peer reviewed geomatics education at the university of florida: a case … · 2019-05-03 · peer...

Peer Reviewed

Geomatics Education at the University of Florida:A Case Study of Challenges and Adaptation

Amr Abd-Elrahman, Grenville Barnes, Adam Benjamin,Katherine Britt, Bon Dewitt, Hartwig H. Hochmair,

Scot Smith, and Ben Wilkinson

ABSTRACT: In this article, we reflect onmore than 40 years of geomatics/surveying education experience atthe University of Florida (UF) with a focus on key programmatic changes over the last decade. This includeskey challenges faced by the program and subsequent adaptive actions. We summarize continuous effortsmade by theUF’s administration, Geomatics program faculty and staff, and collaboration with stakeholders inthe state of Florida to address strategic issues faced by the program through the years. In the article, we showthat carefully considered expansion to address geographically disadvantaged, “place-bound” student pop-ulations and adoption of distance education is one way to address current geomatics education issues (e.g.,low enrollment). In addition, diversification of the geomatics education portfolio through degree andcertification programs that address industry demand can have a positive impact on increasing both Geo-matics program exposure and the level of service to the surveying and mapping profession.

KEYWORDS: geomatics education, geomatics programs, hybrid teaching, curriculum design, enrollment

Introduction

Geomatics has been described as an “…

umbrella term being used to describeboth a body of knowledge and the

scope of professional activities having to do withgeneration, manipulation, storage and use ofspatial data. … geomatics includes traditionaldisciplines such as surveying, mapping, geodesy,and photogrammetry. It also overlaps with newerdisciplines such as remote sensing, imaging, and

information sciences” (Burkholder 2008). At UF,we regard geomatics as “the integrated approachof measurement, analysis, andmanagement of thedescriptions and locations of geo-spatial data.”Geospatial data come from many sources, in-cluding earth-orbiting satellites, air- and sea-bornesensors, and ground-based instruments. The dataare subsequently processed and manipulated withstate-of-the-art information technology. Severalsurveying and mapping degrees started in CentralEuropean universities as early as the 1930s to fulfillthe needs of cadastral administrations and thereorganization of agricultural practice (Konecny2002). Since the 1930s and through the 1970s,surveying and mapping education expandedglobally across five continents (Aina 2009; Duncan2004; Konecny 2002; Prendergast et al. 2007;Venugopal et al. 2001). Many of these programsstarted as surveying and mapping programs andchanged their program names later to reflect therapid technological advances and ever-expandingapplications in the field (Mohamed et al. 2011),with “Geomatics” now being one of themost widelyused program names.The Geomatics program at UF was established

in 1973, in the College of Engineering, as aBachelor of Engineering Technology. In 1978, thedegree was retitled to a “Bachelor of Land Sur-veying” and was moved into the civil engineering(CE) department. In 1986, the degree was retitledagain to a “Bachelor of Science (BS) in surveying

Amr Abd-Elrahman, School of Forest Resources and Con-servation, Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, Uni-versity of Florida, 1200 N Park Rd., Plant City, FL, 33563.E-mail: <[email protected]>. Grenville Barnes, School of ForestResources and Conservation, University of Florida, 305 ReedLab, Gainesville, FL 32611. E-mail: <[email protected]>.Adam Benjamin, Fort Lauderdale Research & EducationCenter, University of Florida, 3205 College Ave., Ft. Lauderdale,FL 33314. E-mail: <[email protected]>. Katherine Britt,Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, University of Florida,1200 N Park Rd., Plant City, FL 33563. E-mail: <[email protected]>. Bon Dewitt, School of Forest Resources and Conser-vation, University of Florida, 305 Reed Lab, Gainesville, FL 32611.E-mail: <[email protected]>. Hartwig H. Hochmair, School ofForest Resources and Conservation, Fort Lauderdale Research &Education Center, University of Florida, 3205 College Ave., Ft.Lauderdale, FL 33314. E-mail: <[email protected]>. ScotSmith and Ben Wilkinson, School of Forest Resources andConservation, University of Florida, 305 Reed Lab, Gainesville, FL32611. E-mails: <[email protected]> and <[email protected]>.

