IMMEDIATE                                                                                            APRIL 29, 2004

GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION CERTIFICATE NOW OFFERED AT ABAC

TIFTON--Through the HOPE Grant program, Georgia residents who qualify can enroll at no charge for the new Geographic Information Systems Technician Certificate at Abraham Baldwin College.   Students who enroll in certificate programs are not required to have the B average in high school to receive the HOPE Grant.
            The new certificate program will be available when fall classes begin on Aug. 23. The program is not reserved for agriculture majors. “This certificate is general in nature and can be used by people working in a number of different professions,” said Dr. Rod Brown, Associate Professor of Forestry at ABAC. The certificate program can also accompany an existing undergraduate degree.
            In the first semester of this program, students will take an introductory course in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Forest Surveying & Mapping, and either Fundamentals of Computer Applications or Microcomputers in Forest Resources. In the spring term, the required classes are Remote Sensing Technology, Geodatabase Management & Spatial Analysis and Advanced GIS Applications.
            Upon completion of this program, students will be familiar with land referencing systems, use of Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite receivers for collecting geographic coordinates, and basic operation of a Geographic Information System including database development, database queries, spatial analysis and map production.
            For more information on this certificate program, please contact the ABAC admissions office at 800-733-3653.

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