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Geoinformatics Development Perspective - Challenges for Academic Society

Fourth Industrial Revolution is making deep impact on economy changing drastically its profile, resulting in disappearance of numerous traditional industrial branches, and erection of completely new industries mainly connected with products based on digital technology and services based on usage of those products. Developments in genetics, artificial intelligence, robotics, nanotechnology, 3D printing and biotechnology, to name just a few, are all building on and amplifying one another. This will lay the foundation for a revolution more comprehensive and all-encompassing than anything we have ever seen. Smart systems - homes, factories, farms, grids or cities - will help tackle problems ranging from supply chain management to climate change (World Economic Forum, 2016). This deep and far-reaching change has also tremendous impact on future development of human professions. By one popular estimate, 65% of children entering primary school today will ultimately end up working in completely new job types that don’t yet exist. Looking on geoinformatics, defined traditionally, which integrates three traditional geosciences (geodesy and surveying, geography and cartography) based on the results of informatics in the frame of rapid evolving computer sciences (Markus, 2016) is emphasizing that universities are under a pressure of continuous changes, transforming all traditional way of learning, working to prepare our learners for the future. Looking broader, geoinformatics might be referred to the academic discipline or career of working with geo-data in general for better understanding and interpretation of human interaction with the earth’s surface. This definition includes also new technologies like Earth observation, Global navigation satellite systems, in fact various kinds of platforms and sensors as well as expanded knowledge in geo-statistics, use of data, programming and visualization of results. At the same time those technologies have become new, fast growing branches of business with growth rates above 10% annually. Geoinformatics might be defined in a relatively broad term as a number of different technologies, approaches, processes, and methods to interpreter issue and controversy relating to the earth’s surface for collaborative decision making. In this context not only surveying, geography and cartography are influenced by geoinformatics, but also civil engineering, urban planning, architecture, environment engineering, transportation engineering, etc. The bluntest example geoinformatics affecting classical professional disciplines are Smart cities. It is hard to imagine that any of above listed professions will be able to fulfil its tasks in cities and around them without taking in consideration the concepts behind Smart cities and consequently not to implement elements of geoinformatics, being basis for this concept. This results in a fact that geoinformatics is not privilege of one classical profession but rather represents upgrade of many professions. In overview given on Masterstudies.com 13 study programs in geoinformatics are listed in Europe, covering expanded geodesy, civil engineering, management, spatial planning, ecology and environment and transportation. Recognizing the gap between fast developing and growing geoinformatics business and missing new high-school and academic specialists profiles European Commission and its agencies have developed comprehensive program (Erasmus+) which should ensure European citizens to be competitive in future global market and preserve their wellbeing. Mentioned is clearly indicating the need for new high-level knowledges and skills for professionals in specific sectors, imposing task on education and training institutions to identify those knowledges and skills and offer new profiles of education on levels of education scale. In frame of this program number of projects are executed or are under execution which should modernize academic institutions curriculum and introduce new methods of education with the goal to deliver new profiles of specialists satisfying needs of business sector. Based on findings and results of Erasmus+ Capacity Building in field of Higher Education project BESTSDI and Sector Skills Alliances project EO4GEO perspective of development of geoinformatics sector, as well as new approaches in geoinformatics education are presented in this paper.

Geoinformatics perspective, Education, BESTSDI, EO4GEO

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