The URISA, the organization responsible
for developing the certification program, is a
non-profit organization of professionals using GIS and
other information technologies to solve challenges in state
and local governments. The URISA has been one of the
organizational homes for GIS for many years. I attended
my first URISA conference in Washington, DC in 1978.
Certification of GIS professionals
had been discussed for years as a way of defining what
it means to be a professional in the field. The
URISA’s membership said that certification should
be pursued when they were surveyed in the late 1990s,
and the organization created a certification committee
in 1997.
After considerable debate, the committee
eventually rejected the idea of creating an examination
because of the diversity of knowledge and experience in
the field. Instead, they created a system that
recognized educational achievement including university
course work and informal GIS training; professional
experience; and contributions to the profession including
papers and publications, membership in professional
associations, conference participation, awards, and other
factors. It also required an acceptance of a code of
ethics by the applicant and a recertification process
that would ensure ongoing proficiency. After extensive
work, the committee recommended the program in the
summer of 2003.
A separate GIS Certification
Institute (GISCI) was created to manage the program.
The GISCI was established in part to encourage the involvement
of the broader geospatial community. The GISCI Board of
Governors is comprised of spatial technology
organizations that select representatives to serve on
the GISCI Board of Directors.
In addition to URISA, the
Association of American Geographers (AAG), the National
States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC), and University
Consortium of Geographic Information Science (UCGIS)
joined as GISCI member organizations in 2004 and 2005.
North Carolina became the first state to endorse the
program, followed by Oregon.
In 2004, the Virginia Association
of Mapping and Land Information Systems (VAMLIS)
announced a partnership with GISCI. According to Kevin
Nelson, GIS Manager for Hanover County, VAMLIS has a
role in providing educational opportunities that help
professionals to become and remain certified. Mark
Bittner, GIS Manager for the Crater Planning District
Commission said he believes that, “a lot of
people are considering certification. [The] VAMLIS provides
a forum for sharing ideas and information, and provides
for educational opportunities.”
Certification requires that the ap
