GIS247 NEWS
This page briefly lists the latest news and developments from GIS247.
AGI AWARD WINNER ANNOUNCED - SPONSORED BY GIS247
News release by GIS247, November 2011.
A GREAT YEAR AND EXCITING TIMES AHEAD AT GIS247
As this is the last Training Days of 2011, it seems good timing to reflect on the past year and look forward to 2012.
This year has seen GIS247 expand its user base considerably, with increasing numbers of domestic and international users enjoying our professional eLearning solutions. We are delighted to welcome all of our new customers but also thank our existing customers who have renewed their licences, some of whom have been with us since the service launched in January 2009. Our course base has expanded too and we’ve been delighted with your feedback and proud to see the contribution GIS247 has made to a wide range of projects mentioned in many testimonials and research papers.
2012 will see many exciting developments, with new courses including ArcGIS 10.1 getting the GIS247 treatments and an expansion of our GIS Essentials presentations. There will also be instructor-led virtual training sessions for GIS247 customers, with specific software functions presented, with users able to experiment with the live support from our trainers. We also have some very pleasant surprises up our sleeves to further enhance the incredible value, rich resource and fantastic return on investment offered by GIS247.
Training Days: Published in GEOconnexion International Magazine November 2011, Volume 10, Issue 10. Click on the image for the Training Days PDF of this issue.
USER COMPETITION WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT
News release by GIS247, November 2011.
GIS247 ULTIMATE LICENCES GAIN VIRTUAL TRAINING
Since its launch, GIS247 has delivered professional training on-demand to thousands of ArcGIS and MapInfo users. Most of our customers enjoy our most cost-effective licence, originally titled an ‘Unlimited’ licence to provide an unlimited number of users at an organisation with unlimited access to all of our training material and courses. We have recently renamed the ‘Unlimited’ licence to be called an ‘Ultimate’ licence, in recognition that this licence provides the ultimate in terms of quality, range and access to training material.
In early 2012, the ‘Ultimate’ licence will be further enhanced with the additional benefit of Live Virtual Training. Instructor-Led Virtual Training courses will be made available to all ‘Ultimate’ licenced users, enhancing their training experience with live demonstrations and accompanied by downloadable data & exercises. Live question & answer sessions will follow-on from each ILVT course.
Training Days: Published in GEOconnexion International Magazine October 2011, Volume 10, Issue 9. Click on the image for the Training Days PDF of this issue.
GIS247 LAUNCHES NEW SERIES OF EDUCATIONAL GIS PRESENTATIONS
News release by GIS247, October 2011.
GIS247 TO SPONSOR MAJOR AGI ANNUAL AWARD
Every year, the AGI judges and presents a set of industry awards as one of the ways in which the AGI encourages best practice, innovation and maximum use of geographic information. This year, GIS247 is proud to sponsor the AGI Award for Innovation & Best Practice (Central Government). The award will be announced and presented at the Annual Awards Dinner on 24th November, 2011 at the Holiday Inn Bloomsbury, London.
News release by GIS247, September 2011.
GIS247 - WE ARE EXPANDING...
Thank you to the thousands of users who make use of the e-learning for ArcGIS and MapInfo that we provide on-demand at GIS247. This month marks a key milestone in the availability of our service, as we are expanding. The number and type of courses available at GIS247 is being extended. The first phase of this is the release of a number of training presentations around the theme ‘GIS – Essentials’.
These presentations address a series of issues that are the foundation to the knowledge of users successfully implementing and analysing data in their GIS software.
A further key development at GIS247 is now the ability to pick and pay for access to specific courses. Until now, a GIS247 licence has given users access to ALL the e-learning for their chosen GIS software. We have added to this approach with the ability for users to pick and choose a specific course or courses that they want access to, and pay accordingly. This is all supported by a new streamlined on-line ordering capability which gives greater flexibility to users wishing to follow an e-learning approach. To take a look at our latest developments visit our Training Catalog.
Training Days: Published in GEOconnexion International Magazine Aug/Sept 2011, Volume 10, Issue 8. Click on the image for the Training Days PDF of this issue.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: FIONA FYFE
Mapping the beauty of the Devon coast provided a challenge for Fiona Fyfe and Living Landscapes. Debbie Soloman looks at how on-demand GIS training helped deliver rapid results.
Published on-line article in GeoConnexion UK July/Aug 2011, Volume 9, Issue 4. Click on the image for the full article PDF.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: IONA GERARD
Iona Gerrard from Fife Council has become a GIS expert over the last 6 months, providing invaluable skills and resources in using the ArcGIS software to her Business Development Team. She has achieved this by using the learning on-demand approach provided by GIS247.
Already an existing ArcGIS user, Iona broadened and deepened her knowledge by developing additional skills and gained more experience by following eight comprehensive training courses.
The flexible nature of GIS247 meant that Iona could access the e-learning whenever she wanted. She put aside a few hours each week. As GIS247’s Learning Management System keeps track of each users’ progress it was really easy for her to simply carry on from where she got to. “When I did some training I just popped my headphones on and I got on with it.”
Iona submitted an assessment for each courses and gained distinction in them all. “This is an incredible achievement,” says GIS247 Training Manager, Debbie Soloman. “The assessments are rigorous and users must prove their competence to gain a certificate let alone a distinction.”
