A course that teaches Data Science in a pandemic usecase

The pandemic has forced the world to deal with a plethora of health, financial, and social problems. One of them is Food Insecurity where certain populations are more at risk of not having enough to eat.  This is the problem that was addressed within a new course ‘Analyze pandemic food insecurity using Data Science and GIS.  The course shows students how to analyze this problem using Python, Data Science Models, and QGIS geographic displays. This course is listed on the new GIS education platform, Bootcamp GIS.  A growing library of courses are being taught by Subject Matter Experts that demonstrate their real projects through online short courses.  The platform gives students the flexibility to pick a single course, build a certificate, start classes when they want, and choose tiers of instructor interaction.  See How it Works.

The need for GIS and Data Science Analysis

The blending of disciplines has always been a strong suit of GIS.  So it makes sense that Melissa Anthony, the course author, saw the opportunity of creating a course that combined the disciplines.  Anthony said, ‘I’ve worked as a GIS analyst and managed GIS’s for non dynamic features like cultural resources.  And I learned there is so much data out there, free and widely available.  I wanted to use that to take actionable steps in providing tools to local governments and non-profits to make data-driven decisions.’  Both GIS and Data Science are growing fields and the age data explosion has created the need for more people to do analysis of data to make sense of it all. 

Creating the new role of GIS Data Scientist

There has been an increase in job announcements asking for both GIS and Data Science skills.  Having both is a competitive advantage.  Anthony confirmed this by saying ‘In my last couple of interviews I could tell that when I spoke about both disciplines, it really elevated me above other candidates.’  The increase in Data Science awareness will continue to offer more such opportunities for those that equip themselves with both skill sets.

Visit www.bootcampgis.com to see about registering for a course.  Anyone seeking opportunities to author a course or having a corporate HR partnership then please email: support@bootcampgis.com.

About Bootcamp GIS:

Bootcamp GIS is a geospatial education platform serving courses taught by subject matter experts.  The platform helps students overcome their academic skills gaps or stay relevant with constantly evolving technology.  All short courses are based on real industry projects which make students more marketable and more adept at architecting enterprise implementations.