Mapping the Last Frontier
by J. Besl |
Ever wondered who those students were in the bright orange vests? Read on to learn more about the tight connection and big opportunities for geomatics majors at UAA. (Photo by Philip Hall / University of Alaska Anchorage)
You've seen them around campus. Sometimes they colonize the quad outside Rasmuson Hall. Other times they're lurking in the forests just past the bike paths. But they're hard to miss, thanks to those radiant tangerine vests.
The UAA Geomatics program is a frequently field-based department, where the entire campus serves as a classroom for students learning land surveying and GIS in the only state that's still not fully mapped.
Geomatics labs take place all over campus, both in the classroom and out. It's a big reason why the field appeals to so many outdoorsy students. (Photo by Philip Hall / University of Alaska Anchorage)
Another reason geomatics students meet outside — there's not so much room inside. As the College of Engineering's enrollment continued to grow (from 305 students in 2000 to more than 1,250 last fall) the geomatics department relocated its lab space into a temporary structure behind the Engineering Building. That was years ago, though, and even the overflow lab is feeling crowded.
But that's largely okay with geomatics students. After all, most majors will tell you they selected this path because they could be outdoors in wide-open spaces. A quick scan of the temporary building hints at the adventurous spirit of geomatics majors. Outside, the wooden railings are threaded with chain locks and fat bikes. Inside, everyone from the volleyballers to the veterans is dressed in knit hats and fleece layers and flannel jackets. With steaming coffee mugs and a weeks worth of scruff on several of the guys, many students look like they just returned from a camping trip. And on Monday mornings, that's likely the case.
Assistant Professor John Bean explains the lab before students head outside the classroom to grab measurements. (Photo by Philip Hall / University of Alaska Anchorage)
"We attract a lot of people who love the outdoors. If we organized a hiking day, a lot of people would probably come," said Owen Dicks, president of the Geomatics Student Association.
Many classes are held at least partially outdoors, and students can expect a career that will have them out of the office and in the elements at least half the time.
"There are a handful of geomatics programs in the United States and we have incredibly good enrollment compared to the other ones," explained assistant professor John Bean. "There are a ton of opportunities for our students."
So what is geomatics?
Tools of the trade
Essentially, it's the collection and delivery of geographic data. The discipline is split into two fields. Land surveying is the older system, responsible for measuring the land, marking property corners and assisting in the division of available land into available lots. On the other hand, GIS-short for geographic information systems-relies on distant satellites to handle the big picture map-making. Both disciplines seek to provide geographic and spatial information to a host of industries, from civil engineers to real estate agents to fire chiefs looking to map a path to accessible fire hydrants.
John Bean, left, helps geomatics student Gerhard Hahn set up a GNSS rover unit during lab. (Photo by Philip Hall / University of Alaska Anchorage)
Dressed in orange vests lined with reflector strips, armed with rain jackets and gloves and clipboards and radios, land surveyors and GIS modelers spread out to chart the land. They may post up at a roadside construction project with pairs of total stations mounted on tripods (these devices measure angles and distances through a system of prisms). Or they may be miles up a mountain retrieving satellite information with GNSS rover units, which look like a cross between a Roomba and the Jetsons' smoke alarm and connect to satellite systems around the world.
But in the age of the iPhone, is all this equipment still important? Most people walk around with Google Maps at their fingertips, but that magical tool couldn't exist without the work of geomatics. Nor can it compete with the industry's tools. "You're phone gets you down to somewhere in the general area of 30 feet. This thing can get you to within 2 centimeters, consistently," explained student Aleksey Voloshin, referring to UAA's rover units.
Mapping the Last Frontier
FUN FACT: GPS is only a system in the USA. The department's rover units tap into the worldwide system, known as GNSS, or Global Navigation Satellite System. (Photo by Philip Hall / University of Alaska Anchorage)
Alaska is a valuable place to study geomatics. As mentioned earlier, there's a huge need for mapping in the 49th state. The federal government has been building a comprehensive map of the country since Thomas Jefferson was in the White House, and surveyors charted most states long before Edison invented his light bulb. "Our mapping is way behind the mapping Outside," said Bean. "There's no comparison."
But that means students here are often quickly employed after graduation. Many find internships early, and they hold onto that summer job straight through to graduation. "Typically an employer gets a hold of them during their first year and keeps them employed until they graduate," Bean said. "When an employer comes to me and says, Got any good seniors? They're already three years too late."
The students are doing their part to connect with careers as well. The Geomatics Student Association sends members to the meetings of several local trade associations, and the group is helping plan a statewide surveying conference in February. They also volunteer with local middle schools to display their gear and talk to students about the field. With industry connections and a deep need for employees, geomatics grads are well prepared for a career outdoors in Alaska.
Closing the clubhouse
Geomatics labs take place outside whatever the weather, though the renovated Engineering Building will change that soon. (Photo by Philip Hall / University of Alaska Anchorage)
The department is heading into its last semester in the temporary outbuilding, where intro classes have become 'standing room only' affairs. When the Engineering Building's renovation wraps up next year, geomatics will enjoy plenty of dedicated lab space and storage (including enough room to survey indoors during particularly nasty weather).
The annex building has become a bit of a geomatics clubhouse, though. The classroom is lined with tables facing a forward whiteboard populated with all sorts of equations on elevations. The last row of seats is actually an overstuffed couch. Buckets of rolled-up maps are tucked under tables along the walls bearing computer monitors and a microwave. All the tech gear is shielded behind a chain link wall lined with coat hooks. It's a lived-in space. But it's no comparison to the much-needed upgrade in the department's future. For the first time in several years, the department will move its lab space back in with the rest of the College of Engineering.
But even as enrollment continues to grow, the department has maintained a chummy closeness among students and faculty. Though they're leaving their clubhouse soon, they won't be losing that clubhouse feel.
Want more on geomatics? Learn about professor Caixia Wang's geomatics research involving drones and coastal erosion.
Written by J. Besl, UAA Office of University Advancement
"Mapping the Last Frontier" is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.