What students think about Open Source Geospatial
This article is based on a presentation made in the FOSS4G of Barcelona in September of 2010 by:
Iraklis Karampourniotis and Ioannis Paraschakis - from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Zoi Arvanitidou - University of the Aegean
The link has happened to me Gabriel Reyes, And is based on the question of whether the Open Source Software could be regularly considered in the courses of the geospatial area of a university career or in the offer of free courses for graduates and the general public.
The answer is finally affirmative, although on the way there are several things to work on the evangelization of students who usually resist to dominate in the first instance a tool that is not popularized, such as ESRI, AutoDesk or Intergraph; as a result of the thought that will not open many opportunities in the labor market.
Again it strikes me that Manifold GIS Despite being software that "It's over there"Is mentioned within the alternatives of privative software like AutoCAD Map 3D, ArcGIS y Geomedia; solutions that definitely have a level of popularity and brand endorsement to be highly sought after by those interested in a Geographical Information Systems course. At the level of private companies that provide training services, the reversion to this barrier has been slow, however the academy can play a valuable role if the advantages that free software has at this point in terms of maturity and acceptance in the administrations are considered public or business sector, apart from what it means to reduce the gap of illegality and lower costs.
The first failed attempt
Exhibitors mention that they had a precedent in 2006, when they placed GRASS in the labs along with AutoCAD Map and ArcGIS. At that time the result was that users did not like the unfriendly interface of GRASS, And it is to be understood that mixing one thing with the other does not always bring good results, nor does it see it as an independent tool in a context where complementarity is part of the best channeled tendencies in the Open Source environment.
When the full range of tools for development, data construction, management, vector / raster analysis and publication is shown, we realize that although OSGeo initiatives were not necessarily born in a synchronized way, we can now ensure that standardization and sustainability efforts have found a fairly balanced alignment, with an orientation towards quality fabric.
The previous chart Presentado by Jorge Sanz and Miguel Montesinos in the First Latin America gvSIG Conference tries to outline and separate on a horizontal level what are desktop-oriented tools, libraries in green and alternatives with the potential to run on the server in gray. In purple the database handlers and in the vertical level the languages.
This panorama of the OSGeo ecosystem helps us understand the relationships between projects and above all the understanding that diversity is necessary and functional as long as standards are standardized.
The second attempt, successful
The speakers comment that in a second attempt they separated courses between undergraduate students and those who had already graduated or were at the postgraduate level. To do this, they used courses in a complementary way:
QGis + GRASS + PostGIS In courses for graduates
QGis + PostGIS In laboratories for the non-graduates
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These same ones I have marked them in red in the previous graphic, to show where they are located, basically in the C ++ environment linked to the online publication MapGuide Open Source or MapServer.
The following table shows the topics that were included in the courses and laboratories.
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Bachelor's Degrees |
Not graduated |
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| Qis |
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| GRASS |
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| PostGIS |
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The following table reflects the perception of the people at the end of the courses, an interesting finding that could -And should via partnerships- systematize in more detail, disseminating instruments such as modular training itineraries, methodological scripts, banks of items, competition standards and manuals, such that they can be adapted by universities or technical colleges; often the proprietary solutions for this only share the manuals. With this, it would be very practical to create short courses or comprehensive diplomas that give the full dimension to the OSGeo environment both in the C ++ line and in the Java environment that has much more potential (in my opinion) due to its multiplatform reach, systematic internationalization and diversity in solutions.
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Alumni |
Not graduated |
| Qis |
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| GRASS |
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| PostGIS |
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As can be seen, the criteria of graduate professionals focus positively on the potential of the tools, rather than on the immediate products they generate. This requires diffusion, if we hope to create Trust culture And credibility the linkage of the academy with the promoting organizations of OSGeo and the companies that provide associated services.
See original presentation
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