A Comparative Study of Geomatics Education at Select Canadian and American Universities.

Geomatics educational programs in the United States and Canada are similar in many ways. Differences, however, exist in the relative success of each of them. Healthier Canadian geomatics education is demonstrated through a number of metrics including: the number and diversity of geomatics faculty as well as the enrollment of undergraduate and graduate students. By contrast, geomatics educational programs in the U.S. have struggled; several have closed (e.g., University of Wisconsin) or been restructured (e.g., University of Maine and University of Florida). Getting ample numbers of students into the classroom has posed another challenge for American programs. The evolution and current status of geomatics education in the two countries are explored. Highlights of the gap in geomatics education between the two nations are presented. Lessons learned from this research are outlined in the form of recommendations at the end of the paper for decision and policy makers to take into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]