Preparing for careers in the Burgeoning GIS sector: Knowing about the Opportunity Areas Date:   Thursday , May 28, 2015 The Geographic Information Systems (GIS) market, hitherto a niche segment, is gaining in prominence and relevance, gradually becoming mainstream the world over. This sunrise market is all set to explode, creating huge opportunities for both companies providing GIS solutions, and young people the world over, aspiring to build careers in this emerging, exciting and upcoming industry. India in particular, has been quick to embrace GIS and we have been using this technology for over three decades. Some of the early adopters of GIS were national mapping agencies, several universities and organizations such as the Registrar General of India and the Department of Space, who created the infrastructure to build base data. Many state government departments were also quick to get on to the GIS bandwagon, rolling out projects that deployed GIS applications. Today, GIS has also found its way into corporate India, owing to better access to geospatial data. Recognizing the growing need for GIS solutions both globally and in India, several companies have come up which specialize in this domain and have developed innovative solutions around GIS. An entire GIS industry has emerged, which is not only catering to the needs of a expanding community of clients, but is also generating vital jobs for the Gen Next—basically people like you. Many young people are turning towards this sector and if you are someone who is keen to make the GIS your career destination, you need to know just why GIS is attractive and where the opportunities lie. The good news is that several GIS projects that began as pilots in the 90s have now evolved and graduated into enterprise deployments. Many portals have been launched that disseminate spatial data and services and several universities offer courses on GIS and remote sensing. What is also interesting for you to know is the fact that GIS technology itself is undergoing a paradigm shift. It is evolving from being a standalone desktop-based personal productivity tool, to an enterprise system that offers distributed geo-processing capability, intelligent geo-databases which store not just vector data but also images, CAD files, terrains, 3D objects, etc. Today enterprises using GIS are dynamically integrating GIS data and serving it up to their end users on the web, on their laptops, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), and yes, even smartphones and other smart devices, enabling remote access to spatial data. You need to understand these developments as they will shape your interest in the field. It is also important for you to know that GIS is no longer confined to traditional user segments such as urban planners, forest departments, utilities such as power, telecom and water, the defense segment and mapping agencies. Rather, GIS is now finding application in new areas. Location-based Services (LBS) are coming up, which use spatial data to track vehicles, find locations, undertake logistics and vehicles routing, and provide on-board navigation systems for automobiles. Increasing, businesses are using GIS to make better decisions—find the right location for their next manufacturing facilities or warehouses, research the market and undertake market sizing and territory alignment. As we have seen in the current decade, GIS has made its way into disaster management, where it is being used at every stage, including prediction, risk assessment, preparedness, planning, mitigation and rehabilitation. GIS-based disaster management information systems are enabling all stakeholders to take an integrated view of the situation and arrive at more informed decisions. One of India\'s highest growth industries, tourism, is also becoming a user of GIS. Today, tourism kiosks as well as web-based tourist information system have maps and images, which made the experience more exciting for the traveler. Finally, the government too is also harnessing the power of GIS in its projects, to improve its interface with common citizens. Whether it is land information system, municipal services, or other government projects, you are sure to get a glimpse of GIS in these initiatives. Clearly, there are many real-world uses of GIS and the technology is pervading all industry segments. In the next few years, as the industry rapidly grows, it will need more and more people with relevant GIS skill sets. If you have an eye on this market as your preferred career choice, now is the time to hone your GIS skill sets. You simply cannot go wrong with GIS. Dr. Rajendra Kumar Pandey Prof Pandey received his Ph.D and M.Sc. degrees in Physics from Ravishankar University, Raipur. Prior to joining NIIT University, Prof Pandey was the first Vice Chancellor at ITM University, Gwalior, M.P. Prof Pandey has been actively involved in teaching and research activities at the university level for more than 32 years. He has published one review, over 90 original research papers in international journals of repute, co-authored a book for Marcel Dekker, USA and presented more than 100 papers in National and International Conferences as invited speaker.