The demand for GIS professionals continues to grow at a moderate rate. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the projected job growth for Geospatial Information Scientists and Technologists is 5-9% annually.

The GIS field offers many possibilities. In fact, geospatial technologies are being used in a wide variety of areas. Entering into this growing field generally requires a bachelor’s degree and a solid skill set. If you’re looking for a management role in the GIS field, however, most employers will require a master’s degree.

Check out more info on this exciting field.

In an industry known for changing direction without warning, a UMBC professor has drawn praise for predicting the movements of social networks a decade ago. A paper written in 2008 by Anupam Joshi, professor and chair of computer science and electrical engineering at UMBC and one of the authors at the IBM Research Lab in India, has received the “Test of Time Award” from the Extending Database Technology Association.

Each year the Association selects a paper written 10 years prior that still applies to the industry. The paper, “Social Ties and their Relevance to Churn in Mobile Telecom Networks,” examines the role of social ties, relationships, and groups in influencing how people use mobile networks and select providers. The authors discussed the idea that people who use certain mobile providers are more likely to switch to a different mobile provider if they have friends who have already changed providers, which the authors call churning.

“The research we did over a decade ago touched upon a lot of issues that are still relevant. We were amongst the first to analyze the ‘social networks’ formed by people when they call each other and infer what this tells us about people. Our target then was to prevent customer churn (i.e. a customer changing from a prepaid plan of Verizon to T-Mobile),” explains Joshi.

The authors analyzed data to determine whether people with friends or acquaintances who churned from one service provider to another were more likely to switch providers themselves, and explored the structure of cellular networks, which helps explain how relationships can lead some customers to churn.

The research outcomes can be applied to topics from crime fighting to business and marketing and can be applied to social media networks that are created by popular platforms, including Facebook and Twitter. “As long as people connect to each other by electronic means and form ‘networks’, and these networks
tell us something about their behavior, I expect our techniques to remain valid,” Joshi says.

— Megan Hanks

“I have had the opportunity to closely observe Mrs. Nottingham’s work performance in my capacity as a member of the CAHSS Black Faculty Committee and as an affiliate faculty member in the Department of Africana Studies. Her administrative and organizational skills are the common denominators that contribute to the Department’s consistency and stability. She is highly knowledgeable about university policies and procedures; her technical expertise is trusted and respected by colleagues both inside of and beyond her Department. She brings a diverse set of management skills that allow her to operate beyond her typical job description" (Shawn Bediako Ph.D.).

“During my time at UMBC Africana Studies (2012-2014), I found Mrs. Nottingham to be a consummate problem-solver. Without her help throughout my first days and months, I would have failed miserably. She helped me set up my office, introduced me to colleagues, and schooled me on all of the systems pertinent to working there as a teacher and colleague. I developed not only a respect for her proficiency and professionalism, but a fondness for her ability to effectively communicate with all people who crossed her path from students in need of guidance to department heads and distinguished guests" (Ama Boakyewa Ph.D.).

“I have spent the last twenty-five years teaching in various academic institutions in the U.S. and, to this day, I have never witnessed an administrative assistant, let alone an administrator, to be as giving of their time without extra compensation as I have seen with Mrs. Nottingham. This “unsung hero”, as I am affectionately calling her, displays an unrelenting level of commitment in every capacity imaginable in the building, maintaining, financing, and growing of Africana Studies at UMBC” (Kibibi V Mack-Shelton Ph.D.).