Surveying and Land Information Science, Vol. 78, No. 1, 2019, pp. 5-16

and mapping,” and accredited by the Accredita-tion Board for Engineering and Technology(ABET) in the same year. Twelve years later, in1998, the degree was amended to its current“BS in Geomatics.” In 2004, the UF Geomaticsprogram changed its academic home from theDepartment of Civil and Coastal Engineering tothe School of Forest Resources and Conservation(SFRC) in the College of Agricultural and LifeSciences, where it remains to this day. Beginningwith two faculty members in 1973, the Geomaticsprogram presently has six tenured/tenure-trackfaculties, all of whom hold Ph.D. degrees. Sinceits establishment, the Geomatics undergraduateprogram has supplied more than 450 surveyingand mapping practitioners both statewide andnationally, with most graduates licensed in at leastone state.In 1989, Florida adopted legislation establishing

a 10-year grandfather period during which aperson with a high school diploma and already inthe process of gaining experience could apply tobecome a Professional Surveyor and Mapper(PSM). Before that, a high school diploma plus 8years of experience were the prerequisites forlicensure (Florida Statute 472.013). The grand-fathering period ended in 1999, and all sub-sequent licensure applicants need a bachelor’sdegree. Even by the mid-1990s, the number ofhigh school diploma applicants had dwindledas the bachelor degree requirement graduallybecame the norm. During this period, there wasa corresponding decrease in the number of PSMapplicants. This decrease, coupled with the state’sneed for more professional surveyors, triggered astatewide program expansion. The programmaticadaptations made by the UF Geomatics programincluded a set of diverse actions that may be rel-evant to other Geomatics programs in the UnitedStates facing similar challenges.UF is an example of a Geomatics program

evolving to cope with changes in the job market,professional regulations, as well as the economicchallenges of the last decade. The adaptation ofUF Geomatics to these changes included (1)geographic expansion of the program to variouslocations, (2) introduction of distance (online)education, (3) addition of more faculty andsupporting staff members, (4) diversification ofthe program portfolio via certification and spe-cialization tracks, and (5) development of diverserecruitment techniques. These five items arediscussed in the article. We begin with a discussionof common geomatics education challenges andthen focus on the Geomatics program at UF,

changes over the last decade to address geomaticseducation challenges, and their impact.

Geomatics Education Challenges

Several studies have discussed past and pendinggeomatics higher education issues (Aina et al.2014; Barnes 2009; Burkholder 2005; Gillinset al. 2017; Jeffress and Barnes 2010; McDougallet al. 2006; Mohamed et al. 2011; Olsen and Arras2014). The most challenging problem is thedwindling number of geomatics undergraduateprogram students in the United States. Althoughthe geomatics profession has been experiencingrapid technological advancements and holds anincreasingly invaluable skill set for many appli-cations involving the use of spatially referenceddata (Aina et al. 2014; Konecny 2002; Olsen andArras 2014), enrollment in many geomatics pro-grams across the nation is not meeting expecta-tions. Some programs had suffered decliningenrollment, or at best remained steady when atleast moderate growth was expected. Anothermajor problem facing geomatics education is theseparation between undergraduate and graduategeomatics education (Barnes 2009). Some of themost established U.S. geomatics programs havediminished or eliminated their undergraduategeomatics program, whereas in most cases,graduate education did not experience this trend(Mohamed et al. 2011). Despite relatively stablenumbers of graduate degrees being awarded, theassociated specializations often do not align withthe needs of the remaining undergraduate geo-matics programs. Consequently, there is a lack ofgeomatics teaching faculty/staff with Ph.D. de-grees capable of teaching traditional geomaticscourses (e.g., specialized field practices/qualitycontrol, and boundary/cadastral principles)(Barnes 2009).We observed signs of a decline in student en-

rollment associated with the status of the nationalor regional economy, and, more precisely, withstalls or declines in the construction sector of theeconomy. Other hypotheses attributed reducedenrollment to decreasing administrative or gov-ernmental support (Barnes 2009; McDougall et al.2006). It should be noted here that during theperiod from 2004 to 2008, enrollment in the UFundergraduate program increased substantiallyfrom about 56 students in 2004 to 76 students in2007 before it plummeted to 52 students in 2009.We believe the surge in 2007 may have been dueto a time lag in interest in geomatics education

6 Surveying and Land Information Science

associated with the economic boom of 2003-2007.This lag could have been because of studentsworking on finishing the preadmission requiredcourses before being admitted to the program.

