ABOUT GIS&T PROJECTS

The UCGIS GIS&T Projects program is an information-sharing service designed to help make connections between clients and managers (those having projects) and students (those looking to work on a project). We provide this free service as a means to help students & faculty at our member institutions locate available GIS projects. Anyone in the world may request that their project be considered for inclusion in the GIS&T Projects Database, but only students and faculty affiliated with a GIS&T program at a UCGIS member institution are eligible to access and search the database.

Students learning GIS, especially those pursuing a Master's degree or Certificate program, are often required to undertake a project on which they can both develop and apply their growing expertise. Working on projects is a component of many GIS curricula, and clients are not required to pay students for the work. Both funded and un-funded projects are included in the UCGIS GIS&T Project Database. Any arrangements for possible compensation will be between the client, the student, and the faculty overseeing the students' learning activities and curriculum.

The role of UCGIS is only to facilitate the sharing of information between clients and students. All decisions about selections, matching, negotiations, communications, and commitments are the full responsibility of those using this service. Clients will advise UCGIS when they wish their project to be removed from this database.

For more information, please consult the FAQ's.

Clients and Managers

You have a project ready to go that would benefit from some spatial analysis and mapping, but you don't have the staff, resources, capacity, or expertise to get it done on your own. Your particular field or discipline does not matter: natural resources, environmental, business, community organization, historical, anthropological, sociological, biological, you name it. Because working on a project is often a part of a student's educational requirements, you are invited to submit your project ideas whether there are any funds to support this work or not. Students will consider projects that they find compelling, interesting, and worthwhile to provide them the experience and knowledge they seek.

What does matter is that your project should require the substantial use of a GIS, in one way or another, and the project should be of the general scope and extent that a student could complete it in the time available during their academic program. Every program varies, but typically a student might have 3-6 months to focus on this work, at least part-time while they are also undertaking other parts of their studies. Very simple mapping projects, such as representing point locations on a map, are not suitable ones for this collection. Nor are ones that would require deep expertise and years to complete. Your project should be "data ready," have clearly defined questions and expectations, and a fixed timeline. UCGIS will conduct an initial screening of submissions to confirm their suitability for inclusion in the database but will not vet the entries further.

Students

You are a student learning about GIS through an academic program at a UCGIS member institution. You are probably a Master's or Certificate student, but you may even be a PhD student or an unusually GIS-savvy undergraduate. You're looking for a project on which you can work during your program of study, and need one that is data-ready and has well-defined tasks and boundaries. Those parameters will increases the likelihood that you can successfully complete your program and earn your degree! Explore this database to expand your understanding about possible projects to pursue and consider new alternatives. This is your time to build and apply your knowledge and learn in the real world!

Faculty

Every year, you have students who are looking for interesting and innovative projects to undertake. Use this service to guide your students towards the opportunities, as well as gain a sense of who may be looking to later hire those with GIS expertise. Expand your professional network by paying attention to the cutting-edge opportunities in disciplines outside of your own. If you know of clients who are regularly in need of research and service, encourage them to post their offerings here. See a project that really doesn't fit in this collection? Way too small or way too big to be useful for the typical GIS graduate student? Help UCGIS curate this collection by letting us know. Help us help your students by making our GIS&T Project Database the best service it can be for UCGIS members.