Karl Donert presented on promoting geospatial education in Europe. EUROGEO aims to advance geography through events, publications, and lobbying. Its initiatives include the Digital Earth platform, geospatial education tools, and training programs. There remains a need to establish common geospatial qualifications, support education projects, and create engaging education to address the mismatch between workforce needs and skills. Recommendations include prioritizing education, establishing a think tank of industry and education leaders, and raising awareness of geospatial careers.

1. Karl Donert, President EUROGEO,
Consultant: Director: European Centre of Excellence: digital-earth.eu
eurogeomail@yahoo.co.uk
March 15 2017
Promoting Geospatial
Education In Europe

2. EUROGEO
• European Association of Geographers
• Legally based in Belgium
• International NGO – established 1979 by the
European Commission to network geographers
• A professional association for geographers, geo-
scientists and related areas
• Developed further by the HERODOT (Bologna
Process) Network for higher education in Europe

3. EUROGEO Aims
Advance the status of geography:
• organise events / activities for members
• produce publications
• support geographers
• identify and promote good practise
• research, give advice on geography
• lobby at national and international levels
• make recommendations on policies

4. • Networking: Digital-earth.eu
• Tools: I-Use, YouthMetre
• Training: iGuess
• Education: Spatial Citizenship
• Curriculum: GI Learner
• Careers: GeoSkills Plus
EUROGEO: geospatial
education initiatives

7. Benefits of the
Geospatial Industry
http://opendatabarometer.org/

8. Dashboard on Open Data in Europe, http://www.europeandataportal.eu/en/dashboard .

9. Dashboard on Open Data in Europe, http://www.europeandataportal.eu/en/dashboard .

10. Dashboard on Open Data in Europe, http://www.europeandataportal.eu/en/dashboard .

12. Open Science

13. Open Education

16. State of Geospatial:
enabling a Digital Europe
Geospatial sector 2017

17. Stakeholder Expert Workshop
http://tinyurl.com/GWF-geocap2014

18. What if …..
• citizens remain unaware the geospatial sector
exists
• best students hijacked by non-geospatial industry
• lack of a qualifications profile is THE key limiting
factor in further geospatial sector development
• not enough graduates to meet needs
• potential for more efficient economy and society
not developed

19. • use the users and involve geo-industry more
(public/private)
• raise awareness with education decision makers
• network key organisations - share knowledge and
information
• bridge the gap between technical, policy, education
experts
• establish THINK TANK - leaders forum from
industry-education-NGOs-policy

20. • broad, effective PR for geospatial professions
• common (European) qualifications,
benchmarks, curriculum
• find ways to cluster / sustain good education
projects
• create exciting education with geospatial
• support continued rise of open in education ...

21. Beware: The Next Revolution?
Gakstatter E. (2014), Will the Next Industrial Revolution Be Bigger than the First? Will Geospatial Technology be Part of It?,
Geospatial Solutions, http://tinyurl.com/qxhohom
Waves of
innovation,
after Kondratiev
(1925)
Cloud Computing

23. Option A: European Success
• universities are thriving in strong partnerships
with regional institutions.
• education is ‘in’ … to solve global problems
• automation and data-intensive science
• from open science to radical open science
• Smart cities as growing laboratories of
democracy

24. Option B: Europe misses out
• automation and globalisation
• rich core and weak periphery in Europe
• mass unemployment
• social exclusion
• discontent
• three threats: structural unemployment and
inequality, funding shortfalls, and a skills crisis

25. Three broad principles
Principles to guide thinking about what Europe’s
knowledge institutions and governance must do:
Principle 1:
An open knowledge system in Europe
Principle 2:
Flexibility and experimentation in innovation
Principle 3:
European-level cooperation

26. 1: An open knowledge system
• Promote open access to data and data literacy
• European Knowledge Space, knowledge pool
• on-line framework open to all citizens for
research, analysis, debate and sharing
• integrated framework of policies, incentives and
ICT tools for sharing
• rethink intellectual property

27. 2: Flexibility and
experimentation in innovation
• greater freedom of action
• stronger regional innovation ecosystems, urban
place-based knowledge triangles
• support autonomy of universities, research
funds, new types of education
• experimentation in the economy and society
• experimentation in social, environmental policy

28. 3: European-level cooperation
• coordination role for policy, regulation, support,
education
• single knowledge market – research area, research for
good
• link knowledge-related policy with cohesion and social
welfare – unemployment, participation
• update educational curricula and certification for an
age of fast-changing jobs
• identify inspiring Grand Projects for 2050 and
ambitious global goals

29. European Commission (2015),
Creating Value Through Open Data
http://tinyurl.com/j6qypoe
Empower the work force
… a skills gap
… supply side workforce
shortage
… government responsibility