Student Enrollmentand Requirements

Since its establishment until 2006, the two maincomponents of geomatics education at UF havebeen as follows: (1) the undergraduate programoffering a BS in geomatics and (2) the graduateprogram offering a MS/Ph.D. degree in CE with aconcentration in geomatics. In 2006, the programmoved to the SFRC, at which point the graduateprogram’s offering of the MS/Ph.D. degree wasaccordingly renamed to Forest Resources andConservation with a concentration in geomatics.At the undergraduate level, ABET presently ac-credits the undergraduate Geomatics programthrough the Applied Science accreditation. Al-though the Geomatics program curriculum andprerequisite courses for admission have gone

through several minor revisions over time, thecurriculum still requires 60 junior-/senior-levelsemester credit hours with 30 additional semes-ter credit hours of specific coursework needed atthe freshman/sophomore levels. Enrollment andgraduation numbers in the undergraduate pro-gram have varied over the program’s life span.Figure 1 shows decadal summaries of total grad-uating student and average enrollment numbersfrom 1976 to 2015.At the graduate-level degrees, the geomatics

concentration requiring 30 semester credit hoursfor the MS degree and 90 semester credit hoursfor the Ph.D. degree have been available since1988. The concentrations require 12 or 15 se-mester credit hours of Geomatics-specific cour-sework, respectively, for the MS and Ph.D.degrees. The program of study is flexible and isguided by the student’s research interest andgraduate committee. However, additional de-partment and graduate school requirements exist(e.g., required courses, minimum number of se-mester credit hours in the concentration, andlimits on special topics courses).

Figure 1. Decadal summary of total BS graduates and average annual enrollment of the UF Geomatics undergraduateprogram.

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Adaptation and Expansion ofUF Geomatics Program

Over the past decade, two major factors shapedthe adaptation of the UF Geomatics program. Thefirst was the need to increase the pool of practi-tioners eligible for the PSM licensure examina-tions. The second was to diversify the geomaticseducational portfolio at UF to cater to specificstudent and job market needs. Figure 2 summa-rizes all degree and certificate options nowavailable following several programmatic changes.The following sections detail the decade-long UFGeomatics programmatic changes, with Table 1providing a summary.

Program Expansion at Three UFResearch and Education Centers (REC)across the state of Florida

Before 2004, the UF Geomatics program was lo-cated in the CE department within the College ofEngineering. Across the United States, Canada,and most of the world, engineering colleges havebeen the traditional home for geomatics andsurveying programs (Mohamed et al. 2011). Fi-nancial and administrative pressures within theUF College of Engineering caused the Geomaticsprogram to search for a new academic home that

would more fully support programmatic goals(Jeffress and Barnes 2010). In 2004, the UFGeomatics programmoved to the SFRC within theCollege of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS).CALS is located within the land grant portion ofthe UF known as the Institute of Food and Agri-cultural Science (IFAS). The move to the SFRCand CALS allowed for the use of REC that IFAShas placed around the state to facilitate extension,research, and teaching to the broader state pop-ulation. REC are located throughout the state andhouse departments that have ties to local agri-cultural industries and needs.In 2007, the association with IFAS allowed the

Geomatics program to expand its geographicfootprint using the REC to provide place-boundstudents with access to undergraduate and grad-uate geomatics education. Through a legislativerequest pioneered by the geomatics faculty, SFRCadministration, and the geomatics industry in thestate of Florida, UF acquired funding to extendgeomatics education to three of the major pop-ulation centers in the state of Florida. The fundingallowed the establishment of programs at the GulfCoast REC (Plant City) in the Tampa metro area,the Fort Lauderdale REC (Davie) in the Miamimetro area, and theMid-Florida REC (Apopka) inthe Orlando metro area. Figure 3 shows the lo-cation of the Geomatics program’s main campusin Gainesville in relation to the REC. This funding

Figure 2. Summary of graduate and undergraduate degrees, specializations, and certificates.


included a faculty member and a full-time aca-demic staff member position in addition tofunding for establishing geomatics teaching fa-cilities at Plant City and Fort Lauderdale. TheApopka site has only administrative staff andpartial computer laboratory support, but receivesfield laboratory support from the nearby PlantCity location. By 2016, 32 percent of the un-dergraduate geomatics enrollment was throughthe REC. MS and Ph.D. graduate students are alsoadvised locally by the on-site geomatics facultymembers, with 67 percent advised through theREC. Current enrollment and conferred degreesin the last 5 years for both graduate and un-dergraduate programs are summarized for thepast 5 years in Figure 4 between Gainesville and allthree REC combined. Certificate students are notassociated with REC because they are codedthrough a separate mechanism.The introduction of innovative hybrid (distance/

live) education methods has become more com-mon across the field as a whole (Elithorp 2015;Raju and Gupta 2012; Wright and DiBiase 2007)and was essential to the successful expansion ofboth the undergraduate and graduate programsstatewide. All four sites (i.e., main campus and thethree REC) support both live and distance edu-cation. Nontraditional, full-, and part-time geo-matics students form a core constituency of theREC student population. Distance educationtechnologies allow for both synchronous learningfor full-time students and asynchronous learningthrough recorded lectures, discussion boards, andchat rooms for place-bound students with busyprofessional schedules. Several teaching-deliverymethods were adopted with a hybrid live/distancedelivery style to serve both traditional and non-traditional students. In the hybrid style, liveteaching is used at all sites, with the instructor

delivering the lecture material in front of at-tending students. These classes are recorded andmade available to all students, including distancestudents, to watch according to their own sched-ules. Field and computer laboratories are con-ducted at their regular class times for on-campusstudents. The laboratories are offered duringthe weekends (mainly on Saturdays) or in theevenings for off-campus distance students. Mostexaminations are conducted on-site either on-campus or at the REC, but PSM are also used asproctors for students who cannot make it to thoselocations.Alternative distance education delivery methods

are also used for some undergraduate geomaticscourses. For example, software packages thatfacilitate virtual classroom setup (e.g., AdobeConnect software) are used to deliver the courselive (online) and make recordings. Some coursesin the curriculum also use prerecorded lectures.Because of changes in licensing agreements at theuniversity level, different course managementsoftware packages (e.g., Blackboard, Sakai, andCanvas) have been used by the geomatics facultyover the last decade.The transition to distance education required

students to accept taking courses through videoconferencing and other distance tools. This ad-aptation was appreciated by most students, espe-cially off-campus students statewide, who saw thisas a unique opportunity to pursue education whileplace-bound. Meanwhile, main campus studentsfound themselves attending courses given byfaculty members at the REC using video confer-encing technology. Initially, some main campusstudents expressed frustration and preference toreceive all courses using the traditional liveteaching by on-campus faculty. However, effortsto explain the rationale behind the statewide

Programmatic Action Year

Expansion of statewide program to two UF REC in Plant City (Tampa area) and Davie(Miami area)

2007

Expansion of statewide program to one additional UF REC in Apopka (Orlando area) 2009

Creation of nonthesis MS degree with a geomatics concentration 2011

Creation of the graduate GA certificate 2013

Establishment of the geomatics undergraduate certificate 2014

Creation of the graduate Mapping with UAS certificate 2016

Creation of the undergraduate GA specialization for the BS in geomatics degree 2016

Creation of the undergraduate mapping with UAS certificate 2017

Table 1. Programmatic activities at the UF’s Geomatics program over the last decade (2006-2017).

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expansion and the benefit of facilitating geo-matics education to students with less favorablecircumstances successfully neutralized these feelingsas found through course evaluations and through

personal communications with students. Otherbenefits of distance education (e.g., program-widecourse management software adoption, ability toreplay recorded lectures to review difficult course

Figure 3. University of Florida statewide Geomatics program physical locations.


content, and online discussion forums) helped inreversing this feeling as time progressed. In fact,several main campus students found distanceeducation was the only way to continue the pursuitof their education after accepting jobs while still inthe program.

