Teaching GIS and Remote Sensing

I am very proud to have been teaching for 5 years GIS and Remote Sensing at the University of Iceland, then Department of Geology and Geography. I have always tried to teach not the software but the general concept what of GIS. GIS education should not be solely dependent upon a specific GIS package. GIS is not just a software, and GIS education is not just a technical course substituting a computer for human being [Lourie, 1994]. Teaching the software and producing proprietary software users is far away from academic principles. It creates a narrow minded crowd which is not ready for any further research and development. A crowd which is very suitable and welcomed by the proprietary software vendors but it is not good for the society. So in the future if you are offering me a teaching position please don't ask me what software I have been using (I use GIS since late 80s and I somehow know most of them well). Ask me what I can tell you more.

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