About the CareerCERTIFICATE IN GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY
About the CareerTraditional land surveyors are involved in the property surveys, establishment of boundaries, preparation of land descriptions for deeds, leases, and other legal documents, site layout, and management of survey parties, and sometimes expert testimony in court. Surveying Technicians assist land surveyors in the operational survey, collect field information, and perform computations and computer-aided drafting in offices.
New technology is rapidly changing the work of surveyors and surveying technicians. Surveyors are increasingly using the Global Positioning System (GPS), a satellite system for location determination through the use of satellites. The growing widespread use of Geographic Information Systems is also rapidly expanding the use of data from GPS and surveying operations as an integrative technology. Land surveying, GIS, and GPS when considered as a whole are commonly referred to in the field as geomatics.
Jobs in the Geographics Information field exist at many engineering and architectural firms, mapping agencies, federal, state, and local governmental agencies, utilities, construction firms, and mining and oil extraction companies. New technologies, such as GPS and GIS, will substantially enhance job opportunities in the growing geomatics field.
About the ProgramThe geographic information course at Midlands Technical College prepares students for employment at the technician-level for land surveying and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) operation. Training provided includes typical GIS applications, hardware and software components of the GIS, methods of data capture, sources of data, and land surveying methodology. Global Positioning Systems (GPS), and Computer Aided Design (CAD), and their GIS applications, are presented with an emphasis on hands-on practical applications.