Creation of Undergraduate Certificates

Certificates provide an option for students to takecoursework and specialize in an academic area.For those seeking continuing education or addi-tional coursework to fulfill career goals, a fulldegree programmay not be necessary. Certificatesallow students to gain skills and training in specifictracks to further their career goals at a lower costand time commitment than a full degree pro-gram. Certificates have the added benefit ofproviding credits that are transferable to the fulldegree program should a student decide tochange course and pursue a full degree. Twocertificate options were created at the under-graduate level, both of which have been de-veloped to meet the needs reflected in regulatoryand technological changes. These certificates are

the undergraduate geomatics certificate, and theundergraduate mapping with unmanned aerialsystems (UAS) certificate that mirrors a graduate-level version. We do not know how many studentsare concurrently pursuing another degree vis-a-visonly seeking the certificate, because we do notcollect and store data on the academic back-grounds of certificate students past the admissionprocess.There are two options for meeting the educa-

tional requirements for PSM licensure in the stateof Florida. The first option necessitates thecompletion of a 4-year degree in surveying andmapping (i.e., geomatics). The second optionrequires applicants to complete a nongeomatics4-year degree program with “a minimum of 25semester hours in surveying and mapping subjectsor in any combination of courses in CE, surveying,mapping, mathematics, photogrammetry, for-estry, or land law and physical sciences” (§ 472Florida Statute 2016). The development ofthe distance undergraduate geomatics certificateprogram was to serve the needs of applicantstrying to satisfy the second licensure option. Thecertificate began unofficially with 15 geomatics

Figure 4. Five-year graduation and current enrollment compared between Gainesville and all REC.

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semester credit hours (five courses) offered tonondegree-seeking students using Geomaticsprogram coursework to meet licensure re-quirements. Since its unofficial establishment in2007, two additional elective courses (threecredits each) were added to the certificate courseoptions, and the certificate was formalized in2014. Although themain goal of the certificate wasto address the state of Florida’s PSM licensurerequirement, the certificate has attracted sub-stantial attention from out-of-state students pre-paring for national licensure examinations andnonlicensure-oriented continuing education stu-dents as well. Since its formalization in 2014, 16geomatics certificates have been awarded.The geomatics certificate courses are the same

as those offered in the undergraduate Geomaticsprogram, meaning the standards for both are thesame. Each of the certificate courses is deliveredas a distance section of the corresponding un-dergraduate geomatics course. For delivery oflaboratories where equipment is needed, in-novative methods are implemented, such asplacing distance students with local non-UFmentors and using local surveying companies toprovide access to laboratory equipment. As anadded benefit, some students transition fromparticipation in the geomatics undergraduatecertificate to the full BS in Geomatics under-graduate program after satisfying the necessaryprerequisites. Recent technological advances andjob market opportunities in the UAS mappingfield triggered the development of the newlyadded (2017) undergraduate mapping with UAScertificate. This certificate includes three coursescovering the technical, practical, and regulatoryaspects of UAS mapping. The newly added un-dergraduate UAS certificate also allows for thistransition from a certificate student to a degree-seeking student, making both certificates re-cruitment tools for the undergraduate BS degreeprogram. The 15 semester credit Geomatics cer-tificate, which is open to nondegree-seeking stu-dents, consists of courses from the Geomatics coreand the Surveying & Mapping specialization, andrequires completion offive of seven of these courses.

Creation of Undergraduate GeospatialAnalysis (GA) Specialization for the BS inGeomatics Degree

The latest addition to the UF Geomatics programis the introduction of the GA undergraduatespecialization for BS degree-seeking students.This new specialization provides geomatics

