MoreThe North Carolina Geographic Information Coordinating Council (NCGICC) became the first state to endorse the GIS Certification Institute's (GISCI) certification program. This unsolicited endorsement was the result of months of Council review and discussion regarding the program.
The NCGICC fosters cooperation among government agencies, universities and the private sector. It creates policy and resolves technical issues related to North Carolina geographic information and GIS systems. They felt that the GISCI certification program adhered to their mission to "improve the quality, access, cost-effectiveness and utility of North Carolina's geographic information and promote geographic information as a strategic resource for the State."
The NCGICC also made recommendations for how the program could be improved. They advocated the use of a privacy statement, which GISCI is currently working on, and urged GISCI to keep the application fee reasonable. The GISCI Board of Directors was impressed that North Carolina went to these lengths to ensure that the program is meeting the needs of the thousands of GIS professionals who do business for or with the state. Currently, 49 certified GIS professionals hail from the state of North Carolina.
In 2005, GISCI will take a more active role in pursuing state endorsements. It is important that GISCI listens to jurisdictional issues in order to make the program more accessible for all GIS professionals.
There are 512 Certified GIS Professionals (GISPs) as of November 25, 2004.
Source: GISCI, Dec. 15, 2004