Iona has undoubtedly increased her value to her team. Due to her new expertise she is now working on a complex corporate address gazetteer improvement project as well as providing useful technical support to her immediate colleagues. Iona is enjoying the new challenge, “A lot of the tips that I learnt on the training courses are turning out to be very useful. I am really pleased that I am able to assist my colleagues and provide more technical resources for my team.”
Training Days: Published in GEOconnexion International Magazine July 2011, Volume 10, Issue 7. Click here... for the Training Days PDF of this issue. Click on the image to view the GIS247 article about Iona's experience.
GIS247 USER COMPETITION ANNOUNCEMENT
News release by GIS247, June 2011.
GIS247 DEMO HIGHLIGHTS THE COMPLETE GIS TRAINING SOLUTION
GIS247 is the e-learning solution that trains ALL GIS users from many organisations across the UK and beyond. We recently held a webinar, during which we demonstrated how GIS247 is more than a comprehensive source of e-learning material. Thank you to the many who attended the webinar but if you were unable to join us, you can now view the webinar from the home page of our website, www.gis247.com.
The webinar illustrates the complete learning environment provided by GIS247 and how it assists managers provide training to their users. GIS247 enhances its vast library of training courses and technical modules with a Learning Management System (LMS) that tracks user progress through courses. This aids individual development and provides managers with an easy-to-access and easy-to-understand method for tracking individual skill development. For example, a manager just has to click on a user’s name to view that user’s entire GIS247 training history.
The webinar also illustrates how multiple user accounts (some of our customers have over 200 users) can be grouped together for simple management. These groups can be assigned their own training objectives with access to courses controllable at the group level. Course access can also be controlled at the individual user level giving a highly tailored approach, helping guide users to the courses determined as suitable for their needs.
We believe that GIS247 provides the most flexible, cost-effective and comprehensive approach to GIS training available. For more information, please visit www.gis247.com to view the webinar or email the GIS247 Training Manager, debbie@gis247.com.
Training Days: Published in GEOconnexion International Magazine June 2011, Volume 10, Issue 6. Click here... for the Training Days PDF of this issue. Click on the image to watch the webinar.
JOIN THE SKILL WAVE AND BECOME PART OF THE GROWING COMMUNITY OF ELEARNERS
Traditional learning processes rely on a stop-start approach. In GIS terms, this invariably relates to a user attending a training course, listening to presentations, interacting with software and then returning home. The actual “learning” is often done after a course, through consolidation albeit without the lessons or the teacher remaining available.
eLearning permits a more fluid approach to learning. Lessons are available whenever they are required, 24/7; not constrained to a couple of days in a classroom. This “on demand” style provides great flexibility, allowing valuable information to be gleaned as and when required and lessons to be heard, paused and repeated as necessary. The teacher is only a mouse-click away. This flexibility allows learning to become part of working, allowing skills to be put into practice, transforming lessons into knowledge through the act of “doing”.
Thousands of GIS users currently enjoy the benefits of GIS247s approach, individually and collectively. Developing the skills of the “lesser” skilled allows them to become self-sufficient whilst freeing the “more” skilled to their work, also ably supported by 24/7 training material. This elevation of the ability of all is one of the finest advantages from GIS247s approach. This is the Skill Wave – the effect of training one GIS user radiating outwards to improve the situation for many. With multiple GIS users learning and generating their own ripples, the Skill Wave radiates through an organisation.
GIS247 has a proven track record in enabling GIS to be used better, more efficiently and to a greater extent in those organisations allowing their users to ride the Skill Wave.
Training Days: Published in GEOconnexion International Magazine May 2011, Volume 10, Issue 5. Click on the image for the Training Days PDF of this issue.
SKILLED USERS ARE THE KEY TO GIS SUCCESS
The best investment any organisation can make into GIS is in the people who will be implementing and using the software and data. These ‘users’ need to develop key skills and the confidence to use GIS effectively and produce results accurately and efficiently. Providing a constant source of support and knowledge is the “learning on demand” approach of GIS247.com. Offering a range of full training courses and a library of technical modules, GIS247 is proven to support the development of all user levels, from novices to experts, as well as offering incredible value for money. For example one customer has calculated that the e-learning approach of GIS247 has delivered a return on investment of over 900%.
Providing an “always on” source of training provides benefits that extend beyond budgetary advantages. GIS247 customers have discovered that giving users access to training on demand has raised the overall skill level of those users, enabling novices to become self-sufficient in data preparation and map production whilst freeing experts to concentrate on more high-level tasks. This approach also unearths hidden talents; users whose GIS skills may have gone untapped under the constraints of traditional training programmes but are able to flourish and be noticed by developing their skills to the benefit of the entire organisation. Real life case studies demonstrating such achievements can be viewed at our web site.
GIS247 offers a range of courses in ArcGIS and MapInfo and we have also added a suite of ArcGIS 10 courses. All are available on-line and are accessible 24/7. Simply go on-line and register for a free trial of GIS247.
Training Days: Published in GEOconnexion International Magazine April 2011, Volume 10, Issue 4. Click here... for the Training Days PDF of this issue.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: ROSIE GILBERT
Through her organisations GIS247 licence Rosie Gilbert was given the opportunity to undertake a range of training courses in the Esri ArcGIS software. In the space of a year Rosie has gone from a total beginner to being a highly competent and skilled user.
Debbie Soloman finds out what a newcomer to GIS training has achieved twelve months on.
Published in GeoConnexion UK March/April 2011, Volume 9, Issue 2 and also as one of their on-line articles. Click on the image for the full article PDF.