students with the option to choose between (1) abroader set of courses on 3D modeling, analysis,and geographic information systems (GIS) of-fered in the GA specialization or (2) a moretraditional geomatics curriculum provided throughthe newly named Professional Surveying andMapping specialization. The GA specializationemphasizes the spatial data analysis aspects ofgeomatics. A primary objective is to respond to theneeds of industry by equipping students with notonly rigorous spatial data acquisition and process-ing education but also theory and tools to analyzethe data. In the GA specialization, four of thesenior-level courses of the surveying and mappingcurriculum (Cadastral Principles, Route Geo-metrics and Design, Surveying and MappingPractice, and Subdivision Design) were replacedwith courses geared toward data analysis (e.g., GISanalysis) and application (e.g., Geospatial Appli-cations of UAS Mapping). A list of GA specializa-tion elective courses gives students more flexibilityin choosing applications closely aligned with theircareer goals. The new specialization was approvedin 2016, and it is therefore too early to report anygraduation data. Figure 5 shows the program op-tions in the geomatics undergraduate major. TheSurveying & Mapping specialization and the GAspecialization share 48 semester credit hours ofcore geomatics upper division courses, which in-clude subjects such as geomatics, geographic in-formation systems, photogrammetry, and remotesensing. In addition to shared core courses, theSurveying & Mapping specialization requirescompletion of additional four courses, which areRoute Geometrics and Design, Cadastral Princi-ples, Surveying & Mapping Practice, and Sub-division (totaling 12 credits). Likewise, theGA specialization requires completion of a GAcourse and three electives courses to be pickedfrom four groups of electives, namely, NaturalResources, Analysis, Geospatial Application, orGeomatics (totaling 12 credits).

Expansion of Graduate ProgramOfferings

Distance education capability used in under-graduate course instruction directly led to grad-uate program expansion. A 30-credit (semesterhour) distance education nonthesis MS degreewas established in 2011 (Hochmair et al. 2013) aswell as two nine-credit graduate certificates inGA (2013) and Mapping with UAS (2016). Theintroduction of the nonthesis MS degree led to asignificant increase in the number of graduates


with a concentration in geomatics, as shown inFigure 6. Nonthesis MS degrees are consideredterminal degrees, and so students receiving themmay not add to the pool of potential facultymembers in geomatics.The graduate certificates are open to UF

graduate students in different programs (e.g., CE,agricultural and biological engineering, naturalresources, and conservation) as well as continuingeducation programs, and research shows thatopening these courses to nongeomatics majorsincreases exposure and interest in the discipline(Olsen and Arras 2014). These courses are offeredas distance sections parallel to regular courseofferings to avoid duplicating teaching effort. Thenumber of students enrolled in the graduate-levelGA certificate reached 27 in 2016. The certificatescreated collaborative research opportunities be-tween geomatics faculty and faculty members inother departments across the university becausemost UF students taking the certificate courseshave research questions with GA components.This experience highlights the role of teachingas a synergetic tool and a way to explore andbuild diverse research programs. Crossing thegap between traditional geomatics areas (e.g.,photogrammetry and measurement science) andevolving applications (e.g., UAS) is key to ex-ploring the geomatics add-on value and visibilityacross campus.

Geomatics Recruitment

Because the Geomatics program moved to theSFRC, recruitment efforts have been undertakento address low undergraduate geomatics enroll-ment concerns. Recruitment campaigns havebeen conducted by both UF personnel and sur-veying professionals across the state. Over the pastdecade, these efforts have included:

(1) recruitment programs to increase awarenessof the geomatics profession and educationalopportunities among students in local highschools and community colleges by regularlyparticipating in events involving potentialstudents such as (1) Florida Future Farmersof America annual meetings; (2) FloridaSurveying and Mapping Society (FSMS) an-nual conferences; (3) Florida Career Con-struction Days; (4) Earth Day events; (5) GISDay events; (6) Science, Technology, Engi-neering, and Mathematics events; (7) 4Hevents; and (8) Math Awareness Week eventsamong others;

(2) outreach through online recruitment cam-paigns via social media (e.g., Facebook andTwitter) and online advertising portals/tools(e.g., Google AdWords and YouTube);

(3) development of short online teaching mod-ules, the so-called Reusable Learning Ob-jects, which were developed by geomatics

Figure 5. Undergraduate specializations of the geomatics major and the geomatics certificate.

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faculty and staff on various geomatics topics.For enhanced visibility in the Web, the cor-responding video clips were posted on theFort Lauderdale Research and EducationCenter geomatics YouTube channel1;

(4) FSMS-funded multiple PSM to serve as geo-matics recruiters across the state.

