We are pleased to welcome the University of Kentucky's new online graduate classes in open source web mapping and  encourage participation from all interested. The Department of Geography at the University of Kentucky  offers bachelor, masters and doctorate degrees. It is great to see them expanding thier curriculum in geographic information systems (GIS) and digital mapping led by a number of internationally prominent scholars and have developed these Graduate Certificate and Master of Science degree programs in digital mapping with all levels of experience in mind.

I also see good synergies with the OpenCitySmart ideas as the New Maps Plus curriculum provides a less costly alternative by using open source GIS applications to provide a work flow to publish powerful maps online without the restrictions or limitations of licenses. The biggest bonus is that publishing new dynamic maps using open source solutions can help increased engagement with city mapping products and information without the added cost of licenses. The New Maps Plus program can help liberate your maps for the greater public good. With mapping jobs, such as in local government, expected to grow faster than the average compared to other occupations, this program will keep you on top of the emerging wave of mapping technology.

We congratulate all excellent  staff at the University of Kentucky who are leading this excellent online program. This is also another good example of the rapid developments in Internationalization of Higher Education - Creative Initiatives, Critical Thinking, Educational Standard in Geospatial .

http://newmapsplus.uky.edu/all-about

Best wishes,

Suchith Anand
http://www.geoforall.org/