Comments on: Learning GIS – Resources for GIS Training

By: Bj

Bj — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:11:35 +0000

Since you are in Trinidad, there is an excellent institution in your region that can help you with GIS training and in particular crime mapping. It’s Mona Geoinformatics at UWI, Jamaica. I know that one of their big projects involves using GIS to do crime mapping. I think Jamaica and Trinidad have similar crime patterns so you would definitely benefit from their expertise. Their website is http://www.monagis.com/ .

By: Onica Fournillier

Onica Fournillier — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:24:10 +0000

I would like to know when the Police Service set up a GIS unit and how efficient it is because like I said I used to work at the Central Statistical Office and I left in 2006
and we did the maps for the Police Service. If the Police Service has a GIS Unit it is not functioning properly, I mean GIS can be useful in so many avenues and we not using it, Police vehicles should be equipped with GPS devices and many other things need to be done. Right now we should be using GIS to help focus on crime and I don’t see that being done and I would love to help because this is my passion.

By: R

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:12:25 +0000

SAUTT is not the only agency under the Ministry of National Security that use this technology whit a view of combating the the present crime situation in the country, the Police Service already set up a GIS unit for the past years. Making it possible for the officers to make inform decisions as to where to have there resources deployed. It is also used for managing events such as our Head of Government Conference and many other activities.

By: Trini GISer

Trini GISer — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:05:39 +0000

further, look at your own comment, where you offer study of a “Post Graduate certificate at the University of Houston, main campus”. So there seems to be some contradiction in what you are saying/recommending. I’m happy that you strongly defend UWI, but it is what it is. Remember this is a global forum, and to think local just for the sake of it is narrow minded, since we are no longer limited in our access to global resources.

By: Trini GISer

Trini GISer — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:58:50 +0000

Liza – thanks, you just made my point for me…the legislation does not yet provide for proper action on the part of SAUTT, i.e. the law DOESN”T work, so it ain’t SAUTT’s fault they can’t operate how they want to as yet, I’m sure…but let’s not digress to politics here, my point was that Col. Garcia was drawing reference to the role of SAUTT for the purposes of perspective, therefore jeering of the Colonel was rude and uncalled for.

Further, you made the assumption that I said that ONLY US programs are good, and that I was ONLY referring to the US. There are programs and institutions in India that rival what is being taught in the US and other first world countries. What I am saying is, Trinidad is not yet comparable.

So relax.

By: Liza

Liza — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 01:10:36 +0000

Trini GISer: The person you are referring to is not the “Head of the Dept”…and yes, he went to the University of Maine. Maybe if they ran the dept the way it is supposed to be, the degree programmes would be valuable, because they have the technology, but you can still learn and real learning comes from experience on the job. Either way, there is no guarantee that a GIS programme would be good just because it came from the US. And as for legislation..please, we live here…you really can’t compare a small 1st world country’s institution to a massive 1st world one where the law works!

By: Onica Fournillier

Onica Fournillier — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 23:18:38 +0000

I myself have been doing GIS for the past 15 years, I was introduced to it at the Central Statistical Office where I worked in the Mapping Section and had to do maps for various clients around the country Ministry of National security was one of them and International clients also. Five years ago I attended UWI to do the Certificate in GIS/LIS Course just to get my Certification. I found the course very interesting and most of my lecturers were not Trinidadians therefore they have extensive experience in GIS. This course has been around for a long while, it is just that it has been also offered in Universities in the Caribbean also, it is like they decide what countries they want to teach it next at. The ESRI virtual campus is very useful, you should really try it or just apply to UWI.
I have applied at SAUTT for a GIS position because my main interest in GIS is to use it improve security things and other in my counrty.

By: Trini GISer

Trini GISer — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:41:32 +0000

I’d hesitate to fully recommend the programs in Trinidad, especially the one at COSTAATT. No offence, but these programs are still very young and not fully developed, and will not provide the sort of real world applications, especially to the military environment that Col. Garcia is looking for, therefore they won’t take him very far. I practiced GIS abroad in my profession after being mostly self taught and having taken a couple classes in it, I don’t have my Msc in Geoinformatics/GIS, however when I visited the St Augustine campus to express my interest in the masters program, the head of department himself suggested I check the University of Maine…nuff said.

And Asha – mind your manners, SAUTT *is* our version FBI, they can’t operate like the FBI just yet simply because of legislation.

By: Tanya

Tanya — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 23:32:22 +0000

This is in response to Col Garcia: Dave is correct, UWI offers a MSc Geoinformatics, a course I graduated from last year. It is very thorough and will give you the tools to apply GIS to any field.

By: Asha

Asha — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 20:25:59 +0000

I find it amusing that Colonel Garcia compares SAUTT to the FBI! Anyway COSTATT in Trinidad and Tobago is now offering an Associate Diploma in GIS.