Evaluating Program Impactand Adaptations

We believe that the use of distance educationwithin the UF Geomatics program facilitatedexpansion of education opportunities for place-bound student groups across Florida. This helpedthe program maintain annual undergraduatestudent enrollment during the recession, from2008 to 2012, and to increase enrollment duringthe postrecession period, although we do not havedata to prove it. Distance education facilitateslearning opportunities for working studentswithout requiring them to jeopardize current

earnings to pursue education in a down economy(Howell et al. 2003; Shachar and Neumann 2010).Distance education certificate options providedemployed students opportunities to acquire spe-cific geomatics knowledge and skills. Methods forconducting field laboratories, managing classes,and administering examinations were adopted bythe faculty to maintain program rigor. We believethat the certificate programs added undergraduateand graduate students to the UF geomatics studentpopulation who were otherwise place-bound. Evi-dence for this was found through individual com-munication with the students during and afterrecruitment into the program. Furthermore, theundergraduate geomatics certificate helped fulfillthe needs of industry by providing current un-licensed surveyors and mappers with an educa-tional path to PSM licensure.The twomain concerns facing geomatics teaching

in the United States are low undergraduate studentenrollment numbers and a disconnect betweengeomatics undergraduate and graduate education.A decade of programmatic diversification and

Figure 6. UF SFRC geomatics concentration graduates on an annual basis since 2007.

1youtube.com/channel/UCJrKjbiWr73z3-qrxMGzsUw.


recruitment efforts led to an increase in the numberof students in the undergraduate UF Geomaticsprogram, whereas the student population at the UFhas remained relatively consistent. It also openedthe door for many nondegree certificate students togain access to geomatics education. Dozens ofnondegree-seeking students are now enrolled in theundergraduate and graduate geomatics certificates(Figure 7). With their varied professional back-grounds, these students enrich course offerings andexpand peer-learning opportunities. Furthermore,they indirectly help to recruit for the degree pro-grams via increased awareness.Having diverse distance education geomatics

programs encourages other departments, such ascivil or environmental engineering, to list geo-matics courses as electives for their undergraduateand graduate students. It also encourages non-geomatics graduates to take continuous educationgeomatics courses. Offering more geomaticscourses as electives in these programs has mutualbenefits. For example, CE students need some ofthe basic and advanced geomatics curriculum(e.g., basic surveying skills, road geometrics de-sign, hydrographic surveying, and GIS). Mean-while, interested CE students pursuing geomaticsgraduate school and academic careers can beimportant geomatics teaching assistance re-sources. UF CE does not offer any surveying

courses and their students dominate courses suchas the route geometrics and design course offeredby the Geomatics program.The UF Geomatics program is one of few

U.S. programs offering both undergraduate andgraduate degree programs. Adapting to industryneeds at the graduate and undergraduate levelsthrough diversification bridges the gap betweenundergraduate and graduate geomatics education(Barnes 2009). The program offers coursework thatfulfills traditional data acquisition, and boundarysurvey needs as well as advanceddata analysis coursesin remote sensing and GIS at both undergraduateand graduate levels. This provides an opportunity foremployment across the geomatics industry.Strong support from the surveying industry has

been instrumental in achieving robust geomaticseducation programs. Recruitment and strategicplanning support by FSMS, Geomatics alumni,and members of the surveying profession areevident in the success of the UF Geomatics pro-gram, especially within the last 10 years. Finally,SFRC and UF administration have had a crucialrole in realizing the success of the Geomaticsprogram plans after its transfer to the SFRC.Having administrators become not just resourceproviders but also partners and genuine believersin the impact that the geomatics profession pos-itively benefited the program.

Figure 7. Certificate enrollment and completions in Spring 2017.

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Conclusions

Two challenges facing geomatics education,namely, reduced enrollment and the potential forseparation of graduate and undergraduate pro-grams, were introduced, as well as adaptive actionswere taken by the Geomatics program at the UF toaddress these challenges. The expansion of theGeomatics program by adding human and labo-ratory resources closer to major population cen-ters across Florida was highlighted. The use ofdistance education and the adoption of statewideteaching efforts were presented. Moreover, theprogrammatic diversification efforts were shownthrough introduction of an undergraduate pro-gram specialization, creation of multiple under-graduate and graduate certificates, and creationof a nonthesis distance education MS program.Challenges that led to the elimination of long-established undergraduate Geomatics programsin the United States may be able to be confrontedthrough strategic program expansion, adoption ofdistance education technologies, and program-matic diversification with the support of universityadministration and the surveying and mappingprofession.

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