs
Master of Science in
Geoscience
(geology and geophysics)
Applied Technology Professional Specialization
Master of Science in
Geographic Information Sciences
GIS
Ph.D. in
GeoSpatial Information Sciences
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Baccalaureate Degree
Master of Science in
Computer Science
Master of Science
in Geographic
Information
Sciences
Master of Science
in Geoscience
Other Masters Programs
urban planning, statistics, engineering, etc.
Ph.D. in
Geospatial Information Sciences
Graduate Certificate in
Geographic Information Systems
Graduate Certificate in
Remote Sensing
The fundamental model proposed is to take a student with existing
expertise in a field relevant to geospatial information sciences and focus
on the geospatial information sciences component.
PhD in GIS: Program Requirements
I.
Geospatial Science Core
(15 hours required courses)
GISC 6381 GIS Fundamentals
GISC 6382 Applied GIS
GISC 6384 Spatial Analysis and Modeling
GISC 6385 GIS Theories, Models and
Issues
GISC 6387 GIS Workshop
II. Geospatial Specialization Area
(15 hours from selected area)
I. Geospatial Computing and Information
Management
II. Spatial Statistics and Modeling
III Remote Sensing and Satellite
Technologies
IV Customized Geospatial Specialization
GIS
III. Application Area or Technical
Field (12 hours)
Normally derived from student’s masters
degree.
IV. Research and Dissertation
(24 to 48 hours)
GISC 7389 GIS PhD Qualifier
GISC 8V29 Research in GISC
GISC 8v99 or GEOS 8v99 or CS 8v99
Dissertation
V. Other Related Electives
(0 to 24 hours)
With approval of GIS program director.
May derive from relevant courses in
student’s masters program
Total of 90 hours from
the baccalaureate.
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Geospatial Specialization Areas
I.
Geospatial Computing and
Information Management
15 SCH from among the following:
CS 6378 Advanced Operating Systems
CS 6359 Object Oriented Analysis and Design
CS 6360 Database Design
CS 6V80 Spatial Data Management
CS 6364 Artificial Intelligence
CS 6366 Computer Graphics
CS 6384 Computer Vision
CS 6381 Combinatorics and Graph Algorithms
CS 6375 Neural Nets and Machine Learning
GISC 6383 GIS Management and Implementation
GISC 7363 Internet Mapping and Information
Management
GISC 6488 GIS Application Development
*MIS 6326 Database Management Systems
(* may not be used in conjunction with certain
other courses. Consult GIS Program Director)
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II. Spatial Statistics and Modeling
15 SCH from among the following:
POEC 5313 Descriptive and Inf. Statistics
POEC 5316 Advanced Regression Analysis
POEC 5331 Econometrics
GEOS 5306 Data Analysis for Geoscientists
GISC 7361 Spatial Statistics
GISC 7363 GIS Network Modeling
GISC 7364 Advanced Raster Modeling
CS 5343 Data Structures
III Remote Sensing and Satellite Technologies
15 SCH from among the following:
GEOS 5422 GPS Surveying Techniques
GEOS 5489 GIS Applications in Geosciences
GEOS 5325 Intro to Remote Sensing
GEOS 5328 Radar Remote Sensing
GEOS 5329 Applied Remote Sensing
GEOS 5326/GISC7365 RS Digital Image Processing
GEOS 7327 Remote Sensing Workshop
EE 6360 Digital Signal Processing I
EE 6363 Digital Image Processing
IV Customized Geospatial Specialization
(15 SCH)
Identified by the student with approval in advance by17
the
Director of the GIS Doctoral Program.
Geospatial Specialization Areas:
intent
Focused on the primary subfields within GIS, and
designed to build synergy with the various
participating groups:
• Geospatial Computing and Information
Management
– With computer science
• Spatial Statistics and Modeling
– With other social sciences
• Remote Sensing and Satellite Technologies
– With geoscience and, potentially, electrical engineering
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Application Area/Technical Field:
intent
Provide a curriculum component to
incorporate a student’s master’s degree,
which can be in a variety of GIS relevant
fields
– geography, GIS, computer science,
criminology, economics, engineering, geology,
marketing, planning, etc..
