Changes Ahead for the GIS Certification Institute

Sheila Wilson, PhD, GISP
GIS Certification Institute
Des Plaines, IL

Abstract
URISA is the founding organization for the GIS Professional (GISP) certification program and the GIS Certification Institute (GISCI).  GISCI will provide updates to URISA members on the changes made over the past year as well as those expected in the coming year.  This presentation will discuss proposed changes to the certification process, ongoing changes to the website, the GISCI Poster Contest, and the Outstanding GISP of the Year project.  You will hear updates on each of the committees, the continued growth in the number of GISPs, and ways in which the value of the GISP has increased since its inception.  This is an exciting time for GISCI and we are pleased to share the details with URISA.  

Biography
Dr. Wilson is the Executive Director of the GIS Certification Institute.  She oversees the Institute and the GIS Professional (GISP) certification program.  She has a doctorate in structural geology from the University of Tulsa.  Previously, she was the Executive Director of the PODS Association in which she was involved in the relational data model standard for the pipeline industry.  Dr. Wilson taught hydrogeology at the University of Tulsa for seven years.  She has been in GIS in the GIS industry since 1998.  She received her GISP in 2008.