30. European Commission (2015),
Creating Value Through Open Data
http://tinyurl.com/j6qypoe

31. • bb
Bratislava eSkills Declaration http://tinyurl.com/zlck4a6
• Foster digital skills training programmes
• Harness industry-led education
• Accelerate labour mobility for digital jobs
• National Digital Skills and Jobs Coalitions

32. • bb
Bratislava eSkills Declaration, 2016 http://tinyurl.com/zlck4a6
• Raise awareness of key enabling technologies in the
digital single market and digital career opportunities
• Maturing the ICT profession
• EU funds dedicated to upskilling initiatives and
training platforms
• Encourage better gender balance

34. • guarantee fast Internet everywhere
• make fastest connections in schools, and other
major places where people gather
• provide free wi-fi in cities around the EU
• desperate plea for better technology education

35. GI Learner Project
• A project to develop geospatial thinking
learning lines in secondary schools
• http://www.gilearner.ugent.be/

36. GI Learner Context
• To help meet mismatch between workforce
demand and labour supply in GI occupation
sector.
• Due to students leaving high school or
university without necessary skills and
knowledge.
• Big problem for companies, also for society
where students finish their studies but don’t
find a job.

37. What is a learning
line?
A learning line is an educational term that refers
to the construction of knowledge and skills
throughout the whole curriculum.
This learning line reflects an increasing level of
complexity, ranging from easy (more basic skills
and knowledge) to difficult.
Zwartjes, L., 2014. The need for a learning line for spatial thinking using
GIS in education. Innovative Learning Geography in Europe: New
Challenge for the 21st Century, pp.39-62.
Literature Review

38. Learning Line examples
learning
lines
Fieldwork Working
with images
Working
with maps
Working
with
statistics
Creation of
knowledge
Level 1 Perception – knowledge of facts
Level 2 Analysis – selection of relevant geographic
information
Level 3 Structure – looking for complex connections and
relationships
Level 4 Application – thinking problem solving
Literature Review

39. Geospatial thinking
Ten geospatial thinking competences proposed:
1. Critically read, interpret cartographic and
other visualisations in different media
2. Be aware of geographic information and its
representation through GI and GIS.
3. Visually communicate geographic information
4. Describe and use examples of GI applications
in daily life and in society

40. Ten geospatial thinking competences proposed:
5. Use (freely available) GI interfaces
6. Carry out own (primary) data capture
7. Be able to identify and evaluate (secondary) data
8. Examine interrelationships
9. Synthesise meaning from analysis
10.Reflect and act with knowledge
Geospatial thinking

41. How to empower youth to
become engaged & make an
impact on EU youth policy?
http://www.youthmetre.eu
Professor Karl Donert, President EUROGEO

43. http://eryica.org/page/principles-online-youth-information

44. Data & Policy Making
• better-informed evidence-based policy
decisions
• collective decision-making processes
• understanding what is relevant to the public
• monitor and assess the policy effectiveness
• complex skills required
• public need to take control of their own data

45. http://youthmetre.eu/youthmetre/

47. Wanting to set up own
business, but not able to

48. Temporary contracts

49. • spatial technology a critical tool for identifying
and addressing key societal challenges
• geospatially-driven smart communities
• cities that will change the way we live
• GIS an evidence-based tool for decision-making
Directions Magazine https://t.co/dTy7r6EJdW

50. Smart Navigable
Cities
• Forecast rapid urban growth
• Challenges of urban mobility
• Security and privacy issues
• Citizens need data and information literacy
• Only as ‘smart’ as the people operating the
cities

51. • “urban geo-data gap”
• challenge to keep up with population growth
and land expansion / change
• Global Platform for Sustainable Cities (GPSC)
• satellite-based approaches
• HABITAT III

52. GeoCapabilities
What sort of geo-education:
• develops knowledge that empowers
individuals to identify, select and make
informed, defensible choices about how
to live (for the best)
• is based on participation, citizenship and
sustainability?
http://www.geocapabilities.org

53. GIS in Schools
https://blogs.esri.com/esri/esri-insider/2016/12/01/esri-pledges-to-help-boost-digital-skills-in-europe/

54. University Education 2017
School Education 2017
Geospatial sector 2017
Where is Geospatial Education in Europe 2017?
State of GIS: enabling a
Digital Europe

55. Enabling Geospatial In Europe:
some recommendations
• Common public message – media – investment =
valuation of the sector
• Long-term commitment …… from stakeholders
• Education a priority (including research)
• EC engagement on skills, qualifications
• Funding ….. support from industry/EC
“What happens if we don’t develop geospatial
education ?”

56. Karl Donert
eurogeomail@yahoo.co.uk
@karldonert