Now NUS students have the opportunity to declare a Minor in GIS, one of the most important emerging and evolving fields in technology.
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What is GIS?
GIS – or a Geographical Information System – is a multidisciplinary technology for the collection, storage, manipulation, analysis and display of all types of spatial information about locations and relations of different phenomena on the earth's surface. The GIS analytical process is like the work of a detective trying to put all the pieces of evidence together to solve a mystery. GIS provides a means of integrating information in ways that help us understand and solve pressing research, planning, and management problems, such as tropical deforestation, rapid urbanization, transportation planning, disease dispersal, hazard mitigation, and impacts of climate change. Using GIS to take the pulse of the Earth helps scientists plan, map, and model changes and trends to make better decisions for the future (click here to explore the unlimited possibilities for GIS)!
The Minor in GIS provides a new opportunity for NUS students, and one that promises to be welcomed by many employers. Job prospects across public and private sectors have been one of the greatest factors driving the tremendous growth of the demand for GIS education in colleges and universities throughout the world in the past two decades. This demand will only continue to grow as more careers require some GIS knowledge.
Students who choose to Minor in GIS will gain experience using GIS software, as well as familiarity with various modern geospatial techniques, including GPS (Global Positioning Systems) and remote sensing. Completion of the Minor will provide the student with skills and experience that are in great demand in today’s workplace, from government, private industry, to non-for-profit sectors. For example, the WHO has used GIS for emergency preparedness for flooding in SE Asia. In Singapore, the Urban Redevelopment Authority has used GIS in town planning and the National Environment Agency has used GIS to analyze patterns of dengue fever cases.
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Why do the Minor?
The GIS Minor programme will produce graduates who are equipped to function as GIS specialists in industry, government and academia. It will:
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provide students with an interdisciplinary educational opportunity to enhance their individual disciplines through the study and application of GIS theory, methods and technologies;
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endow students with the geographical concepts and practical skills necessary to enter the job market as GIS specialists; and
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develop individuals with a broad grasp of GIS technology, and who are not only technologically competent but also solution-oriented.
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Who should do the Minor?
The Minor is open to students from all Faculties and is designed to meet the needs of students from a variety of backgrounds. The Minor is appropriate for students interested in careers utilizing GIS as an analytical tool in such areas as geography, business, communication, engineering, environmental science, political science, public health, sociology, and urban planning, or for students pursuing GIS as a profession in a related discipline such as computer science or information systems. Students who complete the programme will leave it with a set of skills, and the ability to apply these to different areas of knowledge.
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