Palomar College GIS Portal

This project is increasing awareness, understanding, education, technical competencies, and ultimately, employment in Geographic Information Systems and Geospatial Technology. The project is focusing on improving the local geospatial infrastructure, thereby widening student access to advanced geospatial tools that are utilized by industry professionals. Moreover, the project is also fostering existing and developing new industry and service learning partnerships that are providing students with valuable opportunities to apply their classroom knowledge to solve real world problems. These partnerships are also providing students with opportunities to build valuable professional connections that are enhancing their employability and visibility in today's competitive job market. The project is also providing professional development to GIS and non-GIS educators. The weekend workshops funded by this project are introducing a diverse pool of non-GIS instructors to geospatial technology, and are also providing knowledge and skills needed to effectively transfer geospatial information and techniques to their students. The project is also providing professional development opportunities for project-related GIS instructors to learn about newly-developed geospatial tools and capabilities, and how to most effectively transfer these new tools and techniques to students enrolled in their courses. Finally, this project is also creating model education pathways to enhance student interest in geospatial technology. Specifically, new programs and curriculum are being developed at the university, college, and high school levels, all of which are enabling students to seamlessly transition from one level to the next. Consequently, the outreach events supported by this project are increasing the diversity of students and community members who are interested in this advanced technological field. In the Palomar College GIS Portal, visitors will find a wealth of information about the Palomar program, information for current and prospective students, details about the four key missions of the project, as well as a page of resources for educators and students alike.