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Qualifiers and Exams
Dealing with a relatively diverse student body:
GISciences Ph.D. Research Project Qualifier (GISC 7389)
•
•
complete, according to uniform guidelines, a GIS Research Project
present to a committee of at least three GIS faculty, one of whom is appointed
by the GIS Program Director
demonstrates their potential to conduct original research including ability to
define research objective, survey literature, develop an appropriate design,
analyze data, draw legitimate conclusions
•
Defense of Dissertation Proposal
•
student must:
– Demonstrate competency in the area chosen for his/her dissertation through a
general exam, and
– successfully present and defend a dissertation proposal through an oral exam
Defense of Dissertation
•
A dissertation must be prepared and defended successfully following the
procedures established by the Dean of Graduate Studies.
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Program Administration
Program Director for Geospatial Information Sciences
Appointed by, and reporting jointly to, the deans of the:
Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science
School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
School of Social Sciences
Program administered by the School with which the Program Director
associated.
GIS Faculty Coordinator for each participating school/department
Dr Edwin Sha (for Computer Science)
Dr Robert Stern (for Geoscience)
Dr Ronald Briggs (for Social Science)
GIS Program Committee
Five person committee comprising coordinators plus two additional faculty
GIS Faculty
Teaching courses relevant to GIS and who approve the curriculum
GIS Faculty at UTD
School of Natural Sciences and
Mathematics, Department of
Geosciences
• Mohamed G. Abdelsalam,
remote sensing
• Carlos Aiken, gps
• Tom Brikowski, hydrology
• John Ferguson, surface estimation
• * Robert Stern, remote sensing
School of Engineering and
Computer Science, Department
of Computer Science
• Latifur Kahn, database
• * Edwin Sha, operating systems
• Weili Wu, spatial database
• Kang Zhang, graphics
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* Faculty coordinator
# new hire
School of Social Sciences
• Brian Berry, spatial analysis
• Timothy Bray, criminology
• * Ronald Briggs, spatial analysis
• Kevin Curtin, networks and
transportation
• # Daniel Griffith, spatial statistics
• Karen Hayslett-McCall, criminology
• Jim Murdoch, spatial econometrics
• # Michael Tiefelsdorf, spatial statistics
• Fang Qiu , digital image processing
Total: 18
We already had as many, if not more,
faculty in GIS as would be found in a
university department currently
offering a PhD degree in this area.
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GIS-Relevant Courses
School of Social Sciences
School of Engineering & Computer Science
Object-oriented Analysis And Design (CS 6359)
GIS Fundamentals (GISC 6381)
GIS Mngemnt and Implementation (GISC 6383) Database Design (CS 6360)
Spatial Analysis & Modeling (GISC 6384)
Artificial Intelligence (CS 6364)
GISC 6387 GIS Workshop (GISC 6387)
Computer Graphics (CS 6366)
GIS Models and Theory (GISC 6385)
Neural Nets And Machine Learning (CS 6375)
Urban Apps. of GIS/RS (GISC 6386)
Advanced Operating Systems (CS 6378)
GIS Application Dev. (GISC 6488)
Combinatorics And Graph Algorithms (CS 6381)
GIS Apps. in Criminology (GISC 6332)
Internet Mapping & Info. Mngmnt (GISC 7363) Spatial Data Management (CS6v81.003)
Computer Vision (CS 6384)
RS Digital Image Processing (GISC 7365)
Digital Signal Processing I (EE 6360)
Spatial Statistics (GISC 7361)
Digital Image Processing (EE 6363)
Advanced Regression Anal. (POEC 5316)
School of Natural Sciences
School of Management
Computing for Geoscientist (GEOS 5303)
Database Management Systems (MIS 6326)
Data Analysis for Geoscientists (GEOS 5306)
Systems Anal. & Proj. Mngmnt (MIS 6308)
GPS Satellite Surveying Tech. (GEOS 5422)
Decision Support Systems (MIS 6324)
GIS Apps. in Geosciences (GEOS 5423)
Information Strategy Planning (MIS 6328)
Intro to Remote Sensing (GEOS 5325)
RS Digital Image Processing (GEOS 5326/GISC 7365)
Radar Remote Sensing (GEOS 5328)
Applied Remote Sensing (GEOS 5329/GISC7366)
Courses already
being taught
Conclusion
• Not claimed as a superior approach, simply
an alternative avenue for GIS education
• The proof will be in the pudding over the
next 5-10 years
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Thank you for your attention
www.gis.utdallas.edu
www.utdallas.edu/~briggs
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