The geospatial industry might be one of the fastest-growing industries you’ve never heard of. Most people don’t even know what “geospatial” means, let alone what it takes to land a job in the industry.
“People don’t really know what it is,” said Bob Samborski, president of the Aurora-based Geospatial Information & Technology Association. “Part of the problem is the industry hasn’t been defined yet.”
That group and the Association of American Geographers are using a $700,000 federal grant to develop projects that define the industry, educate others about it and connect them with one another. The grant is part of a high-growth job-training initiative outlined by President Bush.
Metro Denver is sometimes called “geotech alley” because of the high concentration of geospatial-technology companies here. Geologists and geographers from the West’s oil and mining worlds applied their skills to the evolving industry.
And two of the nation’s largest satellite-imagery companies were based in Colorado. DigitalGlobe remains in Longmont. Space Imaging was purchased early this year by Orbimage Holdings, based in Dulles, Va.
With Colorado a geospatial hub, local political and business leaders have a lot riding on its success. In rough terms, the geospatial industry produces, uses, analyzes and displays data in the context of geography or space. DigitalGlobe provides imagery from space, for example, often a key component of geographic information systems.
Other companies with operations in Colorado develop software that allows businesses and individuals to use that data.
The industry includes satellite imagery and other types of remote sensing, global positioning system technologies and geographic information systems.
Geospatial technology is used in areas such as the oil-and-gas industry, utilities, homeland security and disaster management.
The general public also uses geospatial technology such as GPS or mapping websites such as Google Earth.
“They just don’t relate that to an industry or that you could get a good job in this industry,” Samborski said.
DigitalGlobe spokesman Chuck Herring said geospatial technologies and content are becoming “much more mainstream.” DigitalGlobe provides satellite imagery to Google Earth, for example.
But companies can’t find enough new, well-trained employees. In some cases, they just hire their competitors’ employees, “which doesn’t really solve the problem,” Samborski said.
Mayor John Hickenlooper and others plan to discuss a new Web portal, www.giwis.com, today at the GIS in the Rockies annual conference in Denver.
The Web portal is intended as a resource for the industry, job seekers, economic-development leaders and educators. Sambor ski hopes the model will also work in other cities.
Staff writer Kelly Yamanouchi can be reached at 303-954-1488 or kyamanouchi@denverpost.com.
You may be using it on the job now
Occupations that may require geospatial competency:
Cartographers, surveyors and mappers
Photogrammetrists
Aerospace engineering technicians
Electrical, environmental, industrial and mechanical engineering
Geological sample-test technicians
Drafters
Soil conservationists
Range managers
Foresters
Geological data technicians
Source: U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration
