THE ANALYSIS OF THE STATE VOCATIONAL TRAINING
ON GEOINFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES IN SIBERIA
 
Nikolai G. Markov
Tomsk Polytechnical University
84, Sovetskaja Street, Tomsk, 634004, Russia
E-mail: markov@b10.tpu.edu.ru
Tel: (382-2) 418-912
(382-2) 415-727
Fax: (382-2) 415-718
 
 

Siberia occupies the big territory and gives the significant contribution to the economy of Russia. Siberia is divided into Western Siberia and Eastern Siberia (figure 1) and includes the territories of 19 subjects of Russian Federation. Siberia is rich by natural resources, which today are intensively developing, and it needs for experts who can operate with modern GISs in geology, oil and gas producing, wood and earth cadastres.

First of all, we’ll show the results of the analysis of GIS-education in Siberia. Here and then we’ll speak about training not users but the developers of software and hardware. The analysis is fulfilled on the basis of data, received from five cities, which are scientific and educational centers of Siberia — Novosibirsk, Tomsk, Barnaul, Krasnoyarsk and Irkutsk (figure 1). These cities were chosen because of their successful training of bachelors, engineers and masters on computer science in Siberia. Tomsk and Novosibirsk are in the first group of cities because they have a big number of students and teachers. Barnaul, Krasnoyarsk and Irkutsk, in spite of the fact that they are large industrial and scientific cities, are included into the second group. The quantity of students and computer science teachers in these cities is in 3 times less than in each city of the first group.

Table 1. The Data About the Computer Training in Tomsk
 
?
University 
The Number of Students and Teachers
   
Current Students
Graduates of 1997
Enrollment
Post-graduates
Professors
Associate Professors
Assistant Professors
1 Tomsk Polytechnical University
892
224
255
36
11
75
15
2 Tomsk State University
697
136
200
51
13
71
8
3 The Tomsk State University of Control Systems and Radio Electronics
901
136
280
35
14
51
14
 
Summary
Table 1 and table 2 show the data about computer training in Tomsk (the representative of the first group) and in Barnaul (the representative of the second group). Today the percentage of students, who are studying the geoinformation systems and technologies to the general number of the students, who studying the computer science, is not big. On the figure 2 you can see that it is from 4.7% up to 9.6%. The diagrams on the figure 3 demonstrate the share of 1997 graduates who have received the specialization in geoinformational systems. It changes from 3.7% up to 8.3% on cities. The analysis of the diagrams shows that there is some growth of the number of students who are studying on geoinformation systems.
Table 2. The Data About the Computer Training in Barnaul
 
N
University 
The Number of Students and Teachers
   
Current Students
Graduates of 1997
Enrollment
Post-graduates
Professors
Associate Professors
Assistant Professors
1 Altay State University 
156
36
75
12
2
15
6
2 Altay State Technical University
530
103
198
12
8
44
3
 
Summary
The analysis has demonstrated that Tomsk State University, Tomsk Polytechnical University and Novosibirsk Academy of Land-Surveying and Cartography have the best material base (presence of software and hardware of GIS), a modern methodical maintenance and high teaching level of geoinformation technologies among all educational institutions in Siberia. The courses «Geoinformation», «Digital Cartography», «Methods of Geoinformation Systems Design», «Database Theory» and so on are studied in this Universities and the Academy. Students are studying well-known.

GISs like MapInfo (MapInfo Corporation, USA), ArcInfo and ArcView (ESRI, USA), WinGIS (firm ProGis, Austria). It is necessary to note that these systems are widely used in Russian market (and also in Siberia) with domestic systems like GeoDraw and GeoGraph. They are used in many geological, ecological firms and other companies, in Land City’s Committees. Just such firms more often give job to our graduates who can operate with modern tools in the field of geoinformation technologies.

A few words about methodical maintenance of training. The practical lessons are conducting with the help of local computer networks and it allows teachers to control students’ work easier. Original training programs, systems of test tasks are applied.
 

Fig. 4 Main Page of GIS Web-site

Let’s pass to the second part of the paper about methods of remote training. There is the Web-site with geoinformation content which was created and is supporting by the Chair of Computer Engineering and Information Technologies of Tomsk Politechnical University. Its address is http://www.gis.cctpu.edu.ru. The main page of this site is on the figure 4 and its structure is on the figure 5. You can see that the various training and retraining programs and courses for experts on geoinformation technologies take significant place on the site. Here are maps of different scales and information for several cycles of laboratory work (practice work). This site is used in the corporate network of Tomsk Politechnical University for training of students and post-graduate students from other departments, especially for geology-prospecting and ecological ones, for studying of some disciplines and even some geoinformation technologies.

Fig.5  The Structure of GIS Web-site

This site is used to study the bases of GIS by other Siberian universities and also by engineers of oil and gas producing enterprises: East Petroleum Company, Surgutneftegas etc. In 1997 Tomsk Politechnical University started preparing of experts on GIS with the help of remote training. CASE-technology and Internet are applied.

We are carrying out two projects for effective training activity via our Web-site. Software of the first project will allow to make maps according to any client’s request directly on the server. The other project is realized in Java language and Java-Script and aimed for equipping of client’s places in the basic points. Its results should be similar to American dynamic GIS system DGIS.

In conclusion I would like to note two points: