The GIS Management Academy+

Online professional geospatial management competency building for best-in-breed GIS managers

Welcome to the GIS Management Academy™ – the educational offerings of GIS Management Consulting Services.

Professional GIS management matters:

You have a large investment in the development of your GIS. The annual operating and maintenance costs for the typical geographic information system can be as much as 0.5% of an agency’s overall budget. But the effectiveness and return on investment for an agency’s GIS can vary dramatically. A recent study of more than a dozen agencies showed that the annual GIS ROI averaged 376% but varied from more than 1600% to a negative 11%.

What accounts for this dramatic difference? Why should you care?

Management matters. Two GIS operations with similar resources will likely have different levels of ROI and effectiveness, depending on how the operation is managed and operated.

Profession GIS management competency along with GIS operational maturity are key factors to ensure maximum effectiveness and return on investment for any agency. This is the focus of the GIS Management Academy™. Whether you are a professional GIS manager or responsible for overall operation of the GIS practice within your agency, GIS Management Academy™ workshops and training can help achieve superior effectiveness and ROI.

GIS Management Academy™ workshops can also help you as a GIS manager continuously improve your competencies to achieve a successful career.

A GIS is a complex system that benefits from a structured approach to management and operations

A GIS is a complex system that benefits from a structured approach to management and operations

The GIS Management Academy™ framework approach

GIS Management Consulting Services takes a framework approach to helping our clients. The core of this framework is the GIS Capability Maturity Model (GISCMM) and the Geospatial Management Competency Model (GMCM). These framework models are the core of two foundational GIS Management Academy™ workshops. The GISCMM and GMCM are the only two peer-reviewed models related to GIS operations and management.

Individual elements of the GISCMM and GMCM will be the topics for additional workshops that will be introduced within the next 12 months. Each GIS Management Academy™ workshop will also cross-refence other important sources for GIS, IT, and project management best practices, including:

  • The Geospatial Technology Competency Model (GTCM), as developed by the US Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration.
  • The Geographic Information Science and Technology Body of Knowledge (GIS&TBOK)
  • The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL).
  • The Consortium for Advanced Management International (CAM-I)
  • The Scaled Agile Framework® (SAFe®)
  • And other subject-specific best practices.

What you will receive

Each student in GIS Management Academy™ workshops will receive:

  • Online instruction from a qualified subject matter expert
  • Students who complete each course will receive a copy of the workshop presentation material
  • Students who complete each course will receive a signed course completion certificate that indicates CEUs and GISP points earned
  • Access to a monthly GIS Management Academy™ online forum and Q&A session

Read our GIS Management Academy Terms and Conditions