US: “It is estimated that the geospatial job market right now is growing by 35 percent annually. We have crossed a threshold where geospatial technologies are no longer interesting, but essential, we need them to survive as a business, as a government and in many respects, across the spectrum,” opined Dr. Christopher Sutton, professor of geography at Western Illinois University. He was delivering the ninth annual John Hallwas Liberal Arts Lecture, entitled, Geography Matters! The Importance of Geographic Literacy in Liberal Arts Education.
Prof Sutton observed that lack of geographic knowledge has left American students trailing behind their European and East Asian counterparts. He added that 80 percent of all new data that is collected has a geospatial component as reliance on GPS and GIS technologies are growing. Without basic geographic literacy, “One certainly can’t answer geographic questions, particularly those related to civic engagement.”
Looking ahead, he said, geography will be used to answer many of the future’s hardest questions. “How is it that we are changing the physical environment of Earth’s surface?” he asked. “How and where will 10 billion people live? How are we going to feed 10 billion people? How are our connections transforming the world?”
The John Hallwas Liberal Arts Lecture Series began in 2003 to promote understanding for educational challenges within Liberal Arts programmes.
Source: Western Courier