DEVELOPING A GIS PROGRAM FOCUSING ON REAL-WORLD APPLICATIONS IN NORTHERN MAINE

The GIS program at the University of Maine at Presque Isle was launched only three years ago. It's the last GIS program added to the University of Maine System. After three years of hard working and close collaboration with Maine 6-campus GIS Consortium, the program now becomes a robust GIS education and service center in northern Maine. It is a recipient of an on-going federal DOE MSP grant aimed at K-12 geospatial technology education, a participant of a recent 3-year NSF grant awarded to the Consortium lead by USM, and a recipient of a couple of other grants for GIS applications. From the very beginning of the development of the program and its curriculum, its focus is determined to be on real-world problem solving and hands-on applications in environment, geoscience, and community development. It has reached out to major cities and towns in northern Maine and developed community partnerships. Working with communities, a number of hands-on GIS applications have been carried out to help enhance community development, planning, and decision making. Hands-on projects spanning from project design and field data collection, to data processing and presentation significantly benefit students in application of classroom learning while providing low-cost geospatial technology service to the communities.