A common question that comes up in various OSGeo forums is: Should OSGeo seek to provide a professional certification programme for individuals? This is usually in the context of educational curriculum development. The common answer is: "No, we don't want to go there, at least not yet. If we create curriculum, let institutions use it and grant their own diplomas if they want."

One of the reasons it is a recurring question, without a clear logical solution, is because one of the goals of the Education Committee is to create and/or distribute training materials for open source products. It makes sense that an organisation that is intimately involved with several projects would also be the ones to help pull together curriculum for teaching in an academic or professional environment. But where does OSGeo's involvement in applying that curriculum end?

Should there be anything more formal that OSGeo provides after someone completes such a set of courses? Would it matter at all to a student if he had a certificate from OSGeo? When someone completes a set of courses, are they ready for the workforce? Are they technically competent to be successful in the geospatial field?

These are questions that I am sure the various GIS Certification programmes and diploma granting organisations have had to wrestle with.

Even when all the courses are complete and tests passed, is there more that an eager student or practitioner should be doing? Academic and job experience are only part of the equation for success. I define success somewhat differently than traditional institutes may. I believe success in the professional geospatial domain is not measured by merely what is packed into a person's head or on their resume.

We all know that someone who is a contributing part of an active community is much more aware of issues, connected to other like-minded individuals, challenged to find new ways to solve bigger problems, etc. This is a parallel to the Free/Open Source Software model - taking without giving back is hardly ideal for both parties. So it is with the geospatial professions. Success is building effective communities by gaining knowledge and applying it in an appropriate manner.

I envision a programme that goes far beyond the traditional "train, test, graduate, work" paradigm. I believe the time is coming when we will need to develop a range of Geospatial Professional mentorship programmes (presumably based around Free/Open Source projects), for creating certified Geospatial Developer Professionals, Geospatial Analyst Professionals, Geospatial Database Professionals, etc. I'm sure you could come up with better names, but you get the idea.

The important part is not that you get some certificate at the end, rather, that there is no end! It would run more like a guild. Students in training (or apprentices) are trained by their seniors (journeymen) who are in turn mentored by seasoned masters. There would still be some sort of certification requirements, but the key is that the junior pupils work closely with their mentors - to complete specific projects/tasks, to do various testing, to have ongoing assessments, etc. This builds accountability and provides a meaningful commitment to excellence over the long term (as opposed to possibly building a false confidence in the short term).

What's in it for the pupil? As opposed to a traditional certificate scheme, this one isn't focused on building up a resume or transcript. Instead, it focuses on building up a person, a pair of people in a relationship, and a place for someone in a supportive community. I wouldn't expect someone who just wants to learn a few tools and get on with work to necessarily care as much about these methods. Instead, it would attract the keenly interested individual who may already have some education or job experience, yet wants to associate with and be recognised by a broader community and to be challenged to grow over a longer period of time.

Who would do all the work? Obviously the pupil will be the main one being taught or given tasks and projects, but the mentor will also benefit from the experience. It is hard work to oversee someone as they learn and develop. I draw a parallel to the Free/Open Source model here as well - where those who help support new users gain in many ways. They hunt into the details of strange bugs or data issues and thus learn the tools better themselves, they touch the lives of people around the globe and build a positive reputation, etc. In essence, their actions help give the community its very breath - one question at a time.

Perhaps I have too many fairy tale dreams about master craftsmen living in harmony in days of old, but I believe a model like this would help add a more vibrant, professional, interconnected community. I know I would have liked to have been brought up in such a culture of learning. Although, in some ways, this is what open source has been doing for me already. More to come later when I have some free time to sketch out the ideas on paper.

Tyler Mitchell
8-Nov-2006